Indian-born artist Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee settled her roots in the beautifully diverse city of Houston, TX in 2012.

She is strongly influenced by marine life, drawing abundant inspiration from her experiences with scuba diving expeditions and with the ocean itself. In her work, Folmsbee creates ethereal, intricate shapes, which she calls characters, that are meant to invite the public into something very private. Her painting intend to take the viewer into the work’s moment of origin.

This year, Folmsbee has become actively more involved in the marine community by working with conservation organizations such as the Galveston Bay Foundation and Correa Lab, with the hope of creating awareness about the struggles face by the marine world.

We talk about her recently commissioned 240-ft project at Houston's IAH, why her father made her host an art show at 16,  what she discovered attending art school in Chicago, and what the definition of failure really means to her.

She talks about being bullied growing up because of her dyslexia, how she discovered her passion for art, how it is so important to protect your energy as a creative, and why our hometown of Houston is officially cool.