Meet Coda Girvan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coda Girvan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Coda, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Growing up, I’ve always felt a persistent need to make art. My family is full of artists of varying mediums, so creating was normal to me. I don’t think I acknowledged this early on because art has always been such an important part of my culture, so I just assumed everybody created of some sort. Being raised around that environment helped me embrace the need for art and how healing it can be, and how essential it was for finding my own identity. I do struggle with feeling burnt out creatively at times, but tend to switch mediums to help keep my interest peaked.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Coda; I am a 28-year-old self-taught artist from Edmonton, Alberta (Amiskwacîwâskahikan). Throughout all mediums, my work tends to focus on organic shapes. I’ve been interested in art my entire life but began painting with acrylics on canvas around the age of 12. Over the past decade, my artistic style has evolved to stripping down natural elements into their most minimalistic form. As an Indigenous person, I feel that art is necessary to be used as a tool for healing and as a connector to my community and roots here on these lands.

As of late, I’ve been focussing on larger scale projects, And was just recently given the opportunity to paint my first mural. The piece is titled “Community” and depicts two figures dancing together. Dance is an integral part of my culture, and I feel extremely grateful to display that publicly through my art. I have an exhibit coming up in the new year and will be displaying a whole new body of work at the event which will be available for purchase. This new body of work resembles nature in unnatural places, and the power of perseverance in environments built to restrain growth.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, three of my most impactful sources would be embracing my heritage and traditional cultural practices, surrounding myself with like-minded creatives and building a sense of community that is accessible to me. I also gave myself the time to develop my style and process.

As a Métis artist, I have always felt a strong correlation between my work and tradition. Even if my work doesn’t appear in the same way as traditional indigenous artwork, it’s still just as essential to my cultural practices and my identity as an indigenous person. Secondly, I found inspiration in the community. Surrounding myself with like-minded creatives gives me a source of inspiration and knowledge. Working with other artists has taught me the necessary skills to create projects out of my comfort zone. Finally, dedicating time to allow me to make mistakes was a significant factor in building the skills needed to establish my style.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

The biggest area of growth for me has been overcoming insecurities about my creative capabilities. Taking on projects that are out of my comfort zone has helped me realize I’m capable of putting my work out there for the public, which used to seem intimidating for the longest time. Doing this has given me new opportunities I never thought were possible, and makes me much more excited about my artistic practice.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @cj.girv
• Other: codagirvan@gmail.com