Getting Hyperreal with... Myriah Rose Marquez

Hyperreal interviewer extrordinaire Justin Norris sat down with Myriah Rose Marquez to talk about how The Diary of Being Uncomfortably Comfortable got made, the art of van living, and how important a creative community can be to making art.

Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.

Hyperreal Film Club: Obviously, I was able to check out The Diary of Being Uncomfortably Comfortable and it was definitely a very interesting approach to sort of like an autobiography or documentary. One of my first questions for you is what led to the conception of this work? Was there a clear moment where you said to yourself, “I want to tell my life story.”

Myriah Rose Marquez: Well, so no, so I've always like, I have only had myself and my camera. And I would make, short little edits to music that I was really inspired by at the moment. Like I would hear something alternative and weird, and it just sparked something in me, so I'd just make a quick edit. Usually really choppy and just fast and slow-mo. And I lived in California, here in Venice. I think I was living in the van. So, I had the van already. And I had like made my community, GRLSWIRL had started. I was actually at the skate park one morning and this lady and her daughter were at the skate park and visiting this lady was… Neil Cohen. And we met that morning, and she introduced us and he's just super nice. Like, I've never met such a genuine happy spirit. And he’s got some sass too, but just like a real human. And he wrote a children's book. And he was like, “Oh, you know, she just showed me these videos you make,” because I posted them here and there on Instagram. And he was like, “I would love for you to make something for my children's book.” I was like, okay, and we hit it off. Him, his wife, April, they've been through the film [industry]. And April—actually, sorry, I'm making a lot for you to transcribe here…

HFC: All good.  I'm used to it by now! 

MRM Good. [April] actually used to work for Esquire and Rolling Stone whenever they still had to collage the pieces of magazine together. So they're just really inspiring and like always thinking in different directions artistically. And so we got to know each other and really created a connection. And Neil one day, he asked me to coffee, and he said, “Okay, you're gonna tell me no, but just getting to know you, you have a real story here. I want you to make a short film about yourself.” And I was like, “I'm telling you no!” [Laughs]. It was just I've never just liked talking about me. And that's why I I don't really push [The Diary of Being Uncomfortably Comfortable] really. I've had friends ask for the link and I'm like, “Oh, I’ll send this to you,” and I never do. But I got to thinking about it. Probably like a week went by. And I was like, you know, we get messages on the GRLSWIRL account of people being inspired all the time, because they never see a girl on a skateboard. And we do different modeling content and such, and the way social media is, it can really frame things to be picture perfect and beautiful and like everything's together. I was thinking like, you know, genuine, just inspiration from young girls and other people who have been a girl on a skateboard, how much more could I inspire? Hopefully so people could know that, like, it's not picture perfect. It is like, there are struggles, it's just I don't have the word for what this experience is. It's unreal to me. So yeah, then I decided, I was like, “Okay, well…” and he was like, “Look, you already got the content. You have videos from this time and this time. I didn't want to like, to be in the older generations. They don't understand how quick stuff is these days and if you just mash all your story videos together…” as that's kind of how he saw it like, “You have all these videos from your stories on Instagram,” and we’re used to that kind of thing. You know, it's like, I'm not going to watch 30 minutes of that. And maybe there's a way to do it. And so I was like, “I gotta make this different.” And so  I guess to answer your question, that’s how it started. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GRLSWIRL (@grlswirl)

HFC: Going off that, you kind of mentioned that when Neil said, “Hey, you know, it'd be great if you could tell your story, right? Like you yourself tell your story.” As you were making this, as you were in the editing booth, or just looking for footage and just creating this film, what was that like for you? How did you feel?

