Meet Perris Mackey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Perris Mackey. 

Hi Perris, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My name is Perris Mackey. Some know me as p_ThaNerd. I’m 35 years old and I was born and raised in the city of Cleveland. 

I started my artistic career back in 2011. I watched a documentary on Netflix called “Exit through the gift shop.” It was a story about a handful of well-known street artists. 

I was so compelled by this documentary infatuated with this that I had to get involved somehow and some way. 

I started collaging in 2014. I created a large Batman portrait out of comic book scraps from my personal collection. I posted it on Facebook and within the hour I had hundreds of likes and comments. More interactions than any of my previous artistic endeavors. I took this as a sign to continue and have been ever since. 

I’ve had write-ups in “The Plain Dealer”, “The Scene”, “The Euclid Observer”, “The Can Journal”, and “The News Herald”. I’ve also had TV appearances on “Kickin it with Kenny”, “Good Day Cleveland”, “Fox 8 News”, “WKYC Ch.3”, and “Action 19 News”. 

I’ve been working nonstop in hopes that I can boost the awareness of myself and my art. I strive to change the perception of “The Starving Artist” and show my kids and anyone else that IT IS possible to live a successful life as a full-time artist. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was definitely not smooth starting out. I took a chance on myself by quitting my full-time job of 7yrs. I just had an abundance of faith at that time and I truly believed that things would work out how I planned but I was sadly mistaken. The life of any entrepreneurs isn’t a straight ride to the top. There are many ups and downs and I found that out firsthand. I don’t regret my decision and It’s not that I don’t still have an abundant amount of my faith in myself to date I just feel like my decisions are more calculated at this point of my career and not just an impulsive decision. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started off making digital collages for people almost 12 years ago. I would raid Facebook photo albums of friends and family and then I would take their pics, digitally cartoon them, and then I would digitally collage those pics into a photo grid that resembled a layout of a comic book. I called it #nComicForm which can be searched on Instagram. 

I did this for a few years and then transitioned into becoming a street artist. I picked up acrylic paint and I used to paint life-size characters on cardboard and would post them onto abandoned buildings and light poles around Euclid and Cleveland. 

I’ve developed many art skills over the years, but 2015 was the year I started to collage with actual paper. Comic book clippings to be specific. 

Currently, I take damaged comics books and recycled magazines and I upcycle them into collages of my favorite fictional and non-fictional characters. 

I created a life-size Nipsey hussle portrait and a remix of the last supper. They were my most expensive pieces and I sold them to Derrick Grace last summer. I am most proud of this mainly because it gave me faith that I would eventually be able to sell my art consistently at a higher price point. 

What sets me apart from others is that I’m not worried about what others think of me. I do what makes me happy and nobody will tell me otherwise. I think a lot of ppl hesitate on doing certain things because they’re worried about the approval from others. Friends and family included. My logic is life is short and you should do what’s best for you no matter how long or hard it may be. Time is all we got and we should use it wisely. 

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful. -Eric Thomas- 

Contact Info:

• Website: Immortalnerd.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/p_ThaNerd
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pThaNerd
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/p_thanerd
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC3wCJKib84Vs4CBZabjaW4A