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

Mirna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I immigrated to the United States from Jordan when I was five years old. Growing up between a Middle Eastern household and Western culture created a lot of tension in how life was expected to unfold. Creativity was always something I gravitated toward as a child. I loved cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and The Fairly OddParents, and I would spend hours drawing characters, scrapbooking, and even making little clothes for my Barbie dolls. At the time, it never crossed my mind that creativity could be something I pursued professionally. It just felt like something kids did for fun.

As I got older, life took a different direction than I expected. When I was eighteen, I made the difficult decision to leave home because of cultural differences in how I wanted to live my life. That choice led to being disowned by part of my family, and it became a turning point where I had to learn how to stand on my own.

In the years that followed, life continued to unfold in ways I never could have predicted. I became a mother at a young age, which shifted my perspective on responsibility and the kind of life I wanted to build. Not long after, I joined the Navy and entered a completely different chapter of my life. Over time I experienced both love and heartbreak, including a divorce, and later found love again with my current husband. Several years after becoming a mother, I also went through a surrogacy journey, which was one of the most meaningful and unique experiences of my life. Each of these chapters shaped who I am today and taught me resilience, patience, and empathy.

Art came back into my life later, almost unexpectedly. I remember attempting my first realistic animal drawing of a dog using colored pencils. I didn’t even know if I was capable of doing it, but when I finished, something shifted. It felt like reconnecting with a part of myself that had quietly been waiting all along.

That moment was when I started to see creativity differently. It something that I enjoyed and became a space where I could process life, challenge myself, and build something meaningful. Since then I’ve continued exploring different mediums like pastels, oil painting, and stippling, and each piece feels like another step in a journey that began long before I realized it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a multidisciplinary visual artist who enjoys working across different mediums, including oil painting, pastel, stippling, and photography. My work often explores realism alongside more expressive or experimental approaches, which allows me to move between detailed animal portraits, figurative pieces, and conceptual imagery. I’ve always been drawn to art that makes people pause and feel something, whether that’s curiosity, comfort, or a sense of connection.

While my creative journey started with simple drawings growing up, it wasn’t until later in life that I began taking art more seriously and exploring it as both a practice and a way to share my perspective with others. Over time I started developing my own voice by experimenting with different materials and techniques rather than limiting myself to just one medium.

Much of my work is rooted in observation and storytelling. Whether I’m creating a realistic pastel portrait of an animal or a more painterly oil piece inspired by classical techniques, I try to capture moments, emotions, or quiet details that people might otherwise overlook. I also create commissioned artwork, particularly custom animal portraits, which allows me to create meaningful pieces that hold personal value for collectors and pet owners.

What I’m most proud of is the willingness to keep evolving as an artist. I’m not afraid to explore different styles or mediums, and I see my creative practice as something that continues to grow with me over time. More than anything, I want people who encounter my work to feel a sense of curiosity and connection, and to see that creativity doesn’t have to fit inside a single box.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that I needed to fit into a single box as an artist. Early on, I felt pressure to choose one style, one medium, or one identity so that my work would make sense to others. But the more I created, the more I realized that curiosity and exploration are actually at the heart of my creative process.

I’m naturally drawn to many forms of expression. Some days that might mean working on a detailed pastel animal portrait, while other times I’m experimenting with oil painting, stippling, or photography. For a while I worried that this made my work seem scattered, but over time I’ve come to see it as a strength rather than a weakness.

Unlearning that limitation gave me permission to grow more freely as an artist. Instead of forcing myself into one direction, I allow each medium to teach me something new. That openness keeps the creative process exciting and reminds me that art is just as much about exploration as it is about mastery.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is the ability to create moments of connection through something that started as a quiet idea in my own mind. There’s something powerful about taking time to observe the world closely and translating those details into a visual form that others can experience.

I’m especially drawn to work that invites people to pause for a moment. Whether it’s a realistic animal portrait, a painterly oil piece inspired by classical techniques, or a simple observational study, I love when a piece encourages someone to slow down and notice something they might otherwise overlook.

Another rewarding aspect is the constant sense of growth. Every artwork is an opportunity to learn something new about technique, materials, or even about myself. That ongoing process of discovery keeps creativity alive for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artbymirnatawiah.com
• Instagram: @ArtbyMirnaTawiah
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artbyMirnaTawiah