MRM: I found it to be really therapeutic and healing, actually, because I had a phone conversation with my mom for the first time, like, “Okay, what really happened when I was younger, like, this is what I remember, was that correct? Did I actually experience that?” And you have to break through and digest everything. And so it was really healing. And with that comes the like, not wanting to do it, or continuing forward. And, actually, during it, that reminds me… During the trip, I had started collecting everything and made a few things and was kind of getting my layout, just straight before I started taking things away. And the girls and I, we went on that trip to Mexico. And after being there, I was like, “There's no way I'm making this film. Like, to talk about me when this is going on!” And so I told [Neil], I was like, “I'm not making this film, there's like, definitely something else to talk about.” And then probably another week went by and Neil and April are really great about it totally being like, your decision and like, no pressure and just support. And so they didn't really push it. And I went back, I was like, “Okay, I hate for all this time to have gone by, I already told you yes and you know, and then just not do something. So I want to add this at the end and at least start to tell that story as well.” And I realized that by making that, I was sharing my story so that I have the opportunity to share other people's stories as well. And so yeah, that moment was, I think, the biggest. Once everything was kind of edited together, I got a hotel room for a week, and I just did all of this on my iPhone and used a projector. And the hardest part was the sound! Like I was just on the rooftop banging my head and you would try to… I was learning everything. You would try and it would just take everything away and you would have to start all over. And I had to go out to the lifeguard tower and drink a little bit of whiskey to record myself and then listen to it. Yeah, so it was definitely… You come face to face with yourself.

HFC: Making a movie of any length, making anything is always challenging. I've experienced that myself.  And talking to other filmmakers, you know, whether it was a 10-minute short or a five minute short, or in your case, a 13 minute short, it's not as easy as one may assume. And then you add on the personal angle of self-analyzing yourself and your life story, I can imagine how terrifying that could potentially be at spots and how therapeutic that can also turn out to be. 

MRM: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. 

HFC: And you kind of touched on it, but just to confirm, was this your first time making a short film? Or, you know, a film of any kind?

MRM: Yes. In high school I was in theater. And so we would get assigned projects to make like, make a video like this. I want to find those. They're out there somewhere. So that was never more than just a few minutes. So yes, definitely. And I wish that I remembered this fully correct…But I forget what year it was when cinema and movies came to the theater. It had to be at least 15 minutes, I think it was, in order to be shown. So that was my goal, I was trying to get to 15 minutes.

HFC: Nice. Going to the creation aspect of this of this film, you were kind of sifting through a lot of video footage you had already recorded. Looking back, what do you think kind of made you gravitate towards wanting to document these certain moments in your life with a video camera rather than say, simple pictures or just journaling? Or was that all happening, in addition to video?

MRM: Definitely happening simultaneously. I've gotten to where now I don't video so much, because I'm like, “You don't got to video everything. Just in the moment, you know,” and I take film photos as well and digital photos and I save notes and I write letters and journal. And yes, all the outlets. For this one, how you mentioned, and how I said I went through the old stuff, I wanted to make or have the people that believed in me proud of me and the piece as well. So I definitely had influence there. As far as like, the direction, they kind of saw it, we collaborated and then I wanted to film more stuff. So the part where I have this sheet, I had put all of the videos in moments that stood out or were special to me that you can’t fully actually see and I projected it onto the sheet and like that was the film screen. And that's how you saw it and then I had it go through the lens to see the picture and it added this really beautiful effect to it that was just through the projector lens. And in the original too, I had all the vocals overlapping each other to where you could only hear a few different words that made their own sentence. And they were like, “We know what you're doing here, but you have to clean it up a little bit so people can also understand what you're saying because they don’t know you and know the story already. Like just lay it out really clear for people,” and so I definitely cleaned it up a lot. It was pretty trippy the first time! [Laughs].

HFC: I can see the appeal though. Even with the sheet around with the footage playing on it, and even with the filming through the camera lens and all that, like, while I was watching that on my end, I would be lying to you if I said I could clearly make everything out and complete the visual. But that's not a bad thing because it's objectively an interesting sight! And then you know, obviously on rewatches and talking with you or just talking about it with other people, I think that's the beauty you can find in art. From what people create, even if its something you don't understand, there's always that room for interpretation and room for deeper thought that’s found in art that you can't find anywhere else.

MRM: Exactly. And a lot of what I'm influenced by always has that level of “If you didn't know, then you wouldn't know.” Like if there's symbols being used, or if there's colors being used in different moods. I love that underlying piece. And actually, from this first film, I got to make a second film called The Sovereign, and I wanted the whole thing to be silent! [Chuckles]. They were like, “You have to put like a little bit in there!” and I was like, “Okay,” and so I connected it at the beginning but then, exactly for that reason, everybody’s subconscious, and that's the thing with Tarot and symbols, it's like, it's not about the actual meaning of them. It's about what it makes you feel and all of those symbols and things they, they make us universally feel a certain way. And as well, you have your own components from your own experiences in that. So, to put an image in front of somebody's face and not have any words, everybody's going to see the same thing, but slightly interpreted different. And I think that that's healing too, because it pulls what's in the individual watching out of their subconscious. And I really love trying to learn how to do that and have been intrigued by it from pieces that I've seen.

