Today we’d like to introduce you to Ieesha Abdur-Rahman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ieesha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Art has also been a part of me ever since I was a kid. I used to always draw characters, mostly feminine, and scenes in my notebooks that I came up with whenever I was bored. I noticed my real artistic abilities once I started taking art classes in high school. My first “real” art piece was a mixed media piece of Aaliyah that I made with chalk pastels, watercolor, yarn and old denim jeans.
Over the years, I focused on other hobbies and interests so art unfortunately wasn’t a priority. I didn’t get back into drawing/creating until after I graduated from FAMU in 2013 and started working full-time. I was extremely overworked, stressed and hopeless about my career. So I decided to take a trip to Michael’s and buy some paint supplies. I had only painted a few times ever in my life and that was mostly in high school. I thought that teaching myself to paint would be a great way for me to decompress and take my mind off of things going on in my professional life.
I took a chance shortly after that and submitted to be in a Raw Artists showcase. I was accepted and showcased my art for the first time in September of 2015. The following year, I finally decided to step out on faith and take the necessary steps to live a more fulfilling life. I moved to Dallas, TX in the summer of 2016. From there, I participated in more art shows throughout the city of Dallas. I traveled to Houston to do a show as well. By this time, I was beginning to find my niche and starting to take on commissions.
Towards the end of 2017, I became depressed and extremely unhappy with how my professional life was turning out, yet again. I made a very hard decision to resign from my corporate job and I eventually moved back home to Chicago to regroup and figure out my next steps. I’ve always wanted to move to the West Coast because my mood was always better whenever I was there and the weather was pretty much one of the biggest perks (I hate snow and freezing weather…like A LOT). And I also knew that being in an environment like that, I would be inspired and more willing to push myself artistically. Although I’ve always wanted to live here, I didn’t have enough courage and faith to actually make it happen. I moved to Dallas with about $8,000 to my name and it was gone within four months. I could only imagine how fast that would go if I lived in LA.
Last year, I just decided to finally take the chance and make things happen. I originally wanted to find employment before leaving but once I realized that it was nearly impossible, I decided that waiting would only prolong my journey and growth. So I left everything besides my clothes and moved west. Now I’m teaching myself how to create digital art and illustrations to open new doors for myself as a visual artist.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has in no way been a smooth road. I think that my natural progression as an artist has been the “easiest” part of it all because it has been very organic. I’ve learned over the years what has worked best for me and what I don’t want to continue doing as an artist. But the mental journey has been extremely difficult. I’ve had impostor syndrome throughout my career and it has caused me to second guess my abilities as an artist. I am very hard on myself and my type A personality causes me to want to be perfect when it comes to creating. I’m learning (actually forcing) myself to submit that application anyway, finish that illustration anyway, market my art anyway, etc. because if I don’t believe in myself…then no one else will. And now that I’m venturing into a new form of visual art, the learning curve is mentally taxing at times as well. I’m just trying to see where I can take my art and who I want my main audience to be. And I think that at this stage in my artistic career, that is what I struggle with the most.
Please tell us more about your art.
I am a self-taught visual artist and I’m mostly known for my vibrant and pop art styled acrylic paintings. I paint portraits of black women, black culture, and my favorite celebrities/musicians. I usually come up with my concepts by listening to my favorite artists and pulling inspiration from specific lyrics within those songs. Since I had to leave a lot of my paint supplies in Chicago after moving out here, I felt that it was a good time to try out digital art. So now, my main focus is getting better at Procreate and transferring my style over to digital portraits. I want to eventually use this an opportunity to mass-produce my artwork and print on other forms of home decor outside of physical canvas paintings. I still plan to continue creating canvas paintings but I want to wait until I’m more settled and can create a dynamic area to paint in.
I think that my “stained glass effect” artwork definitely sets me apart from other artists because I can really pull together unique color palettes to convey the emotions I’m feeling when I create. I think that my use of color in general sets me apart from others because my art is still classy and timeless, no matter what the actual subject is of what I make.
I’m definitely most proud of how well I can get my art out in front of others virtually. I’ve had complete strangers come up to me in public and tell me that they follow me or that they saw my art in a friend’s home. It makes me feel really good to know that my hands can create something that others can relate to. Most importantly, I’m proud that my journey has inspired others, especially family and friends, to want to follow their dreams and bet on themselves. I think that that is why I was called to create. It started as a release and turned into something way more powerful.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I don’t have a specific memory but I think that just not having to worry about anything and just living in the moment is what I miss most. I worry a lot as an adult and that sometimes prevents me from being fully present. I want to get back to truly being carefree and more fluid with my decisions. Life is too short to not enjoy it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ieeshanaeema.squarespace.com
- Instagram: @creationsbyina_
- Facebook: @creationsbyina
- Twitter: @ieeshanaeema
Image Credit:
Samuel Randall, David Prado, Loredana Ituah, Llloyd (@lloydtheabstrac), Mehgan Clemons
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