I had an interview with an artist named Nahren. Her Instagram name is @nahrensart. I have known her since high school (Grade 12). Here are the questions I asked of her.
-How did you get started in the field?
– What has your artists journey been like?
– What kind of education, internships or mentorships did you need to pursue in order to realize your work?
– What do you think the most important personal qualities to develop to pursue a work practice like yours?
– Can you tell me about a mentor and what was an important piece of advice they gave you?
– What is your workspace like? What is your typical day like?
– How do you make new contacts and promote yourself?
– 2 questions of your own.

 

Here are her answers she have said.

1. I got started in the art field as a teenager when I was deciding what I wanted to do with my career and I ended up choosing to be an artist.
2. My artist journey when I was in high school until my third year in university went very well but now that I’m in my fourth year it has been a struggle because I am graduating and I will be independent from my school work.

3. I realized my work after my classmates admired my painting skills. I never realized my talent until others shared their thoughts with me and opened my eyes to something I never noticed about myself. After that I applied to university right after high school for the visual art and art history program specializing in studio. I enjoyed every minute of my studio classes because I saw a good future I can pursue with being an artist.

4. The most important quality in order to pursue an art career is to stay persistent in your practice. Persistence is crucial because as an artist there are many times where we feel the need to stop what we’re doing instead of taking a break from our work. We feel anxious about what the future might hold as an artist because we understand it is difficult in the beginning. We need to continuously motivate ourselves to continue our practice even when we don’t see the results. We need to be able to see that we are making progress.

5. My art teacher Tariq Micheal believes in me as a person and as an artist. He encourages me to always paint and create because he knows that it is the most important thing in an artists life to continue what they are doing. He is very intelligent in many fields and that also inspires me to learn about everything to better understand what I am painting.

6. My workspace is in my two car garage. It is very spacious and clean. I start off my day by cleaning it, organizing things, mopping the floor etc. Then I paint for hours usually 7-12 hours a day. I like working on more than one painting at a time because it helps me go back and forth to see what I need to add or take out. The lighting in my garage in the mornings and afternoon helps me a lot with my work because I can see the colours better on the canvas. What I need the most when I’m in the studio is good warm weather because it puts me in a good mood to paint.

7. I meet people through university, my community, my neighbourhood and through social media. I’m university there are people in the same field as me so we instantly connect and exchange contacts with one another to see what they are achieving in their practice. My community usually at church I meet people who admire my work because most of the paintings I create reflect my culture and heritage. People in my neighbourhood stop by when my garage is open and they always ask me questions and admire my work. Social media is the biggest one in contacting people because social media is like a portfolio and people are constantly checking what they like.
8. Why do I paint? I paint because it is my passion to paint and I need to let that passion out. I think it is very unique to be able to express yourself through any type of medium so being able to express my thoughts through oil paint, a brush and a canvas is a wonderful thing on its own.

9. What type of art do you like? I like realism because it connects to me more because of its directness. I find it beautiful and difficult to be able to recreate something that looks similar to something else just through observing.

It is interesting to learn about Nahren and her art journey. I believe that her artwork of painting is the amazing part of her life.