We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dajah Callen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dajah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve always been a creative person. Since I was a child, I gravitated towards drawing, arts and crafts, just about anything that involved making something. I’m not sure why, but I never thought I could be an artist full-time and make a living. It might’ve been the media depictions of the “starving artist” that deterred me when I was younger. However, once it came time to figure out what I wanted to get my college degree in, my mom suggested Graphic Design. I had never heard of it before but it was the perfect fit for me personality wise. During my final year of college, during the pandemic, I used some of my savings to buy an Ipad. I started learning to draw and was trying different things artistically, in an attempt to find my place in the illustration industry. As time when by, I was lucky to get my first paid illustration commission. For about 2 years, I was getting consistent work. I loved working with art directors and giving my input on creative direction.

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’m an illustrator and artist. I work primarily in the digital medium but I also enjoy working with traditional mediums like paint and clay. I love drawing people and depictions of human emotion. I believe I provide my clients with work full of color and detail. I want anyone who stumbles upon my work to find a new detail every time they look at it. It took a while to find my footing but I think my consistency and drive is what helped me in the long run.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I would say that time is right now. Currently, my illustration jobs are very sparse. I appreciate any work I can get. However, I’ve had to find other ways of sustaining my financial security and it’s been a struggle. I had previously read stories of other creatives and how they dealt with months without work or work that was inconsistent. I was aware that it could happen to me at some point, but I think I got comfortable with having consistent work and I didn’t have a plan in place if the situation I’m currently in occurred. Despite the struggle, I think this has helped me be better prepared the next time this occurs.

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

The idea that my art will outlive me is something I love being aware of. I’ve never had the goal of being some really big artist and I didn’t even think it was possible for me to just be an artist. I only want to share myself and connect with others. Art allows me to do that. The idea that someone could look at my work, care enough to try and understand my thought process in creating it is wonderful. Bonus, if they interpret it differently and still connect with it in some way. I also enjoy seeing my growth as an artist, I have about 8 sketchbooks full of old drawings and old illustration files. It’s really nice being able to recognize the headspace I was in when making something, like an artistic diary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dajahcallen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dajartchives_/
• Other: Tiktok: @dajartchives

Image Credits

All illustrations created by Dajah Callen (dajartchives)