We were lucky to catch up with Raziah Roushan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Raziah, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I can confidently say that my work ethic is inspired by my mother. She has been a self-starter from graduating high school early, putting herself through college on scholarships, starting her own enterprise while being a single mother, then running our family’s underground engineering company that she evolved into renewable energy installation and advocacy toward the end its life cycle. It was easy to be inspired by her strength, perseverance and confidence.
It was my mom that took me to the local business office in 1998 upon graduating high school at age 16 to register my name as a sole proprietor. She was so proud when the first batch of business cards arrived. We spent many winter breaks and summer vacations touring galleries, museums and art colleges as she knew that creativity was forever going to guide my career and life adventures.
Even after 26-years of being a commercial artist with clients across the USA, she is still my first call when I have end-of-year or deductible tax questions, or need help calculating complex overhead expenses and projections.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
From Emilie Wapnick’s concept of being a Multipotentialite in “How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up” (2017), I am far and away living my best life when I have 3+ efforts going at once. This typically includes working on a client project, volunteering, and/or creating my own art (studio practice). Add a sprinkle of cultural tourism a few times a year, and I’m in bliss!
As a 20-year Professional Fine Artist and Arts Administrator, I offer a handful of multi-layered services to clients. My fine art side includes canvas commissions, murals, large-scale chalk art, and periodic teaching (ages 13-99). In this time I’ve learned a lot about project management, setting reasonable timelines, budget and financial management, promotion and networking, as well as being on the receiving end of corporate and nonprofit contracts. After completing my Masters in Art Administration (2012, the business behind the arts), I evolved my services to include Presenting Professional Development Workshops, providing Public Art Administration for private property developers and municipalities, and Consulting for new arts entrepreneurs and nonprofits. This has been the backbone to my business Raziah Roushan, Inc.
Right now I’m excited to be working with two big clients on increasing the Portland Metro’s public art portfolio – the City of Wilsonville, and the Pacific Northwest developer Henry Point Development. What I especially appreciate about these two clients is that they value community input in the public art process. They each have review panels composed of local residents and businesses to make the decisions on what to commission. In addition, we’re collectively helping to make systemic change in the public art field by actually compensating artists for their official project designs (rather than expecting free design concepts). It has been an honor to call artists and inform them that they’re advancing into the next phase AND being paid!
But outside of my workload that pays my bills, I am also an avid volunteer in my community. When I moved back to Oregon in 2015 I quickly connected with a few organizations to offer my time and skillsets. It started with volunteering 2 hours a week at The Right Brain Initiative (previously under Regional Arts & Culture Council), sitting on grant review panels for the Oregon Arts Commission, joining the Beaverton Arts Commission (Chair in 2018), and helping with art projects under the Beaverton Downtown Alliance. I am currently finishing my second term as a Board Member for the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (2019-present, prior Chair of Public Policy Committee). Giving my time to my community has been a joy as I find that I learn so much more than I feel like I actually provide.
My life is rich with passion. From the perseverance my mother taught me, to my ingrained creative tenacity, I am grateful to live everyday as an artist and culture advocate to the fullest.
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?
If I can provide any advice for artists or nonprofit administrators early in their career, it is to 1) Stay curious, and never assume [you] know all the answers; 2) Do what you love because the money will come when you stay true to your passions; and 3) Invest your time in building networks – professional and friendships. These three qualities have been true in all of my endeavors.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Along with juggling my work and volunteering endeavors, 2024 has been a return-to-my-values year. I’m calling it my Bucket Year. In January I went to Paris, France to explore the City’s history, enjoy the big museums, and visit with friends. As a Concrete Jungle girl, I also finally made it back to Philadelphia and Manhattan after a 9-year hiatus. NYC has long been an annual December getaway for me to recharge while everyone else does family gatherings. And, although I didn’t make it to Mexico City and Buenos Aries this year as hoped, I am already mapping out a 10-day trip to Turkey in Spring 2025 which has me looking forward to the New Year.
By lacing inspiration-based travel back into annual schedule, it’s also gotten me back into a sketching habit. I now have a block on my weekly schedule when I’ll go “Draw the City” with fellow artist(s). We’ll set out on the public transit (Portland TriMet MAX Light Rail) and sketch fellow passengers while heading into downtown to sketch architecture and park spaces. These doodle trips have been fun to share with new people as I travel far off cities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raziahroushan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raziahroushanartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaziahRoushanArtist/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raziah-roushan-278457b9/
- Twitter: None
Image Credits
Chalktober Fest, Marrietta, GA, 9’x12’ chalk art by Raziah Roushan, original image by Photographer Suzanne Rothmeyer, drone photo by Marlon Yanes, 2018 – Image of circus girl with orange balloons.
Chalktober Fest, Marrietta, GA, 10’x10’ chalk art and photo by Raziah Roushan 2024 – Image of Lunar Moth on pink Dalia Flower.
PNW Chalk Festival, Seattle, WA, 10’x10’ chalk art by Raziah Roushan, original image by Photographer Suzanne Rothmeyer, photo by Wayne Renshaw, 2018. – Image of Raziah chalking woman playing deck of cards.
Hagg Lake Mural, Gaston, OR, 26’x11’ design and photo by Raziah Roushan, 2024 – Image of rainbow trout and blue heron on exterior of facilities building.
Raziah Roushan installing Gypsy Brides for their first full exhibition, at CSUSM off-campus Gallery, photo by Marilyn Muerte, 2013.
“To What End”, Oil on Canvas, Gypsy Bride Series, 2013.
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