We recently connected with Dawn Moraga and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I made the step to go full time with my Art around 2012 and I would never want to go back. I had been painting prior to 2012 as part time artist since around 2006. I started drawing as a kid and can remember selling pencil drawings of horses for 0.25 cents at my Elementary school lunch table because I wanted to buy chocolate chip cookies. I am sure even at this age being a creative isn’t something you choose to be it’s born into you, however making the choice to become vulnerable and live of your creations is most definitely a choice. I’ve always felt sometimes that being an Artists is a blessing and a curse as for me it has meant that my mind and heart tends to feel and see things that can be beautiful and extremely taxing emotionally. Having the outlet of painting professionally is almost like therapy every day of my life and I do feel extremely thankful.
I teetered in College thinking I needed to pursue more than a Fine Arts degree to make it in Life and ended up switching back and forth degrees until I eventually actually never finished. If I had to go back I would of probably gone on traveling Arts programs and or interning under Artists that I respected. The lesson I learned from this was to always trust who you feel you are designed to be and run with it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Dawn Moraga and I’m a freckled redhead with a big heart and love for Fine Arts, Music, surfing , and my family. I’ve been an Artist since I was born I can’t remember the first drawing or song that I created but I know I was designed to be a creative. In high school I remember sneaking to Mr. Jeffress Art room and whether it was I was having a bad day , good day, or rebelling my Algebra 2 class I was always seeking the Art room as a refuge. I currently paint in my best friends coffee shop Ashley’s Espresso Parlour in Kill Devil Hills, NC and have a small studio there where I paint live and drink amazing blends of her roasting, my current favorite is the single origin Rawanda Honey. I also have a home studio filled with two sweet dogs, 1000’s of records, random instruments and my wild daughter Bella running in and out. I mostly paint customs of Abstract Seascapes, Outerbanks NC locations, home and dog portraits and some surreal abstract pieces that are for me to paint when I’m just painting to paint for myself. I was part of a women’s Art exhibit last year with two of my friends called ” Her Ironic World ” I spent a year painting and creating pieces focused on women in history and or political or emotional Art . This exhibit stretched me to paint outside of my comfort zone and create work that might be controversial and not be afraid to speak your truth.
I also paint surfboards that are shaped by a few of my friends, Ashley Linnekin , Jesse Fernandez, David Rohde, Josh Peterson, Bob Yinger, and Mike Rowe. Painting on the foam freshly shaped boards leaves little room for error as you have to thinly apply paint and be extremely thought out and bendable to what happens which makes painting them way more exciting. I live on a barrier island surrounded mostly by water which influences my Art greatly. I surf or try to anytime there is a swell and try to keep my body healthy as well as my mind with this sport. Surfing and having the ocean always throwing different challenges or rewards is humbling and healing. To have complete control is something you will never have in the ocean and being ok with that and swimming the currents your given is a life lesson that can be applied in several areas of my life.
When I’m not painting I am traveling on small tours up to NY with a band I’m in Cor de Lux, formed in 2019. We have just released a second album and are currently writing new music. This year we were asked to play some shows that I never in my wildest dreams thought we could and the music to me is my painting in the realm of where I have zero inhibitions and control and much like the act of painting but when I’m asleep and unaware of what I’m doing. My favorite moments have been when the four of us are creating a song and start a riff that turns into a few minutes of a sound that makes the hair rise on our arms and smiles form, that’s when we know we just found our next new song. I sometimes tie my paintings and drawings into Art for the band/flyers/merch etc but usually we like to hire other local Artists.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal has been to embrace who I am and who I was created to be and not be afraid to just be…to be me. I try to encourage other young Artists to find that outlet for some people like myself it’s multiple outlets and I feel like a bloody extension chord sometimes but It keeps my mind, heart and body healthy. I came from a family history of drug addiction which has ruined my Father’s life and others which has also opened my mind to be aware and educate myself to keep healthy and drug free by having outlets that support and uplift me to who I am. I strongly feel that the closer someone is to finding who they are designed to be the further they are from self inflicting behavior. Im not preaching against substances I just personally have seen it tear my family apart and want to be uncomfortable enough to be comfortable enough to be an example to my daughter.

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

To have freedom and ability to create for a living is the most rewarding award offered to me. I would of made the worst Secretary on the planet

Contact Info:

• Website: www.reddawndesigns.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/reddawndesigns
• Other: I have many links to articles and or with the band as well : www.cordelux.com spotify : Cor de Lux Chicago Reader article on Cor de Lux