Brooklyn Street Artist Profile: Mr. Never Satisfied
Photo by Marques Jackson Photography. “Self-Doubt” mural by @dis_satisfied in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC.
By Marnie Kunz
Brooklyn street artist @dis_satisfied paints epic murals combining words, collage, and graffiti styles in NYC and around the world. I ran across his distinctive murals in Bushwick and have been a fan since. He’s also a runner and nomadic traveler who got stuck in Bali when covid-19 hit NYC. He sits down for a rare interview with us here.
How long have you been creating art? What got you into it?
When I was a kid I got into drawing comic book characters. When I hit my puberty days, I fell off from drawing for a few years. After a few years of being bullied and not knowing where I fit in, I got into skating culture and got exposed to graffiti from that. There was a place in midtown Atlanta back in the day called "The 40 Yard" which was an abandoned lot turned into a DIY skatepark. It also happened to be a place where people went to paint graffiti pieces on the walls. After injuring my knee too many times skating, I took on an interest in drawing and painting again. 21 years later I'm still doing it.
What was your first mural?
I don't know haha, I never really thought of my work as being considered "murals" growing up. The first piece I painted on a wall was under a bridge in 2000. Even though I'd been catching tags around for a couple of years before that, I considered that when I first started taking painting seriously.
What inspires your work?
Life's ups and downs. Mostly the downs, I'm not known for painting uplifting messages lol.
I understand you’ve been in Bali for most of covid? How has covid influenced your work?
That I have, unfortunately, it's looking like I'll be heading back to Brooklyn soon though. As for Covid influencing my work, I don't think it's directly influenced my style or anything but it has definitely run a number on my lifestyle as a freelance artist.
You’re also a runner, how long have you been running?
I've been into fitness and exercise my whole life. I used to always run to and from the gym where I grew up. It was roughly 3 miles each way. After my knee issues got worse, I stopped running for a few years. Then I went through a bad break-up in 2012 and decided to quit worrying about taking care of my knee and got back into running.
Why do you run?
Fitness and mental space.
Do you have plans for what’s next?
I wish I did. No idea what's gonna happen to me in the coming year but there are definitely gonna be some changes coming soon. Not sure if they'll be for better or worse.
How does politics play into your work?
If something happens in the world that I feel strongly about, I'm likely to make some kind of commentary on it in one of my walls, either subtly or not so subtly. Recently, as we're all well aware, politics have been pretty ridiculous so I've been painting a lot of pieces accompanied by long crabby rants in my Instagram feed.
What’s your favorite piece you’ve done?
I don't have one specific "favorite piece." Every piece I paint serves as a memory for me. Some pieces I like because it's a good representation of my style, some pieces I like because of something crazy that happened to me while I was there painting it, and other pieces just represent a good day spent with friends.
Where is the best place for people to follow your work?
My Instagram: @dis_satisfied. I suck at updating anything else and my website is intended to show my commercial work as opposed to my personal stuff. Apparently, people get confused because half of what I post is my landscape/adventure photography but whatever.
Marnie Kunz is an RRCA-certified running coach and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, Akita🐕 mom, running coach, and writer. She enjoys traveling, art, dogs, and eating messily. You can follow her running and events at @Runstreet Instagram and Runstreet Facebook.
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