Today we’d like to introduce you to Serena Martin.
Serena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a graphite and charcoal portrait artist. Both of my parents are very artistic people so becoming an artist was something very natural for me at a young age, especially with their support. There was never a time that I doubted that I wanted art to be apart of my life, so I took my passion and dedication for art and focused on making a career of it. After I graduated high school in 2015, I began to commission portrait drawings. I took advantage of social media and was able to promote my work that way and find work from people all over the world. In 2018, I rebranded myself, starting a new Instagram with the name Renamonet, using the ending of my first name and my middle name, Monet. Since then, I’ve grown a small following and support for my work and steady clientele. I currently work as an art Instructor at Pinot’s Palette and have yet to make a solid living from my portrait work alone, although I feel that with each piece I create, I am getting closer to that goal.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being a creative person and wanting to make money from it usually doesn’t start off smoothly. I’m lucky and thankful to have supportive parents, but I didn’t always have the support of my peers and many people didn’t think my work was worth the price. I’ve received many inquires for my work but most of them weren’t serious ones when I began selling my craft. So for a while, my main focus was just pushing out work to prove my worth. Many times, I’ve also had to put my personal work and business on hold because of lack of time while attending college. However, those experiences taught me how to manage my time better. Also, I found that it was worth waiting for clientele that were willing to pay the price and value my work rather than sell myself short!
Please tell us more about your art.
Pencil portraits are my specialty although I will sometimes switch over to pen and charcoal. I am most proud of my overall growth as an artist. A year ago, getting more than one commissioned piece a month was non-existent. Now, I have repeat clients and new people finding me everyday and inquiring about work. I love that social media allows me to share my art with people from all over the world. Because of that exposure and working consistently, I’ve also seen an improvement in the quality of my work and in the way that I manage my time.
Something that is very important to me and is a consistent theme throughout my work is diversity. When I search for people to draw, I focus on images that reflect the diverse ethnic character of the world in which we live. I grew up in a predominantly white community, so I allow my portrait drawings to compensate for what I felt was missing from my childhood. This is also the reason why I have begun a growing community on Instagram called Become Collective. I strongly believe that art can teach, inspire and change minds, and I hope Become Collective will become a resource for people to do just that.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m looking forward to continuing to take on commissioned artwork and also growing my become Collective community. It’s still brand new, but I plan on doing a lot with this idea. As someone who has always wanted to use my talents to help others experience the joy of creating art, I would eventually like to have a physical space for both inexperienced and experienced artists to come and work or learn something new. It would also be great to have a gallery space to showcase their work, as well as create grants and scholarships to support artists in need.
Pricing:
- Single person portrait $55 – $65
- Two person portrait $75 – $85
Contact Info:
- Website: https://renamonet.co
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renamonet/
Image Credit:
Drawing of a woman sitting in chair – photographer Noma Osula, Zendaya – photographer Tyler Mitchell, Bella Hadid – photographer Arnaud, Paloma – photographer Mario Sorrenti, Brandon Stanciell and James Stanciell, Teyana Taylor – photographer Mario Sorrenti, Yumi Carter – photographer Alexandra Leese
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