We recently connected with Anabel Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Anabel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was transitioning from a part-time to a full-time artist. This all started a couple years ago when I first really took off with my TikTok art content. I lost my at-the-time job in 2020 due to covid and tried to find another similar job to fill in that space while also being in school. I was in and out of barista jobs, was hardly being scheduled due to covid, and was generally unhappy in that line of work. TikTok content was something I had explored but not really something I pursued. I decided to dive deep in to consistent video work relating to my tattoo designs. Putting my head down and really putting in the work quickly paid off and allowed me to shift into doing that full-time.

Anabel, 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 am a 22 year old freelance artist and creator based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I recently graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a BFA degree in Illustration. I’ve been drawing on my own time since I was 16 years old, and have taken it further since them, constantly growing and learning new things as I go. Putting myself in to uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations has been the best way for me to grow. College on the other hand was more or less something that I did and completed, rather than the main thing that allowed me to learn and flourish in my work. I’m still trying to decide in art college was a regret for me or not.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In August of 2022, I decided that I no longer wanted to deal with the constant anxiety and inconsistency of working freelance alone, it really took a toll on me. I took on a part-time job as a digital content creator for a couple local restaurants. My mental health definitely improved and I was able to focus on graduating and redirecting my art and content into something more realistic for my life. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with, I’m excited for the future in that position as well as the other artistic things I now have time for since graduating. The future is bright!

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that I can literally decide to switch up what I’m doing at any time, there is so much opportunity and so many exciting routes I can go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anabeljohnson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anabel.johnson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOUaE2swazLrwTppB8J-C6w?view_as=subscriber
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@anabekka?lang=en