We recently connected with Camilla Mikolajewska and have shared our conversation below.
Camilla, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
For the longest time in my teens and early twenties I watched what everyone else was doing and would feel bad that I wasn’t as successful. It took time for me to realize that everyone has a different journey and gets to their end point differently – comparing myself to them would only be self sabotage. I also noticed how I made people feel through my interactions with them and how people wanted to join me as I built Vagabond Art, which made me realize that kindness also goes a very long way. Now, when I look at how far I’ve come and the people I have in my circle, that gives me the confidence to take the next step and keep expanding my career and myself.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m originally from Toronto! That’s where I completed my bachelor’s degree in art history and my postgraduate certificate in business. Over the last decade I worked in various creative industries, including gallery management, visual merchandising and art consulting.
While the art industry can be a very rewarding space to work in, there are also a number of institutionalized barriers to entry that can and do cause problems for newer artists developing their brand and their portfolio.I really value inclusivity in the art community and am especially excited about emerging artists. This is why I decided to create Vagabond Art, so that I could engage with these values in professional life where I saw there was a need for opportunity. Being deeply embedded in the creative community both in Chicago and Toronto, Vagabond Art is about forging impactful connections that uplift up-and-coming creatives and transcend physical location. My project allows artists and other creatives to have equal access to arts professionals that would not typically be readily available to them. Sometimes the industry can be difficult to navigate, so my goal is to create conversations between emerging creatives and local businesses through events and exhibitions, removing the barrier that I and many others have had to overcome.
I officially welcomed another member to my team, Elissa Fertig, as Curatorial Associate, and our third exhibition is this spring. The community I built through Vagabond Art has been better than I could have ever imagined – filled with inclusivity, diversity and people working outside the entrenched boundaries of the art industry. I’m so excited to see where this project will go.
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?
My best advice would be to work hard, be open to learning and think outside the box. A lot of people who want to get into the creative industry think the only way in is through a job in either an art gallery, graphic design firm or fashion house. The reality is that those jobs are highly competitive and hard to come by. When I was in university, I got a job working at TJ Maxx! As part of my work at TJ Maxx, I discovered a career in Visual Merchandising. So while it was difficult for me at the beginning to get a job as a curator, or gallery associate, I continued to develop my spatial curation skills – just in a different environment.
Eventually, I did visual merchandising on a full time basis with different companies while also interning at galleries, design studios and exhibition spaces on a part-time basis in order to build my resume and skill set. I met so many people through my side jobs that were on a similar path, which allowed me opportunities later to collaborate with them on projects and jobs. I met so many incredible mentors who truly helped me expand my creative mind and taught me so much about work ethic. You never know when you’ll need a connection from your past, so always leave the door slightly open.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Vagabond Art is all about collaboration! We’re always looking for fun, hardworking individuals who want to work with us. My goal with Vagabond Art is to change the way the art industry is currently functioning. I think my nontraditional background in art, retail and design has brought a different perspective to the projects that I curate – I’m looking for individuals with the same unique mentality. A “Vagabond” is a traveler, so I’m not looking to silo my brand to one city: I want to try and expand the network of people that I know in different cities around the world, essentially creating one large collaborative experience. For example, the show we are putting on in the spring is not only a collaboration of different visual artists, but we’re also finishing off the exhibition with a fashion show. The exhibit will encompass several designers working together to curate a unique, and cohesive experience. For all the artists out there: If these ideas sound like something you’d be interested in, I would love to hear from you!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vbondart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/99453289/admin/feed/posts/
