Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Huelani Fogleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Huelani , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful jobs I’ve ever done was accomplishing and installing my first big sculpture, “Grounded Growth” located at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody, Georgia. Grounded Growth is a sculptural bike rack that consists of three 15 foot tall flowers and eight individual bike racks in the shape of leaves that can hold up to 16 bikes. I have a sculpture degree and have always dreamed of having public art out in the world so this project became a lifelong dream come true! I was hosting art markets in the Dunwoody area before the call for the sculpture was announced. My events were greatly appreciated and supported by the community so I felt really good about submitting my application since I felt like I had become a part of the community. Little did I know what a huge undertaking my design would be to bring to life. Writing the proposal, finding the location, having a structural engineer design the installation method, finding someone to pour the foundation, powder coating, the actual fabrication and installation took about a year to accomplish. I had so many amazing people help me along the way to accomplish Grounded Growth and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without their support and encouragement. So being able to think back on such a huge undertaking and accomplishing such a big goal will always hold a special place in my heart and help me stay determined moving forward with my career.

Huelani , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am originally from California but moved all over the place when I was a child up until my late years in high school. I think having to adapt to so many new environments is what helped fuel my creative process. I always dreamed about being a professional artist and everywhere that I lived and traveled too I would take inspiration from it. I love creating and being able to turn my thoughts into something tangible. Being able to turn something as simple as a sketch or a thought into reality makes it all worth it to me. Working with metal is very gratifying for me because it allows me to have endless opportunities on what I can create. I have a very large imagination and I love being able to share that with my clients when they want custom metalwork and with my own art. I have a BFA in Sculpture from Georgia State University. After graduating I worked with multiple metal sculptors helping create rather large sculptures and worked on large projects for museums all over the state. After building and fabricating museums I decided to start working for myself. My first big commission I built the “Tree of Life” sculpture for Fur Kids Atlanta in 2019 and this year I have installed 4 other permanent sculptures in Dunwoody and Canton Georgia. It has been a very rewarding year for myself and running my business and I cant wait to see what the future holds for my art. I love being able to spend my time creating metal art pieces, custom metal fabrication and public sculptures. I like to tell my clients if you can dream it, I can build it! I feel like its been a life long journey to be where I am today with my art and my career and yet its only the beginning. I want to share my vision and passions with the world and help others do the same. When I am not creating art you can catch me hiking, mountain biking or catching live music.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society either has people that love the arts or do not recognize it at all and yet art is everywhere. Art comes in so many forms that I think sometimes it goes unnoticed. Trying to become more aware of the hard work that goes into being a creative and being an artist can go a long way. If society can look at a simple bench, design on some product or public art piece and see the simplicity of it but understand all the steps it took to become real would be very gratifying for creatives. I also believe just showing up is another huge factor that would help thrive the creative community. Go to that local art market, gallery showing or check out a local band you’ve never heard before to experience what the creative community wants to share with the world. Meeting new artists and following them on their social media accounts is huge as well. Making comments on their posts, sharing their new art or just enjoying what they create makes all the hard work of being an artist so much more gratifying. One other big factor that I think society can provide for creatives is buying from local artists; it can truly make someone’s day and inspire them to keep creating. Without creatives the world would be a very boring place so I think we all need to embrace what entrepreneurs and the creative community bring to the table.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to control my own life. I can be as busy or as slow as I want too with work. I typically say yes to every opportunity that comes my way or hunt down opportunities until I have weeks or even months booked out on my calendar. I overload myself , which sometimes properly isn’t the best – still trying to figure out that work life balance but its so rewarding when I accomplish my goals that sometimes seem unrealistic. I love having the opportunity to create and bring my visions to life. I also love bringing others peoples visions to life and seeing them so happy and excited about it through the whole process of custom fabrication. Creating my own schedule can be a double edge sword because some days I don’t knw how to turn off and relax, which I am getting better about but when I accomplish my to do lists I feel really good about take time for myself to enjoy life with my friends and loved ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.huedesignsatl.com
• Instagram: @huedesignsatl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/huedesignsatl
• Other: email : 678-983-3228

Image Credits
Paul Ward