Know Your Bajans: Mario (Maz) JohnRose

It feels absolutely amazing to know that you have spectacular friends in the is life. I have known Maz since the beginning of my Secondary School life. He may not remember that, but I remember him from orientation with his friend Jason Fenty (I think it was him), and they were with the students who were giving the new first formers a tour of the school grounds for our orientation after taking the 11 plus exam. 

We both attended Harrison College and grew to become friends with time. I first knew Mario as the older dude that seemed to like my bestie Lena, in the beginning i'm not sure of how well we got along but I was rather annoying in my younger years to be honest...I suppose I still am!

Maz introduced Lena and I to so many cool experiences. I have so many fond memories with him, going to the beach and skipping school at points in time, Epic camping adventures down Bathsheba next to this natural cascade of water, watching the guys trying to catch crawfish. There are so many wild things we have done together...

Getting drunk for two days on end in 2014 when he was back for a short visit, taking tons of photos, going to Rock Parties and getting completely, and utterly obliterated by alcohol and head banging

along to 'Standing Penance'. He was the one that introduced me to Coles Cave, and that is truly one of my most favorite secret hideaways of this beautiful island. This cave is never completely the same when you travel it especially to its large clay deposits that shift form ever so regularly. 

When Maz left for China, it was as if one of the Three Musketeers was leaving. Well truly there were four of us because at that point in time we used to rope the feisty red-head in , Stian. When you grow older its actually so sublime to sit and reminisce on this long gone days, and the feelings of nostalgia are strong and jerk at the very essence of your emotions. 

As long as I live I will never forget those memories. They are all bittersweet. And as the years have passed, even though Maz and I don't talk as often as I wish we did, I am still super proud to call him a good friend. No matter where in the world we will meet, its just so comfortable when we are around each other to slip into long in-depth conversations, that sometimes get me all choked up. Its like when we see each other we pick back up right where we left off. 

When I think of Maz, I see him as an amazing Artist, someone who is inspiring and represents all of his Caribbean Heritage. Not to mention he is an amazing photographer. He is a free spirit and always has the most incredible stories to tell! The next time we will see each other is hopefully next year (2016) for my wedding in Denmark and I count each day down until I can see this amazing guy again! 

Mario JohnRose is truly a rising star for the Caribbean, and I was extremely stunned when i googled him and realized that he had just published a book of Poems! Also when I spoke with Lena about it we both giggled and reminisced about the Mario we knew and had come to love! 

Pink Snowflakes; A compilation of poems by Mario JohnRose

Well despite him being far away and busy living his life, he still took the time to Answer a Q & A that I had put together for him! Well with no further ado...

Name / Age / Location:

Maz Johnrose/25/Yunnan, China 

Brief intro to who you are / what you do.

I'm a freelance photographer and writer living in South China, documenting the various aspects of life in the far east. 

Why do you do what you do?

I like telling stories, both through words and pictures.

How do you work?

I write from home for the CaribbeanTourism Organization, and do freelance photography and filming here in Yunnan.

What’s your background?

Started a degree in Psychology at UWI cave hill, went to beijing to study Mandarin Chinese and Film. And now finishing a degree in art photography at Yunnan Art University

What are you working on at the moment?

A photo-book displaying the cuisine of the 25 ethnic minorities residing in the poor south-western province of China, as well as a collection of poetry about by China's exploitation of the natural environment.

What are your goals for the future, both work wise and life?

My dream is to write some of the most amazing works of fiction and non-fiction, writing that will make a difference in people's lives. I see myself as a story-teller, whether through words or pictures, and I want everyone to experience everything I see with my eyes and my mind.

What are you doing when you’re not creating? What (other) hobbies do you have?

I travel a lot, whenever I can. I'm not a big movie watcher but in my free time I listen to lots of music and watch the occasional tv show. I also like just sitting and looking at bodies of water...lakes, rivers, oceans. With regards to sports I play cricket and football and am really getting into chess recently.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I'm always terrified of meeting new people.

Do you have any tips or inspiring words for others?