HFC: Well, I think you're off to a good start already! I think it's always cool to hear about any people who are making films. I think having notes like that come back like, “Well, you know, maybe people won't get that,”, I think those are the coolest notes a filmmaker can get because that means you're thinking outside the box a little bit. 

MRM: Thank you!

HFC: I'm just curious, how long did it take it take to make this, from conception to finished product? How long would you say that took?

MRM: At least six months.

HFC: Was it like a consistent you were just working on it? Bam, bam, bam, those six months? Or did you take a break per month or give it a month in between?

MRM: I feel as though when you're working on a piece, you're always working on it. It’s how they tell you, “If you're not at work, and you're thinking about work, you're still working,” and so around you like, “Oh, I'm home right now, don't think about work,” And so it's kind of like that, like a job where it's like, you're always kind of thinking about it or it’s inspiring you in different ways or you're thinking about the timeline, you know. And so I feel like, I probably took the few days off for, like, maybe once a week, definitely when I went on the trip to Mexico. That was a week and a half.

HFC: You mentioned you went through the footage, you kind of took things out, placed things in, and figured out what you wanted to put in. What was driving you to, say about certain footage that you would see, to make you say, “I'm going to keep this but I'm not going to keep this?” Was there a main theme, while looking through all this footage you had filmed over time that you kept in mind while deciding which one to keep and use?

MRM: When you're editing something and you watch it 100 bajillion times, there are certain pieces and light and darkness that stick out stronger than the others and the other things start kind of dissipating on their own. And you kind of can see like, “Oh, that lags too long.” Like I just kind of try to step out of myself and take it as if I'm watching somebody else. And it's like, “Okay, that would kind of bore me, I think,” or like, “That's a pretty shot, but I didn't really feel much.” You know, just trying to find the feeling in it.

HFC: While making this film, what would you say were the most challenging aspects?

MRM: Learning how to do everything! [Laughs]. Yeah, that was my first time just cycling through all those videos and I have so many videos! Too, too, too many! That and writing and rewriting, I've had pages and pages and pages. And I told way too much. And I was like, “I don't need to talk about all that.” But I just got everything out. And then learning how to edit and the sound, and then putting it out there! Like, oh my gosh, like, this is an actual thing that people are actually watching! Because I was like, “Okay, like, how far will this actually go?” You know, just like, let's do it! And now people are actually watching it, which is amazing! So the whole process. It was excruciating. [Chuckles]. No, but it was enjoyable too!

HFC: While making this did you ever ask yourself, “Am I revealing too much of my life story?” Or did you want to go in, just like, “I want to talk about everything I can,” or did you say, “I want to talk about specifically this and some of this stuff doesn't need to be said.”

MRM: Yeah definitely. It's a lot that I still did not share. I wrote it all out. But then I was like, “I'm just not ready to share that at the time.” Definitely stuff that wasn't shared! [Laughs].

HFC: Do you see a power in talking about things to a wider audience compared to talking to someone in your personal life, such as a close friend or close family member? How do you approach that? Or does that just come naturally and it just kind of ends up where it ends up in terms of who you're telling these things to?

MRM: Yeah, exactly. And I think that a large audience is just as powerful as your neighbor next door. The one person to one person energy exchange out from there can affect a whole town. And so I think that that's just as powerful, and with my friends that I share, you know, the people who I trust, but I’m kind of am socially awkward out in the world so I don't just straight away share. But having done so now, I've gotten to go to a film festival that my show was in, and it was a Surf Skate festival. How do I say this? The younger crowd of the skaters that are usually like intimidating, I had young boys coming up to me afterwards, crying, just so inspired and like, to soften hearts and see that effect out there on the larger screen is… I had this woman come up to me when I was younger, didn't know me, out of the blue. She said, “Little girl, what you're going through is not going to just heal locally, it's going to heal nations.” And I don't know. I don't know if that's part of that path but just by sharing it even person to person, it just helps people not feel so alone. People are going to read this and be like, “This girl didn’t answer the question at all!” [Chuckles].

HFC: No, no, the answer was remarkable! So thank you for that! You kind of inspired me for this next question. You touched on some people after seeing this film, strangers essentially, they’d come up to you… How does that make you feel? Like do you ever feel awkward to sometimes have these strangers come up to you and be like, “Wow, this affected me in this emotional way?”

