Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Radue.
Hi Mark, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I had always been fascinated with art and creating things at a young age. I feel it began with legos and creating small villages out of them, then drawing random squiggles on a page, and I remember getting a pottery set when I was younger too and found this to be the incredible thing I’ve played with. I have used art as a distraction from life since I was little. My parents divorced when I was in second grade, so anything I could use to distract myself was great. I wish I could say I had a normal childhood, but I didn’t. I was raised by my grandmother, sister, and my father. My mother wasn’t in my life from second grade until 6th grade. It made my young years very hard since I consider myself a mama boy. Throw that in with being gay, and it made everything so difficult. While my mother was away, she got help for alcoholism and bipolar disorder and would send letters now and then. As I grew up, I became more interested in my creativity.
However, I didn’t dive into that until I went to college. I went to UW Stout for a semester and a half, but I had to drop out because I developed a drinking and partying problem. I moved back home to Stevens Point and decided to attend UW Stevens Point instead. There I started by taking all of my prerequisites which took up the first year or so, and then all I had left was my labs. I dove right into art. I did everything, tried drawing and hated that, did painting, and thought that was ok. Then I took pottery and printmaking and fell in love with them. Being able to print and make with anything sparked my creativity, and I also worked in the ceramic area, helping make clay. I ended up making my flame ware clay at one point! With that, I took Photography; capturing moments in time also fascinated me, and being able to print and develop my film and photos was so exciting. There’s nothing like being in a dark room and waiting for your image to appear on paper. During this time, I also want to mention that I was feeding my alcoholism and drug addiction.
Since I was an artist, I needed to be messed up and on something to create anything worthwhile. I think it was my 4th year of college that they offered a specialized class, photogravure, and I knew I had to take this. Learning about this process was incredible; you etch an image into copper! This was the most time-consuming process, it was the most difficult, and I loved it. It gave me something to focus on. I also was a cheerleader for UWSP for, I want to say, two years. Late one night after cheer practice and the day after, I reported my mom missing(my mom had bipolar, and once when she had a manic episode, she disappeared). I went to her apartment and found her deceased. She had fallen and passed away; This event helped take my alcoholism to a new level. I would spend the majority of my money on alcohol and drugs.
Fast forward to my 6th year of college, I was introduced to glass blowing. I then fell in love with glass blowing; that year, we had visiting artists that advised me to intern at a glass school in Washington called Pilchuck. I applied and became their Kitchen intern, I worked in the kitchen helping make and serve meals, and in exchange, I got to see glass artists’ lectures and work in their hot shop. This is by far the most magical place I’ve ever been to. It’s tucked away in the woods. I ruined that experience with how much drinking and drugs I was doing then. It’s a miracle that I finished college. I kept falling in love with different mediums and didn’t want to stop. Utilizing the college’s resources to create was such a privilege. After graduating, which I know was 2014, I got very depressed. My grandma, who helped raise me, died, and I eventually hit what people in recovery call their rock bottom. I was working at a call center in Stevens point and had gotten off a phone call and just wanted everything to be over. I stepped outside and called my father, who convinced me to try and get help. I went to Hazelden inpatient with an attitude that I didn’t have a problem and quickly realized that I indeed had a problem.
By now, I had acquired a DUI, lost friends, and worried those around me. On the first day, they took us to my very first meeting, which happened to be an LGBTQ meeting in which I met my now boyfriend. I put in hard work and stayed for 60 days. Then out of Hazelden, I moved into a sober house in Minneapolis and started going to outpatient treatment NUWAY. I owe these places my gratitude for helping me develop the tools I use today to stay sober. I went from working as a barista at Coffee shops to now as a General Manager for my current employer, Starbucks locations. As I write this, I’m in Des Moines, Iowa, covering their general manager’s maternity leave. I am now over 5 years sober from drugs and alcohol, over 3 years from cigarettes, and over 4 months free from vaping. My boyfriend and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary on October 5th.
Art is still a part of my life; it is so hard not to be able to glass blow and printmaking all the time; it’s expensive. I’ve been doing a little painting and a lot of resin artwork. Primarily coasters and gauges, and I made some Christmas ornaments. I hope to continue my coffee career and my art career at the same time! I now have a love and passion for plants as well! My goal for plants is to have a little plant nursery of my own and an indoor jungle! (ok, I think this is all a bit chaotic, but this Is it to the best of my ability. My life is crazy and continues never to have a dull moment. This is just a snippet of me in a nutshell). Thank you for this opportunity!
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?
– Death of my mother, grandmother, and mom’s parents also died.
– My struggles with addiction and recovery.
– Being in des Moines since the middle of June to cover the general manager’s maternity leave here till September 21st
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, I have two:
1. Art – I love 3d work with resin casting also painting.
2. Employee – Working on becoming a General Manager for our company’s Starbucks.’
I’m most proud of being able to do both without completely losing my mind and finding time to do my art.
What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit if you had to?
With my love and care for people, I genuinely want to see people succeed in whatever they want to do, whether it be something artistic or just development on a professional level. Being a part of that growth is exciting and magical.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepoutdoors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markradart/
Joyce Beahen
September 29, 2022 at 8:48 pm
I know Mark and he so deserving of all that he has achieved. He battled his addictions with all his heart and love of family and friends. He is so talented in his love of the arts and I pray he can pursue his wishes with the help of someone willing to give him a little monetary support or showing him ways to succeed on his own. Wonderful young man. His partner is also a talented young man who kicked his addiction out of his life.