We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dana Sweatt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I always knew I wanted to be an Artist at a young age cause I loved doing it and it came naturally to me. Being able to create a variety of different things and letting my imagination take over is what excites me when picking up a paintbrush or pencil. From there on I knew it was something that I always wanted to do and couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
Dana, 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?
My name is Dana and I grew up in Los Angeles California in Inglewood and am a 2D/3D who makes anime, cartoons and abstract art and original art. I add real hair, fabrics, jewelry, flowers, wiring, rhinestones and beads onto my canvases for my 3D pieces. Pencil drawing has always been my first love but it wasn’t until later on where I got into painting on canvas boards and using paints as I got a little older.
One day I decided to step outside the box with my paintings by adding real hair onto my canvases and that’s when I knew that I wanted to add that onto my future pieces going forward and had found something by experimenting and using objects for my 3D art. I have a lot of fun doing it and love the feeling of touching the piece up close.
I like to capture the beauty of black culture creating pieces of black art that tells a story behind it when looking at each individual piece.
I mostly work with acrylic paints using skin tones and earth tones. Some bright colors as well.
I believe that there are no rules when it comes to creating art and that you should always have fun with the art that you are creating and think about it to much, letting your mind flow as you start your piece. You have to do what’s best for you and your creative journey and worry to much about the mistakes you make because it’s going to happen and that’s okay. Sometimes making a mistake in your art can actually work well in your piece and can make a piece look beautiful.
My art business is called Drippin-in-Art and I started my business 2020 and sell my art on Instagram I decided to put more of my art onto the four front. Since then I started going to art shows displaying my work and going to pop up shops and connecting with other artists. So far I’ve been proud of the pieces I’ve made and the positive feed back I’ve gotten from people who loves my work and who has copped my pieces. I’m still learning as I go along but I know that I am on the right track.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to be able to grow my brand and have my art in museums and showcase them in different parts of the world. I want to be able to continue to do what I love years from now and doing different styles of art
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love having the freedom to create what I want and that I can step outside the box with each new piece I make
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://Instagram.com/danadevaughn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dana.sweatt.12
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaDevaughn_?t=lsSIrAI5hkULiKtT7OCPiA&s=09
Image Credits
Image Credits: DanaDevaughn