MRM: It's the most beautiful thing, I could cry! That's what made me cry now! I don't really feel awkward within that space because that is my heart space. That is the reason why I share it; so other people would feel comfortable to share as well and to just feel that connection. And I'm going to be, hopefully by the time I have my degree. I want to go into school for liberal arts and humanities, and I would love to be an art therapist and just play and have that connection. And yes, share in that way.

HFC: Nice. When filmmakers like yourself, when you essentially point the camera at yourself and you take a look at you and your experiences, what is the power that you see in that? Compared to say, if someone came up to you, like, say, Neil was like, “I want to make a film about you,” and someone else looks at your life? Do you think there are perspectives that you can find in one and not the other?

MRM: Yes, absolutely. Always, we all have different lenses and perspectives. And I think that's one of the most beautiful things in friendships and partnerships to be able to see the good and the bad that they don't see themselves. That conversation of “You're so awesome. I hope you know that!” or like, “Hey, you can be a little sassy in the morning!” [Laughs]. You know, I am sassy in the morning! It's like, I'm sorry that comes out!

HFC: So why would you say you gravitated towards the art of film for this work? Did you ever consider any other form of art to tell this particular story?

MRM: For this particular story, a diary would be really awesome. I just actually visited home and I got a lot of notes and things that I have written when I was younger that I have not read since then. And one thing I read, and I just started bawling, crying, because I talked about stuff that again, like you're kind of like, “It's been so long now, I feel fine, like did that really happen?” And then you're like, “Whoa like, that was real for me!” And it is okay to process that. So I think that would be interesting. It would definitely be a few more years. [Laughs]. Because it's still stuff you could be embarrassed about. You know, that's your diary. But since I was younger, I've always been pulled towards film. I come from skateboarding at age 11. I was never ever going to be professional. I just like don't got it like that! And there's some really great filmers out there that skate really, really well. Then I was thinking I could be a filmer! That's how I can skate! I could still like, progress! But I can just be there and film and that'd be perfect, so I always daydreamed about that. My buddy Levi at the time, he had the VX camera and the computer he put it on, so he got to be the filmer. And then my mom, I don't know, this was pretty common in the ‘90s, early 2000s, with the camcorder and the VHS that they had everything recorded. Popped it in and like, it was just awesome. So I've always just been drawn to film in that way and I'm just not so good at painting or drawing! I get some good poems out of me. It's the one thing I feel like I've connected to. And the music! Growing up dancing too, just like, getting into making the soundtrack and getting into matching or juxtaposing the motions with the sound. It's really fun!

HFC: What was guiding you on that in terms of finding that sound that matched with the visual aspect and just the story you wanted to tell? How did you approach the music aspect of this film?

MRM: Well, I was painting apartments at the time before people moved in or out. And so I listened to music all day while I was painting. And I had a playlist going of film music inspiration. And it was like a huge playlist, and it just… I don't know how to describe the music that I'm into, or what sounds inspire me, but I just was going through radios based off of songs that inspired me like, “That's not quite it…” and I just hear something and I'm like, “That's it. That's amazing! That's the direction I'm going!” And yeah, just like I said with the dance videos I used to make, I would hear that song and it would just make a feeling come out. And all of a sudden, I would feel it. And so yeah, the feeling! Always the feeling.

HFC: And what would you say is the feeling if you could put a word to it, to describe the feeling to this work?

MRM: Like, it sounds like your soul. Like it sounds like it would… Yeah, like my soul. I don't know. That's my feeling. It just felt like a connection to self, to my soul.

HFC: Talking specifically about the visual look of this work. I interpreted the look as like a grainy kind of like camcorder stuff like your mom would use. Kind of down to earth. But in a way, and this is a credit to just your control of the narrative that you were telling, it had this kind of dreamlike and flowing feel even though it was a little rough and jagged. Was that always how you saw this looking for your film? Did you always want that specific aesthetic of a sort of throwback camcorder-ish, kind of, you know, dream-like look?

MRM: Yeah, dreamlike is definitely the word. More so yeah. And just like outer body. Like a guide.

HFC: Interesting. From how you see the world, do you see it through that lens yourself?

MRM: Yeah [laughs]. Unfortunately, sometimes!

