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

Angelina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One really meaningful project to me is this series of portraits I did for my thesis class in college. We were prompted to create a semester-long project for ourselves. Something we were really passionate about. I was forced to look inwards and really ask myself what kind of work I want to be creating? I had this idea to paint portraits of artists I listen to, but I wanted a way to invite them into my world the same way their music allowed me into theirs. I have always had a love for music. The way that an artist can create an atmosphere and keep it consistent through the visuals and the sound of the music itself inspires me. The three artists I chose to paint were MF DOOM, Method Man, and Tyler, The Creator. Only to make these portraits unique to me, I inserted this little devil character I created. In each portrait he is interacting with the subject in some way. The process I went through in planning and making these paintings shifted my perspective in what I want to do in my work. I feel like it set me on the path I’m on now. I realized a lot of things about myself and the kind of work I want to create throughout this series.

Angelina, 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 have always had a love for the arts. When I was a kid I explored drawing, painting, music, acting, dancing- anything you can imagine. There was always something about visual art that stuck with me though. It was something I did whenever I had the chance for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until highschool that I really began considering exploring this as a career. I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and recently graduated with a degree in Illustration. In my time there I learned a lot about the kind of work I want to create. I am an illustrator, fine artist, and graphic designer. In my personal work I want to capture a feeling or a moment in time. I most often find myself painting portraits. I also really enjoy digital collage. I love the problem solving that goes into starting a new project. My dream client would be a musician. I would love to create an album cover and work with an artist to curate a distinct aesthetic for their project.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think people tend to have a pretty narrow idea of how a career should develop after school. There’s this kind of pressure to find a job and be successful right after you graduate. That’s a difficult thing to achieve in any career path, but especially a creative one. Being in a creative field, you are going on a unique journey to create a career for yourself. Until I began looking into it, I myself associated being a “successful artist” with having paintings hanging in a museum. I had to have this breakthrough moment where I realized art is literally everywhere. There is an artist behind everything from an ad campaign to the website you’re reading this on right now. If you are looking to be in a creative field that’s all you want at the end of the day, is to be able to make art. Success can be defined in so many ways. As a creative, if you are making art and sharing it with the world, you are already succeeding.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

A goal I have for myself is to create an album cover for an artist. I would love to be a part of an album rollout. It would be so cool to step into creative direction a little bit and help curate an overall aesthetic and feel for a body of work. Working in the music industry would be a dream job.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angelinarataj.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illustrangie
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@illustrangie