Creative Baguio: The Art of Picking Up the Pieces According to Mark Saba

Wherever you look, there’s always something that’s bound to catch your eye. I’m not talking about being a pretentious creep here. But in terms of what Baguio City has to offer, there will always be a focal point when you’re out and about. A random piece of advertising from a local shop. That weird caricature that’s blatantly embossed on a passing jeepney. An impressive array of flowers at the Rose Garden. As what I’ve previously written about in our Creative Baguio essay series, there’s beauty in the randomness around us. This is where Baguio jewelsmith Mark Saba lends his undivided attention.

Most jewelers create their items through sophisticated rocks and expensive fixtures. Mark, on the other hand, zeroes in on the stuff that’s around us—rocks, buttons, random bric-a-bracs, beads, etc. Whatever’s lying around that can be used up for something better than what it is, Mark will make it work. On the sides, Mark also engages in ironwork and machinery. He also creates beautiful masterpieces by fusing metal together.

What’s interesting about his craft is the way he looks at these things. He doesn’t treat it with reverence. He doesn’t perform a customary ritual when making his necklaces. What he sees, he gets and stores and waits for the right time. That’s the keyword: waiting.

A Creative Process That Doesn’t Follow a Process

One would always argue that to be an artist, you have to be spontaneous and always on the go. Mark breaks that thinking down by literally waiting for the right time to create his pieces. Mark has been at it for 15 years now, and the wait doesn’t bog him down no matter how long it takes—a true test of grit.

“Hindi naman sa sinsasadya kong ito talaga ang material ko, kung minsan kasi sa takbo ng buhay, araw araw akong lumalabas, nakakapulot ako ng mgainteresting na objects,” Mark explains. “Pinupulot ko siya at sine-set aside sa bahay. Kapag mayroon nang panahon or time na gagamitin ko na siya sa paglikha ng isang obra, dun ko na magagawa yung composition.”

Mark stresses that he doesn’t collect and create once the materials he needs are completed. Instead, he waits for the right moment for these pieces to come together for a unique piece of jewelry. That’s why when you look at his creations, there’s a tinge of his personality crafted on to it while maintaining a unique identity on its own. You know for a fact that it’s his creation because of how different it always looks. Despite that difference, though, comes the feeling of that piece being one of a kind.

Interestingly enough, Mark doesn’t follow a process. Artists usually have their own way of psyching themselves up before working. Mark started off with making his jewelry by following his instincts—making sure that a certain piece will go well combined with another piece of bone or rock and staying in tune with it. Whatever his mind tells him to pick up, he’ll follow up with beauty. His intuition gave him the very skill that he so easily executes now.

Mark begins his creative session as normally as a person would do in an office setting. Have a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom to freshen up, and he’s good to go. Again, he’s guided entirely by his instinct. Just like Luke with the Force.

“Hindi kasi ako organized na tao,” Mark says. “So lahat ng mga nakakalat na pwedeng maging art, sinusundan ko lang.”

Radical Creativity

But here’s something that I still can’t get about him until now—Mark prefers to wait for the right time to use his materials but also basks in spontaneous inspiration. He even cited our conversation as a possible source of inspiration for him to create the next groundbreaking piece of intricate jewelry. That’s when it got to me—one can simply wait for the right time to come or wait for the right inspiration to make that moment happen. An interesting paradox, I suppose.

Mark’s steadfast demeanor paints a picture of an artist who’s not easily worn down by the drabness of life. He always sees that glimmer of value in whatever he picks up. By doing so, he’s actually reinforcing that well of creativity that overflows inside.

But as every artist faces, Mark would always owe his success and ideas to one thing that I’m sure everyone is well acquainted with—struggle. When asked about how budding artists like him can break through the creative scene, Mark emphasizes the power of struggle. “Yun ang pinaka magandang stairway nila, struggle,” says Mark. “Dahil sa struggle na yan, dun sila magiging magaling na artist. Dapat lagi mo lang itulak yung sarili mo.”

Looking back at our talk, it does ring true. Mark is a perfect example of resilience. Although we may not have discussed it in detail, there’s a subliminal understanding between us that tells me how he emerged from the pits victoriously.

After all, what is art without a little bit of pain and war?

Visit Rayon Online Shopping and take a look at more of Mark Saba’s art. Support local artists!