Mark West

Hey everyone! My name is Mark West (MarQuest if you're nasty ;) ). I'm a Chicago based actor, artist, and entrepre-negro, born in the west suburbs and raised in Rockford, Illinois.

I've always had a heart for the simple joys and there's nothing more exciting to me than connecting with other people on a deep and personal level. The benefits are immeasurable, and it's totally FREE! It only costs me my attention; me tuning into all the great and wonderful things happening around me right now. I try to face each day with child-like amazement and wonder.

There's so much to love about life and the people around you. My goal is to sort life form bullshit; know what to take in and what to reject so I can maintain my peace of mind. This helps me be the person I want to be in this world and live my absolute best life. Responding to every situation, accepting everything thrown at me serves only to cloud my judgement, distort my clarity, and rob my peace of mind. So, I must know myself and recognize the bullshit and chaos I feed into my own life. I want to be involved in life on my own terms. If I only have so much time here, I want to make sure it's the life and experience I want, and not the result of outside events and influences.

Wake up, go to work, pay your bills, pay your taxes. It's all frustrating and boring and at times draining. But it's not evil; it's not life. It's just a byproduct of being alive. My goal is to make sure that while I live, I'm living MY life; a life I designed and desired. As long as that much is true, the side-effects, the byproducts, are completely bearable.

The question is: What do I want out of life and how do I attain it?

My answer (my cheat code), I want to be 100% present. I want to experience life; as ME, not as my trauma or upbringing. I want to explore the beauty of the planet, of being human, of being alive, in a way that brings me complete bliss and enjoyment, no matter what. I am by no means perfect and I haven't got it all figured out, but my intentions are pure and the Joy is in the Journey. So, while we're here, LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!