Meet Constantinos Vorrises | Artist and T-shirt Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Constantinos Vorrises and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Constantinos, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
With both my artwork and t-shirts, I wanted to stay creative and develop relationships that open doors to more opportunities. I’ve tried many different businesses since I was 17 and I always enjoyed the risk and reward part of it. You never know where it will lead, but you must start the business, no excuses, create relationships, and always learn more about the business you’re involved in. I’ve been a Realtor for 16 years so being in business seems normal to me. Its tough, but its fun too.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I was at San Francisco State University, I started drawing on my binder in class. I was about 20 yrs old and now I’m 41, so over 20 years of drawing and painting. I started with ink pen, then oil paint pens and now acrylic paint. I’m proud of the fact that I actually take time to create art and t-shirts. Keeps me interested in what I can do next and some of the best art I’ve created, I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I love abstract so majority of the time, there is no overthinking about the artwork. I just paint. Biggest challenge is understanding the difference between being an artist and being in the business of art. Completely different and I’m still learning. I’ve met some amazing artists with unreal talent, but they have no idea how to talk to people or get their artwork out there. Its not easy. Its all about people. You have to be able to talk to people and create opportunities for yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Plenty of great spots in San Francisco. SF MOMA is a must for the artwork and experience. My favorite breakfast spot is Arts Cafe on Irving Street and my favorite dinner spot is Bobos and you must order the bone-in filet. Street Taco on Haight Street is great and Nick the Greek in Daly City is a favorite too. Gotta check out Gus’s Market in SF too! So many options for good food and walking as well. Aquatic park and Fishermans wharf area is cool to walk around. Going to a Niners, Warriors, or Giants came is always fun too!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I worked at an after-school program years ago and some of my good friends were artists, Mike Arnold and Tony Nandan. I was interested in what they were doing and how easy it seemed for them to create. Later on I joined an art group in San Francisco called MeshCollective and plenty of people in that group had talent. For the t-shirts, I enjoy reading success stories with people who started companies and how it took years to take off, but it was worth it. The artwork and t-shirts are both about creativity and having some fun.

Website: https://artbyconstantinos.com/

Other: Please include all my instagram pages below: @art.by.constantinos @artist_quotes_store @sports_quotes_store @greek_to_me_store @love_of_food_store @muggys_motivational_tees