Never settle for mediocrity in any aspect of life. Higher life standards!

A quote from my favorite novel;

"When any civilization is dust and ashes, art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is defined by them." 

What is an artistic outlook on life?

I guess it's a form of altruism. You want to make people smile, through creating something that also makes you smile.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

I recently published a collection of poetry, and the way it's resonating with different people from all over the world has been very encouraging.

What work do you most enjoying doing?

I haven't done it much, but I've enjoyed doing group film projects. Whether short films or commercials.

What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?

Moving from Dominica to Barbados and thinking how incredibly strange it was. The sun is brighter in Barbados than anywhere else in the world, I think.

What themes do you pursue?

Water, religion, nature, memories, relationships

What’s your scariest experience?

Randomly got dragged to a birthday party of some chinese mafia guy and it involved gambling and drugs and prostitutes and shirtless men with huge gold chains. Drunk birthday guy 

wouldn't let us leave and kept saying he'll drive us home. Could've turned more scary but in the end managed to duck out while he was in the bathroom doing something sketchy.

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

Met a poor chinese street performer at about 5am in Beijing. The guy was pretty musty but young and not ugly, and carrying just a guitar on him. Me and my friends started 

talking to him randomly and he invited us for some baozi (chinese steamed buns) for an early breakfast. He showed us his home which was the tiniest room with only a single bed 

and a small table and told us about his life and why he was performing on the dirty streets of Beijing all night, every night. Dude was raising money so he could get married 

(hard to find a wife in china unless you've got a car and nice apartment) and the futility of the situation wasn't a dampener on his spirit although he was only raking in about 

a few dollars a night. We left him with a couple hundred yuan and he looked like exploding with embarrassed happiness. I always remember his persistence when I think about 

chasing far-away dreams. Never saw him again but hope for his happiness.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

I don't do embarrassment

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

I've had some part-time acting jobs in Beijing, as well as in a software company doing localization and I also worked for a summer doing minion work in a tv station. 

Do you admire any artists / photographers? (Famous or not!)

Yang Xinglai, painter/calligraphist

What is your favorite…

Color: green

Animal: snake

Season: summer

Movie: Trainspotting

Book: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

What food, drink, song inspires you?

Lobster tail

Rum punch

Bittersweet Symphony

Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

It's never lonely because I'm very entertaining company, even with myself.

What do you dislike about the art world?

It's not appreciated enough by the common man.

What do you dislike about your work?

That I'm still improving, I'd like to be nearer to the top of the curve

What do you like about your work?

That I can look back on some of it months or years later and still think...this stuff is pretty good.

What makes you angry?

Selfies, and cigarette butts on the street

What research to you do?

Right now, modern chinese sociology

What superpower would you have and why?

Invisibility, the concept of voyeurism would be exciting and inspiring for me

Name something you love, and why.

Airplanes. I spent the first 6 years of my life living next to an airport, always fond memories. And they take us to far away places, freaking fast.

Name something you don’t love, and why.

Free wifi. It makes people so boring when they're supposed to be out and interacting with each other

What is your dream project?

A documentary of a very isolated place, perhaps somewhere in Asia, filmed in a psychedelic fashion.

Mario JohnRose is a great Role Model for the average person to look up to. Many teenagers and young adults find themselves lost, struggling to find themselves and their purpose in life, as cliche as it may sound. He is proving to the world that you can enjoy life and the things you love and at the same time discovering yourself. 

Too many persons, especially Barbadians are afraid to take a flying leap of faith and just let themselves go. Too many persons are trapped in this "metaphorical box", so to speak, that is created naturally by the ways of our Caribbean and predominately Bajan Culture.

Mark my words! Maz is a person to watch in the near future, and I hope to continue seeing great things about him all over the local and International media. And perhaps in years to come he will accomplish one of his goals of being the most celebrated Caribbean Author! 

Mario JohnRose can also be found on Facebook and Tumblr. Even if you google his name you will see articles popping up on him! 

Check him out via the links below: 

www.facebook.com/maz246

maztheartist.tumblr.com