Rising Stars: Meet Justina Moran

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justina Moran.

Hi Justina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Around five years ago, I was going through a rough time in my life mentally. I felt like I was going through life with no purpose. One day I was so bored I picked up a canvas and some cheap paint from Walmart. Later that night, I sketched a girl onto my canvas and spent the next two days painting her. Those two days were possibly the best days I ever had at that point in my life. As corny as it may sound, I felt alive when I was painting. It felt like the only thing that made sense to me. The moment I finished that painting, I knew I couldn’t stop there. So I picked up four more canvases and painted a series of different cultured women. These paintings changed my life because for the first time in my life, I felt passion and purpose.

From that day, I knew art was everything to me. Over the years, it has become more than purpose or passion, it has become my therapy. Around three years ago, I began watching James Charles on YouTube and all his videos on makeup art. Makeup was completely foreign to me. I didn’t own any makeup brushes or palettes. One day, I saw that James Charles released his first makeup palette with Morphe, “Unleash your inner artist”. That day, I purchased that palette along with a body painting palette from Snazaroo, and a cheap makeup brush set from Amazon (which I still use to this day). I had no experience with any type of makeup or body paint, but I just wanted to give it a shot. I created my first makeup look on July 13, 2019 with no experience, which was a pop art zombie look. That was the moment that changed my life again! I discovered another avenue of art that gave me a completely different feeling. Since that day, I have been creating both Canvas paintings and makeup looks for social media and brands. I still work a full-time job outside of art to cover my responsibilities, but I have been on a mission to make my passion for art into a full-time business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One thing I’ve realized over the years is to not take yourself too serious or care what others think of you. Allow yourself to make mistakes and challenge yourself to make those mistakes into something magical. Remember that your stuff isn’t going to be for everyone, so don’t waste time trying to make it happen. Create with good intent, create without boundaries, and create from within.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an artist from the Bay Area who focuses on painting canvases, body art, and makeup art. I’m more commonly known for my makeup art since that’s been a wider focus the past three years. I’m most proud of my growth as an artist. I’ve learned a lot about myself and others since being on social media. Although social media has become a very saturated field to work in, it’s amazing to see how other artists find new ways to create their own art. My goal is to show how art has changed my life and how it could change others. In the beginning, I made it a point to create over 25 makeup looks using one $45 face paint palette, one $45 eyeshadow palette, and a $12 brush set from Amazon to show that you don’t need tons of palettes and brushes to get started. I want everyone to feel like an artist, create their own art whether it just makes them happy or it leads them into a career.

What makes you happy?
Art is my happiness. More specifically, canvas art. There’s something so amazing about turning a blank canvas into a piece of art to hang on walls. Each piece is painted by me in a different time of my life. It’s an incredible feeling to look back and see that I created something beautiful throughout the ups and downs in life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinavictoriaart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JustinaVictoria
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@_justinavictoria?_t=8VDqFMXPj94&_r=1

Image Credits
Image Credit: Justina Moran