HFC: And just kind of bringing it all together with both the music and the sound and just your life story, was there any sort of artistic inspirations that were operating in the front or back of your mind while making this work? That could range from movies to TV shows to books to works of art that you just either consciously or subconsciously you kept coming back to while making this.

MRM: Um, I would say during this time, I was exposed to David Lynch very late in my life, and a few years prior to this film is when I was exposed to him. So really a lot of inspiration from a lot of his films as far as that dreamlike, really pretty, and crisp, but also like kind of eerie look. And the hidden symbols and meanings and characters and mythologies that they use. As well as Maya Deren. She is a filmmaker from the ‘40s, one of the first abstract experimental filmmakers. And I really love her piece, Meshes of the Afternoon. And there's definitely that sort of feeling to it.

HFC: I'm not too familiar with Maya Deren but I’ll have to look into that! I've bumped elbows a bit with David Lynch's film, so I can definitely see a little bit of inspiration there, at least in the visual look. And credit to you, whether intentional or not, your narration felt like a dream guide! Like you are the guide through this dreamy self-reflection of yourself.

MRM: Thank you!

HFC: I was provided a bit of background notes and one of them mentioned some of the aftereffects of you releasing this film to a couple of festivals and I believe I saw you got to visit France. 

MRM: Yeah, wild!

HFC: And you touched on it in your film that, you know, for a long time you've never really moved around. Well, you never really traveled right?

MRM: Isn't that insane?! I was tripping over that fact. Because it's like, I never thought that I would leave. And now because of the reason that I never thought I would leave, I'm leaving! Like, because I shared the story of what made me feel like I was trapped, that's what allowed me to be able to go over there.

HFC: What was the biggest surprise in terms of expectation versus reality when it came to France?

MRM: So when the film got to be played in the Paris Surf Skate Film Festival the year prior and I won Best Skate Sort, I was just “What!?” and then they asked me to come the next year. So, the film was playing the next year in the Milan Surf Skate Festival and I was like, “That's really cool. But I can't just go there. I just have to sit back.” And then the Paris Surf Skate crew asked me to be a judge for this year and I was like, “Oh, I've got to go!” and so I actually got to rent a van and travel around. I traveled that way through Italy, Spain, and France. And France, for me, well, it's more expensive when you get there from out of Italy and Spain. The toll roads go up, the price of the places go up, gas, everything goes up. So I actually went to France and then I got there early so I turned around and went back to Spain! [Laughs]. And then I went back. Paris is a jungle. It's so big! And it's just the biggest city that you go through in those areas. And wow! It's just amazing! Somebody knew I was from LA. I didn't even say anything, I was skating by and they said, “You're not in LA anymore!”.

HFC: Maybe they have a weird stereotype of LA people!

MRM: I really got to experience it in such a unique way because there was a community that the film crew had already made with themselves. Same way for when I just came to Austin, you're not going there alone and like, kind of like, lost. I was so welcomed in and shown around and I was working every day from like 11 AM till midnight. 1 AM, it went on. I didn't really get much time to travel around Paris, just at nighttime. My friend Leila was there, that was a crazy connection! And so we got to go to the Eiffel Tower at night. It was beautiful!

HFC: Are there any spots you want to visit that you still haven't in the US? And for the rest of the country or the rest of the world? Is there a dream spot for you that you haven't been to that you'd love to visit?

MRM: Yes, absolutely! Everywhere! [Laughs]. Well, so my top pick for the US is I've never been to New York. So I would just like to see it and immerse myself in their world for a minute you know? And it kind of like feels absurd now that I haven't been. I'm like, “I haven’t been?!” So during COVID I had bought a car and since I was living in the van I had just like hit the road for as long as I could. And I've gotten to go in my car all the way up to Washington and over to Montana, I think was the furthest that way, and then all the way down. So basically, I’ve done the left down and like all the bottom, so the top right area, I’m itching to see. I'm addicted to the road now! I love it! But yeah, for globally, Egypt. Since I was a little girl. I don't know if I should ever visit because I'm like… It would make my brain explode! And you'll never be able to top that! But yeah, as many places as I am blessed to see, I will see. That's the dream.

HFC: I kind of wanted to pivot a little bit to touch on GRLSWIRL. That was another interesting aspect of the film that you brought up that you were a big part in helping create and run it. I'm assuming you still work with them?

