We recently connected with Angela Calvin and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I have always been a creative in some way in my life. Creativity has most shown up in writing and dancing mostly, but a focus on illustration became a new development in the last year and a half. I had always dabbled, but never put any energy into it. I think that I have always wanted to create, but didn’t know it would or could show up in this way. I dove in and have had a very intentional focus on making work that was culturally representative of who I was as a black queer woman. I wanted to be a part of creating work to push inclusion and representation that is greatly missing and underrepresented in the illustration and design world.

My intention in my mission comes from seeing how those in marginalized populations of color are often a seasonal trend, an extraordinary exception, a diversity and inclusion project, but never the norm. I think that representation is not just in the type of work I create but in being the actual person, the body that takes up space in doing the doing the work. My perspective in how I see and impact the world matters. There is no grand story behind my mission or one pivotal moment. It is a lifetime of living in my experiences. It is a lifetime of sitting at someone else’s table I have had to ask permission to be at. To prove that I belonged. A lifetime of watching others like myself do that same. So I want my work to be apart of a shift. Art has an incredible influence. We are visual and visceral people. Art moves us, it makes us think, it creates dialogue both with each other and within ourselves. This happens whether we think it does or not.

I am still on a path of exploration in my illustration and surface design work, but always keeping to my mission. How it will all play out, is yet to be seen.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a creative. I am a writer, dancer and now I am a solopreneur of She Got Designs, an ecommerce store that sells apparel, home goods, prints and stationery with my personal designs. I am a self taught artist in illustration and surface design. I pivoted into these endeavours when I was laid off during the start of the pandemic. During that time I started taking classes to learn Adobe Illustrator and began sharing some work online and I received some great feedback and encouragement to create products with my artwork. I decided to listen and take a chance. I got myself an ipad to start making digital artwork and created the online store. Now I focus on maintaining and growing my store and freelance work. My artwork mainly focuses on centering black women and black culture to create visual representation and inclusion.

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I think that non-creatives don’t always see what we do as a legitimate career.  In my case, being an illustrator can be seen as a hobby or side “hustle”. Our abilities are often minimized as if it is easy in what we create for clients or our audience. Many times we are propositioned to be undercompensated for the work we do. It is not recognized that we as creatives can add value and solve problems for one’s business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is how it makes people feel that see it and or those that purchase products with my artwork. If I am being honest there really isn’t one aspect for me. I think that the reward is reciprocal. I find joy in creating the work and watching myself evolve and grow in ways I didn’t think I could. The reward is both for myself and for others.

Contact Info:

• Website: angelamcalvin.com
• Instagram: shegotdesigns
• Other: Portfolio Website: angela.m.calvin.com