Art Pays Me

I'm excited to welcome the first rapper to Art Pays Me — I chat with 2019 Polaris Award winning artist Haviah Mighty about her latest project The 13th Floor and how it came to be. We talk about breaking through as an artist, and how race and gender can impact your career. I asked her if music artists need record labels in 2019. I even got Haviah to share her top 5 rappers dead or alive.

Haviah Online

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

On the the second half of the Art Pays Me Live recording I interviewed Illustrator, Artist and Creative Content Producer, Élana Camille Saimovici. Élana talks about how she expressed herself creatively in many ways growing up but having an illustration business happened unexpectedly. She recalls how selling at markets for her family's Bajan food business made her more equipped to sell her art. She talks about the importance of using multiple sales channels and her many strategies for self promotion.

Thank you to East Coast Creative Collective for partnering with me to make this event a reality.

Thanks to our other partners, The Foggy Goggle, Glitterati Communications, Alison K Consulting, Visual Arts News, Fraser Photography and Preserve Retreat.

Élana Online

• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Web

This is the first half of the Art Pays Me Live Recording! In the first half of the show I interviewed Geordan Moore of Quarrelsome Yeti about his unique aesthetic, how he's been able to establish a successful career as an illustrator and whether he considers himself a fashion designer since a lot of his work ends up on clothes. We also talk about how he balances client work vs independent projects and how he promotes his products. We even find out what a Quarrelsome Yeti is.

The second half of Art Pays Me Live featuring Elana Camille will be on Episode 27.

Quarrelsome Yeti Online:

• Website
• Instagram

On episode 25 I chat with Medical Skin Therapist, Lash Artist and Educator Stella Niatsikas. Stella talks about her passion for eyelash extensions and the beauty industry. The thriving business she's built as a master Eyelash Technician and Trainer of aspiring "lashistas". She talks about her fine art background, why she feels her work with lashes is an extension of her artistic practice and what it's like putting a lot of effort and care into art that's temporary. Stella says why she feels community and collaboration are important and how her training sessions aren't just about lashes, but about teaching her students entrepreneurial skills.

Stella on Instagram:

@stellalashlover

I had a great conversation with Painter, Kimberley Eddy about, where she grew up, how she went from teacher to full-time painter, her time living in my home country, Bermuda and how it left its mark on her. We dug into why she incorporates the ocean into so much of her work, how that's become her brand and how she feels about sharing work that's outside of what she's most known for. We also talk about how one gets their work recognized by galleries and collectors, being self-taught and the system she uses for pricing her work.

You can find out more about Kimberly on her website.

This week I speak and Activist, Poet , Author and former Poet Laureate of Halifax Rebecca Thomas. We had an incredible conversation about her work raising awareness of Indigenous issues in this region, her creative journey and how establishing credibility can help an artist justify their rates. We also talk about:

• loving the land we know as Canada while not ignoring the ways that it can improve,
• acknowledging our privilege,
• how telling stories that aren't yours in your art can cross the line of cultural appropriation,
• the problem with cancel culture.

Rebecca Online

• I'm Finding My Talk (Book)
• Twitter

This week I chat with Author and Spoken Word Artist, Guyleigh Johnson. We talk about her books, her creative process, how she found her publisher and the fear of having your work stolen. We also talk about how mental health challenges present differently in the Black Community and how that impacted us. Guyleigh opens up about her experience working with child education and why her stories are important for people of all races and cultures.

Guyleigh Online:

• afraid of the dark
• expect The unexpected: Stories from the North End
• Instagram
• Black People Don't Get Depressed

This week I speak with Trevor Silver, the Designer and Founder of clothing brand tREv Clothing. Trevor is an inspiring young business owner with a bright future. We talk about the origin of his brand, where his love for fashion and entrepreneurship came from and how they intersect with who he is as a person.

We also got into:

• Shifting goals and priorities as new opportunities present themselves
• We talk about the importance of visible examples of business success for Black youth
• How we curate designs for our brands
• How the public's perception of what your brand is can be different from what you intend it to be and how that plays out when you're a Black man.

Find tREv Clothing:

• One the web
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Snapchat

On this solo episode, I share the story of a potential client project that didn't pan out and why the way I was approached left me feeling uncomfortable. I recorded this episode while walking my dog on a beach in PEI and you can hear me gradually get more out of breath as the episode goes on. My dog is big and was pulling a lot so I apologize for that!

This week I talk about what it means to be an aspiring artist and how old-school gatekeepers sometimes fool us into believing that there's only one form of professional validation. I share some exciting news and announce that there won't be an episode next week because I'm on vacation baby!

Vote for me in the Best Of Halifax Awards as Best Fashion Designer.