MRM: Yes! We're going on our fifth year, almost. There were nine of us that co-founded the group. And that just basically means we all met up and went and skated and was like, “This is awesome!” Then a few months went by like “Hold on a second. We have so much support from our community!” Venice is just the best community ever. Everyone is so down to help other creative people, so we've had we had so much support, and then it just snowballed from there with the way social media is. And so now have we've been operating as a foundation and we're working on getting our 501C3 nonprofit. So we're still going and there’s still all of us and we've opened chapters now, kind of girl scout style, that we find to help them cultivate community within their communities and be the kind of connecting piece for the global community as well. We're officially launched in Paris and New York and San Diego, Portugal, and coming soon, Mexico City. That's just based on the amount of people that reach out wanting to be involved some way there.

HFC: Big congrats there! Even if you never made your film, you still have GRLSWIRL which is more than a lot of people can say!

MRM: Wowee! Seriously! [Pauses].

HFC: Take it in! Take it in!

MRM: It's so true! It's like they really are the best! Because we have had people thank us and I'm like “No, you don't get it, thank YOU! Because if you weren't here right now, if you didn't understand our mission and also agree then we wouldn't be anything.” This is a community-based business and so it's like “Thank you!” Thank you for proving us wrong that there are beautiful, amazing people out there that do want to come together. It's just about breaking down those barriers and not making things so intimidating. So yeah, I wouldn't still be in California without GRLSWIRL and the community here.

HFC: With GRLSWIRL, with this film, you mentioned yet another film you worked on, and then I see you are also working on a book with the with Neil called Sick! 

MRM: Isn’t that crazy?! 

HFC: Yeah, I mean, it all comes together! So with all this stuff and not even taking into consideration your job that you that you got to go to, how do you center yourself? How do you keep yourself going day to day?

MRM: Well, gratitude! I was thinking music, smoking some weed! [Laughs]. But then I was like, “Wait a second!” because all of that that you listed is awesome! And so it's easy of course to forget. And I started really young disassociating. And so I tend to do that sometimes. But just going back to gratitude and realizing that like, what is actually going on. We had 250-to-510-pound boards that I do the shipping and fulfillment of stuff that we sell. So I'd be doing all of that all day and like, it's heavy! And it's a lot. And it's like just a lot of computer work. And I'd start being like kind of irritable to myself. Like, “Wait a second, Myriah, you get to do this for work right now. Like you literally are shipping out skateboards, your own skateboards that you made with your friends and people are buying them!” Like how stellar is that, you know? So I think just going back to like, bringing yourself back and really giving yourself credit for what you have been through and what you're doing.

HFC: Going back to something that was brought up earlier, what was the name of the second film? Are you working on it, or it's already completed?

MRM: I finished it. It’s called The Sovereign.

HFC: And is this a fictional work or it nonfiction as well?

MRM: Nonfiction as well. And it is still experimental and dreamlike. And I get to take it a bit further with like, being experimental and weird. So that was really nice. But the people that produced the film afterwards wanted to tie it into the first film somehow still within that realm. But it's called The Sovereign, and I had an apartment for eight months, and it was called The Sovereign. And it was filmed partly there. Kind of why I lived there, too. It started out as a whole different story too that I had pitched this production company, but then it just morphed. And they were really awesome as well with having a lot of creative control. And like, “Just do it. Make what you want to make! We just want this one thing.” And so, it shifted a lot. But I wasn't planning to call it The Sovereign. But the word “sovereignty” and “sovereign being” was playing in my head. As I was putting the movie title on the placement of the film and trying to figure out what the title was, there's this shot of the canopy when you're going into the apartment that said The Sovereign and it just - they're perfect! I was like, “Wait, that looks amazing!” Like the canopy is the title piece. And so, then I decided on The Sovereign. And so yeah, I talked too much about that! [Chuckles].

HFC: Oh no, no that’s great! That sounds cool!

MRM: It really hasn’t gone... It seemed like with Uncomfortably Comfortable, pretty immediately, like, people really were drawn to it. And this one, I'm like, “Man, nobody understands.” [Laughs]. It's gone into one festival here in Venice, the Venice Fine Arts Festival, which was really awesome! They did a live showing, and I didn't get to be there for that but I was stoked on that. But all the film festivals have been telling me no, everybody says no. [Laughs].

