If you look up the word “artist” in the dictionary, you’ll find “a person who practices one of the fine arts.” While each of us might take away something different from the words “fine arts,” one thing that remains clear is that an artist is someone with a creative soul, whether his or her fine art takes the form of music, painting, acting or any other medium of creation.

After acquiring the proper materials, Meraz began to find inspiration in comic books and even created his own strip in junior high, before the height of his art experience in high school while attending the prestigious New School for the Arts in Arizona. “Going to that school really changed my life,” he says. “We were taught advanced art skills, which made me realize art was something I’d always want to do no matter what.”

Learning lines and dimension from nude models and dissecting cadavers to document the body in its truest form, Meraz was more than mesmerized by art. In high school, he practiced techniques that were developed by fine artists from ages past and would spend his free time teaching art to youth at community centers and Native American reservations. “I’m all about giving back,” he explains. When asked what would be the epitome of his success in life and what he’d like to accomplish, he stated that opening up his own community center in Phoenix, Arizona would be a dream come true. “I’m sort of a product of community centers and things like that and would love to have my own center where I employ working artists to do workshops for inner city, minority kids. I know that will only come true if I’m successful as an actor. That would really be the pinnacle of my career.”

Even though he’s focused on building his acting resume (and just finished shooting a film in Peru titled The City of Gardens), Meraz will never shy away from his first love. To help ease the pressure of Hollywood and all the drama and chaos it entails, he enjoys honing his artistic talents. Everywhere he goes, his art supplies are right there beside him, ready to be used whenever a moment of inspiration strikes. Over the years, Meraz has discovered the meditative process of painting that allows him to get lost in his artwork and center his creative energy on one task at a time.

Although the painter’s always-evolving style usually blends fantasy, figurative and surrealist styles, with artistic influence from Salvador Dalí, Boris Vallejo and Gustav Klimt, he explains, “Right now, I’m working on my new series of oil paintings based on vivid dreams I’ve had in my childhood. I’ve always used acrylics, but have lately switched to oils since they force me to relax and take my time with what I’m working on. Using oils takes time since you need to let them dry before painting over them, and I have ADD and always want quick results. It’s teaching me patience. I guess you can say it’s sort of like a great life lesson in general. You don’t want piss-poor results with art, and the same applies to life.”

And while they may not seem relative to one another, Meraz can thank his passion for art for spurring his newfound acting success. While it wasn’t art that directly helped him land a role as one of ’s wolf pack cuties, it was art that prompted him to move to San Francisco after high school. Soon, he met a choreographer who was interested in yet another of his artistic abilities: dancing – ultimately leading him straight to the big screen. And now, audiences are more than happy to see the shirtless Meraz in the Twlight movies, something that might not have happened if Meraz didn’t land the role of Paul that would forever change his life.

“I was chasing this acting thing for five years before I got the role as Paul,” the Hollywood star declares. “I was so ready to tell myself that I’d quit being an actor and only think of dancing when I landed the part.” With his first acting experience a very small part in 2005’s The New World, Meraz caught the acting bug and originally auditioned for the role of wolf pack leader Sam Uley. He goes on to explain that he heard, original Twilight director Chris Weitz had already cast an entirely different wolf pack that didn’t include Meraz or any other of the familiar faces fans now know. “He apparently changed his mind after reassembling our head shots to fit characters we didn’t originally try out for. After hearing that, I was utterly gracious and thankful.”

Admitting that the Twilight ride has been both a humbling and exciting experience, Meraz is still finding his own within the industry and is always learning and growing thanks to his über famous co-stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Speaking beyond all the Twi-hype and his growing stardom, Meraz acknowledges, “It’s all because of the fans. The fans are so loyal to every aspect of the book that even before the movie came out, fans already recognized me because they went online to see who was cast for my character. I owe everything to them, really. I’d be lucky to get that much attention on any other project I do.”

Learning from his co-stars, Meraz is currently in the midst of finding his next big role, but isn’t going to settle for just anything. “I have a problem playing everyday kind of characters. I like playing guys that have something to them. I could never be a regular high school jock ‘cause I need something I can add layers to.” But then again, he’s not going to be too picky about his characters either. “That would be, like, suicide,” he mentions. “I passed on some opportunities before only because I was strict on what I wanted to be perceived as, but at the end of the day I know now that I just want to get really good at acting. I need to make my mistakes in films. I want to pick something because I enjoy it and if it becomes successful, then great; if it doesn’t come out good, I’ve learned my lesson and will move on.”

As Meraz finds his place in the industry, his art will never be far behind, as he continues to strive for a balance of all his creative interests at the start of a very chaotic Hollywood life. As a sort of millennial Renaissance man, he’s completely devoted to all his passions and is now providing fans with prints of his work after getting numerous inquires on where they could get their hands on the wolf hottie’s art. “My website has everything on it. There’s a section where you can buy my art, check out some of my dance videos and just learn more about me.”

Even though dancing may have opened doors for his acting career, it’s his art that keeps him sane. “No matter what happens in my life, I’ll always be an artist. I do admit that I get a bit annoyed at times, but it’s just like everyone else. People change. Sometimes I just want to be an actor, other times I just want to be a painter, then others just a dancer. “I’m grateful to be an actor right now, but art will always be in my heart,” he admits. “I think no matter what happens, I’ll always be doing something artistic, whether it’s acting, painting or dancing. It’s just going to depend on what mood I’m in.”While Meraz’s mood might change on a daily basis, he’s thoroughly focused on his art as much as he is with acting and also hopes to direct his own movies and work alongside one of his most admired actors, Viggo Mortensen, in the future.

“He’s a true artist and someone I look up to,” he explains. “Viggo is a poet, musician, painter, photographer and he’s just a guy that does it all. If we ever get to work together, I’m sure we’d have some great stories to tell. He’s someone that wants to participate in life and not just be an actor. To be that is kind of fucking boring. I like true artists who want to experience life and try to capture it in as many different forms as possible.”