We were lucky to catch up with Dita Montana recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dita , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Around 2017/2018, I quit my job with no backup plan and no savings. I was going through a transition at that time and my intuition was telling me that it was time to venture out on my own & become a full-time artist. I informed my then manager that I was quitting to pursue full-time artistry and he looked at me crazy for a few seconds, but extended his support. All of my colleagues knew me as an artist and were supportive and backed me up. If I did not have their support I’m not sure I would’ve had the confidence to make that decision and stick with it. Being my own boss was something I daydreamed about since I was working retail at the mall as an 18 year old. Although being an artist is in my nature, I wasn’t a professional artist back then. I’d like to think my professional journey started the day I decided to put my 2 weeks notice in. I had to learn the operations side of running a business, shipping procedures, marketing and sales! I always had a job of some sort so I applied those skills to my creative artistry. I’d like to believe that helped me out a lot! I believe that me pursuing fulltime artistry happened exactly when it needed to. Although I now have a day job, I still consider myself a full time artist because the work don’t stop.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a natural born creative. I always tell the story of me as a baby coloring on everything in sight! The wall, the back of my parents car, everything! Being an artist is in my nature, through and through. I made sure to surround myself with other creatives and I entered the art industry that way. I started creating still life pieces with charcoal and pencil, then I graduated to acrylics and oil pastels. These days I’ll create with whatever is around, even if it’s not paint. I will glue pieces of cardboard together and create a shoe if I want to lol.
What sets me a part is my imaginative mind, and my work ethic. I’m always looking for ways to improve & new techniques to apply to my artwork. Throughout my journey I’ve gained clients domestically and internationally, and that’s one of the things I’m most proud of. I’m also proud of creating a platform that other artists can thrive in (Art Haus Circa 2019) and the many opportunities we’ve all been able to dabble in. In the future I want to continue to provide this platform and build a community of dope creatives that can feed off of each other.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I am mostly active on Instagram and twitter and i build my social media audience by being consistent and putting out good work. Even if the work is “good” in my eyes I put it out anyways, there’s no sense in gatekeeping it for myself. I wanted to organically grow my audience and made sure I interacted with them as much as possible. My audience is the sole reason why I was able to sustain full time artistry as long as I did.
My advice for someone who is building their social media presence: 1-create an aesthetic. People love aesthetics. 2- take photos in NATURAL lighting. No blurry or dark photos unless that’s your intended look. 3-DO NOT focus on the number of followers you have. That is not a measurement of your talent. 4- be confident and courageous. It’s difficult to put yourself and your passion out there in the world to be viewed and criticized but it’s all a part of the journey. 5- Be yourself! Everyone else is taken. So many of our “favorite artists” are popular for being their authentic selves. 6- Follow people back and interact with them. That’s literally the whole point of social media, you’re not Kanye west. 7- Have fun, don’t take yourself too serious and don’t overthink it. Activate that “F it” mode inside of you.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I’d say one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is creative custom artworks that is meaningful to my clients. I recently completed a custom for a clients uncle who is battling cancer and I was determined to make this piece as perfect as possible! It’s passion projects like that, that keeps me going and motivated.
It’s also rewarding to hear peoples perspectives on my artwork and how it resonated with them. One of my older clients was drawn to a piece that reminded of him of his grandmothers house, the color palette was similar. It’s moments like that, that I’m proud to be an artist.
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