Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dajah Callen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dajah, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I was always meant to be an artist. It’s been a part of who I am since I can remember. It’s one of the few ways I can express myself without having to say anything. Being an artist makes me happy even when I’m not. It’s my way of escaping the outside world, it’s also my way of communicating with it. There are times when I hit a wall when creating, but I think that’s just part of the process. I enjoy the all-nighters spent working on a piece. I love that I have a notebook full of illustration ideas that I can picture in my mind, but will absolutely turn out different than I imagined. I love that I can go back to old work I’ve created and see how much I’ve grown as an artist. I’m not myself if I’m not an artist.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an artist and illustrator. I work primarily in the digital medium but I also love working with traditional mediums like paint and clay. I enjoy creating art full of color, texture and detail. The most exciting thing about being an artist for me is the ownership over my work. The feeling I get when I make something I’m really proud of is indescribable. Being able to look at a piece of art and say “I made that” is really cool. It took a while for the feeling to emerge but I’m happy with how much I’ve grown as an artist. The hope is that my work outlives me, even if it’s just remembered by one person.
I recently did a series of illustrations for Outdoor Afro. I’ve worked with them for quite sometime. Every time I see my work shared on their website, it makes me happy that I was able to bring someone else’s artistic vision to life. I also had the wonderful opportunity of working for The New York Times Book Review. Seeing my work in print has been of the biggest milestones of my career.
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?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve went through trial and error trying to figure myself out as an artist. I’ve was obsessed with finding my art style. I wanted to accomplish all of my artistic milestones in the first year of learning how to the draw. It was unrealistic and so mentally draining. I would constantly doubt myself and I dealt with imposter syndrome, comparing myself to artists that had been creating for twice as long as I had. I slowly realized that a willingness to learn, patience, and having trust in yourself were the only ways to get through and find my stride. I can’t tell you how many YouTube videos I’ve watched so I learn could how to draw hands and feet. How many Pinterest boards I made full of inspiration. I have 7 sketchbooks full of drawings and a suitcase full of loose paper sketches. Some of them would terrify you but that’s how you learn. You have to be bad in order to be good. I’m still learning today but it doesn’t upset anymore because I know eventually it’ll turn out how I want. There were simple drawings that use to take me hours to complete , now I can get them done in half the time and it looks way better. I also had to learn that not every illustration I make is going to be a masterpiece. Sometimes you have an idea, you follow through and it doesn’t turn out how you wanted. It’s okay. You can always try again. Trust that you know what you’re doing. Trust that you eventually get to where you want to be. You just have to be patient.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking to partner or collaborate. I have a mental list of artistic opportunities I’d be honored to have. It’s my dream to design merch for musicians, like Wallows or Hemlocke Springs, clothing for a company like Parks Project, or packaging for a product like Welly, the bandage company. At the end of the day, I just want to create something fun, something cool, something someone is going to want to keep just because it looks nice. I’ve been lucky to have worked with very kind and creatively open-minded people and I hope I can continue that streak. You can always to reach out to me on my instagram @dajartchives_, even it’s just to say hello.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dajahcallen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dajartchives_/
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