Artist Carlos Burgess: A story of perseverance
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We all have heard the phrase “follow your dreams”. However, few apply this to their daily lives. An exception to the rule is Carlos Burgess, artist and owner of Carlos Burgess Creative Works in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Carlos’s story is one of hope and resilience, reminding us all how powerful we are even when tested.
Carlos began drawing at 6 years old, recreating characters from Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. He enjoyed watching the cartoons Thunder Cat and Transformers, gaining inspiration from the characters for his drawings. Although drawing was a hobby which he enjoyed at a young age, he never imagined that it would end up being his living. Because his father was in the military, Carlos grew up bicoastal, traveling back and forth from San Diego, California to Virginia Beach, Virginia. He enjoyed those long drives, as it gave him time to admire the countryside, landscapes and mountains; images he would later use as muses for his landscape drawings.
After graduating college with his Associates Degree in electronics and computer technology, Carlos wanted to leave Virginia. He saw little opportunity and decided to go to Texas where he would begin his career as a technician. Carlos was a technician for 15 years of his life before he joined the military. He spent 3 years on active duty while he was living in Texas, and 9 years at the Georgia National Guard in Atlanta. During his time in Atlanta Carlos was a full-time technician at the CDC. This was the job that he had worked hard for, the one which he planned to advance in and retire from. Carlos was still painting while he was a technician. He took courses at the Art Institute and began working with acrylics in 2010. This birthed his famous piece ‘Ipod Grooving’. Life was looking good for Carlos, with a good career and a fulfilling art hobby.
Carlos’s trials and tribulations began in October of 2009. While working at the CDC as a technician, he discovered he had chronic kidney failure. Carlos started dialysis in 2010. He had complications with his dialysis and had to leave the CDC and Atlanta in 2016. This was heartbreaking for Carlos who was expecting a pay raise that same year. He sold his townhouse in Georgia and moved back to Virginia, where his new destiny would begin. Moving back to Virginia was rough for Carlos. He never expected to come home in the condition he was in and going back and forth to the hospital constantly began to weigh on his spirit. Carlos discovered that he had to get laparoscopic surgery on his abdomen and put his name on the list in Virginia to receive a kidney. During February of 2018 he was told that because of the complications from his dialysis, he could no longer be a candidate on the kidney list. This was a scorching blow to Carlos, leaving him feeling hopeless.
Carlos was not depressed for long, however. On March 5, 2018 he created Carlos Burgess Creative Works. Carlos told himself “If I am going to go out then I am going to make everyday awesome!”. That began with him doing something that made him genuinely happy; being an artist. Originally, being an artist full time was not a part of “the plan”. You know, that plan you make as a young adult that seems to cover all the basis for how your life will turn out. Well, Carlos’s plans had changed. All the hard work and dedication that he had put into going to school and being a technician he put into his art business. Drawing and painting were no longer just hobbies but now his bread and butter. He took it very seriously.
The experiences Carlos had throughout his life greatly aided him in his new endeavor. In the military he had inspired a lot of the soldiers in his unit. People seemed to gravitate towards him, and he was very empathetic. As a student, he was his own biggest critic. Carlos recalls getting a B in a difficult class and being angry that it was not an A. Discipline was not hard for him, and it served him well when building his business.
Carlos is a truly gifted artist, able to produce many different types of art such as fine art, figure forms, and landscape art. He is also very much interested in the investment side of art, including stocks and bonds. He hopes to teach the information he knows regarding the business side of art to other young artists. His vision is to help build an artist community where artists can learn and grow from one another. It is evident that Carlos pours his heart and soul into his work. Upgrade your space with an original piece from Carlos Burgess, the man who is proof that perseverance will lead you to greatness.
Freelance Artist | Carlos Burgess Art and Creative Works (cburgessarts.com)