We were lucky to catch up with Aditi Heins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aditi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I had been an art director at an in-house creative department for 6 years, while continuously spending hours (on weekends and evenings after coming home) to grow my side hustle. I started my journey into freelance on the side in 2017 by taking on projects from small business owners in Okc – t-shirt designs, beer label designs, logo/branding etc. I even taught lettering workshops all across the state and had the amazing opportunity to teach a group of kids at Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in NYC in the summer of 2018.

It was when I started painting murals consistently in 2021 that my side hustle really grew. I went from having a couple of small projects a month that would bring in a couple grand max, to having months where painting a couple of murals would exceed the monthly salary I was making at my day job. Luckily, at that time, my husband, Dane, who’s also an artist and graphic designer, started collaborating with me on design projects and murals, so that we could take on even more projects while still meeting deadlines. This collaboration style also helped me not be burnt out from doing it all, myself.

Since then, we have had the incredible opportunity to paint murals for Goodwill, design a few vinyl murals for Walmart, and participated in several local mural festivals. Dane was already full-time freelance, but doing this together has helped us make this into a full-time gig for both of us! I was able to quit my day job a few weeks ago, and now I am able to devote even more time to my passion, and work full-time with my husband.

Aditi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Aditi Heins (she/they), an Oklahoma City-based muralist and designer who is passionate about invigorating entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses with brand visualization and amplification of their space. My work can be described as bold, vibrant and uplifting.

Whether it’s a vinyl mural for Walmart, or a series of illustrated beer labels for Equity Brewing Co., I have worked with small and big companies to make their brands and products stand out. My most recent clients include Goodwill, The Oklahoma City Thunder, Walmart, Shutterfly, and more. I have also taught numerous workshops in Oklahoma and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City.

I’m still really proud of the fact that in 2022, one of my lettering pieces was published in the first Women of Type book, a book that celebrates typography and lettering created by women and non-binary artists worldwide. They received submissions from lettering artists all over the world, and it’s still a “pinch me” moment for me, that I got the chance to be featured in this book when I am completely self taught, and shared the same space as some of my lettering idols.

My grandma was my main source of inspiration growing up, because not only did she sew clothes, she also painted, embroidered and created ceramic works of art. Every time she worked with her hands, you could see a twinkle in her eye. I remember sitting on the edge of her sewing station and drawing in my sketchbook while she filled her workspace with fabric in all the colors of the rainbow. She even took me to my first calligraphy class as a kid, and that I feel like started a love of letters in me. I have had a stutter since I was 3 years old, so I found myself naturally gravitating towards the written word since it allowed me to communicate more effectively than speech.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I moved to the U.S. from India at 19 years of age after my mom passed away from cancer. Dealing with her loss really brought into perspective that I wanted to take my life in a different direction. I didn’t want to just get married off and have kids (which was common for women in India at that time) and wanted to pursue my career as a creative. My uncle who lived in Oklahoma City became my guardian and he brought me to this country to give me a better life. I left my grandparents, friends, cousins and basically everything I knew to start fresh in a country that I didn’t know much about. From enrolling as a student in UCO’s Graphic design program to becoming a full-time freelance creative, I couldn’t have asked for more! I am thankful for this experience because it taught me a lot about myself, and helped me grow into the person I am today. Oklahoma City has given me a lot of opportunities and a support system that I cherish. I can safely say that moving here was the best decision!

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

I would really like society to stop design/art contests – they exploit artists and expect them to create art for free, which devalues their work. You wouldn’t ask anyone in a different profession to compete by rendering their services for free, so why would artists be any different? It’s really frustrating that there are contests that aim to pay in “exposure” or having meager prizes for somebody that wins a contest. I also want to take this opportunity to ask artists to also not apply for such contests. It is vital that we value our work and each other, because if we don’t, nobody else will either!

Instead of asking for contest submissions, ask for applications to just send in their portfolio and pick an artist based on their skill. This then turns into a paid commission project, and is respectful to the artist who is spending hours on the project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aditi-designs.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aditi.designs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AditiDesignsOkc/

Image Credits

Personal photo by Jessi Chapman Photography