HFC: All it takes is one yes and that's the beauty of art! I'm sure it's going to resonate with the right person, the right group, at whatever time.

MRM: Well, the most beautiful too, what I was talking about earlier, the combined subconscious after making Uncomfortably Comfortable, all of a sudden, I started hearing people say, “comfortably uncomfortable.” It's like this united message that we all get to share. And the same with The Sovereign. Now, just recently, I'm starting to hear people use that “sovereign being”, “sovereignty”, and I'm like, “Wait a second!” And so, it was therapeutic for myself, it was such an honor to get to make and to get a job from my first one. And I hired two of my friends for it as well. So to have a budget to pay other people to help me and be part of it. It was so exciting. So, it's doing what it's doing. [Laughs].

HFC: Hopefully, I'll come across it! But kind of touching on that…you mentioned you're working on a book. What other artistic spaces would you like to enter?

MRM: I always wanted to be in a band!

HFC: You can score your own movies!

MRM: Yeah, that would be really sick. I do love the collaborative aspect. And getting to do more pieces, that's what I'm most excited about. It’s not just having me to work with. So collaboratively, I would love that. But I'm going back to school. And it has to do with the art, so I get to dabble and learn a lot of new things. So hopefully one day I'll really hone in on one thing fully, but I'm just still kind of all over the place and learning.

HFC: I noticed in the film, there's a really quick shot of in the mirror, an Amelia Earhart quote. When I saw that, I have two questions that pop up that I wanted to ask you. One, are you a fan of Amelia Earhart? 

MRM: Yes. 

HFC: And two, if so, do you have any theories on what actually happened to her?

MRM: Ohhh! So I don't know that far but when I was younger, when I had my colon removed, you just kind of get weird fears. Like will it be okay to fly? Will I be able to have kids? Like what does this do to how things work? And I found out Amelia Earhart actually had a J pouch. She had a bag, an ileostomy bag on the outside. 

HFC: I didn’t know that!

MRM: And I was so inspired by that! So that was my main thing, I've just been inspired by her courageousness and relatability. But I don't know, I'll have to look into these theories!

HFC: No, it was just because you know, her flight went missing and then there's not like a clear cause. I think they say, like a basic crash, you know, but there's stuff with the Bermuda Triangle - 

MRM: I was just about to say was it in the Bermuda Triangle?

HFC: I think it was near! Near, if not in, so that's why there's like those theories that pop up, but I didn't know that about Amelia Earhart! So thank you for dropping that gem on me! This next question is a question I ask everyone I get a chance to interview. What would you say are some of your favorite pieces of art that you've come across this year? This could be a movie, TV show, music, book, or a piece of actual art. And it doesn't even have to be new!

MRM: That is a tough one. Well, so first things in my brain are my friend’s pieces. Chris Brodbeck, I just met him a while back and these huge cosmic paintings that I've just never seen anything like it before! The star patterns and alignments and colors. It's just beautiful. And my friends here. They're just…I really love paintings. I am no good. And maybe that's why I'm so easily awed at that stuff. But my friends here, she paints with her hands these beautiful, huge murals. And it's just so fluid and just beautiful! For The Sovereign actually, there's this secret spot that I showed her where it's an abandoned building and inside it's just all empty walls. And I went there one day by myself and I saw on the wall, this piece that she did that she went there by herself and made and I took a photo of it just like, “Oh, that's my friend!” and as I was trying to figure out a movie poster for The Sovereign, I was going through all my photos and things and I was like, “Wait, this is perfect for it!” And so I asked her if I could pay her to use it for my movie poster. So, my friends’ work and then - yeah, I feel like this is the first year I'm really getting exposed to paintings. I've really just been taken back by this year, more so than others. Within film, I really don't actually watch much. And that's what's really weird too about being into film because I really don't watch very many pieces. So Constantly Maya. I got one of her books, actually. An autobiography book was gifted to me, somebody else had wrote about her and I've been reading that and I got an encyclopedia of herbs.

HFC: Before I let you go, final question for you. Just to kind of give you a little soapbox. Is there anything you want to plug before we head out? Any future projects you want to tease or spotlight?

MRM: Damnnn! [Laughs]. I GOT TO SHOUT OUT THE SWIRL! [Laughs].

HFC: There you go! I’ll put that in bold caps!

MRM: Yeah! [Laughs]. Gosh, of course I want to shout all my friends out! [Laughs].