Today we’d like to introduce you to Ija Charles.
Ija, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was younger, art was self therapy for me. It was a light that brought me, Joy and something I pursued often, but as I got older and would draw in school, I saw my peers and teachers falling in love with my work and having that same light within them that my art brought to myself so I wanted to create art not only for my own personal Joy but to be a light in dark rooms. When I graduated high school, I did my first ever Mural at Westwood high school designing it as a graduation gift and moved to Louisiana where I sold. My art was a cake decorator and a Mardi Gras float painter and the youngest ever featured at essence festival at the time which Gardner so much attention and financial gain, I came back to South Carolina, where I started my journey as a muralist and continue to sell my work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being the first in your family to go down the path that no one ever has you get a lot of people fear mongering only out of love mainly for wanting you to succeed there are many times within my business where I wanted to quit as revenue wasn’t coming in, but my love her art existed way before it became a career for me so I never stopped creating even when I got other jobs and I feel learning how to be a businesswoman how to talk to people in sticking truth to myself are the main reason reasons why I was able to thrive because regardless of what I went through with people not liking my work it not selling or dealing with difficult clients. I always stay true to myself, and that has always put me on top.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most known as a mirror as I have painted a lot of murals in my city alongside 300 meals within all 50 states as I travel for work as well, but when I am not doing murals, I do my own personal paintings featuring colorful portraits in visions in the hair that many resonate with alongside also creating mixed media pieces that people absolutely love that I create out of everyday items and things you wouldn’t think you could create art from
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
One thing that I am, noticing within, my art career is the fact that with the push of AI a lot of jobs are changing as far as design or people preferring a robots are over my own, but I feel finding my clientele and sticking with those that would prefer handmade art is the best route for me to go
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ija_monet/?hl=en
