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

Elena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Sometimes, I wonder where would I be now if I had began my career in creative entrepreneurship earlier in life. A lot has happened from my teens and into my twenties. I often feel like I am making up for lost time, saying yes to too much or not taking enough time for self-care and quality time with the people I care about. I eat, sleep, and breathe my art, my craft, my process, my research – my work. Honestly, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. I believe that every challenge, every pivot or shift, every decision and experience made me who I am today. Those experiences inform how I problem solve, critically think, and analyze as I navigate a full-time career in arts and culture. It is not the easy path but I know, with conviction that this is what I am meant to do. I didn’t know that when I was younger.

Elena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a visual artist and muralist with a focus in mixed media illustration. My work provides representation in the Asian community due to the Asian female protagonist that is most often depicted. In a way my work is self-portraiture but not intentionally so as I hope she is relatively ambiguous. I explore notions of identity, individuality, sexuality, the female in the eyes of the societal gaze, cultural preservation and historical memory. I am most inspired by my love for Japanese manga/anime, in terms of aesthetic but my work is conceptually driven by culture, history, and social justice. Giving back to the youth and under-represented communities by sharing my craft/process and providing internship opportunities is something I am proud of. If I were younger I would have longed for such opportunities. I am grateful to the mentors that have provided me opportunities for growth in so many ways and paying it forward or inspiring others is so important to me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is when I receive personal messages about how my work resonated with them. I have had strangers form across the country send me emails about how grateful they are to see my work pushing for social justice through the covid-19 pandemic with the rise of anti-Asian sentiment. I have had people privately message me and say that they saw my mural and that their family immigrated to the United States and have lived in the neighborhood for forty years – seeing an Asian represented helped them feel seen and a welcome part of the community. There have been young Asian Americans who simply see themselves in my work or see their mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, grandmothers. Family. Community. Representation matters.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I cannot express how integral, meaningful, and powerful my connections on social media platforms are. Building a community is important which often starts with people you know in real life. Your acquaintances, friends and family. Social media algorithms are constantly evolving and the tools we use to interact and connect change. However, some things that helped me were hashtags that are targeted to what I do and who I thought might be interested in my work. Understanding your mission/vision will help understand who your demographic/audience is. Doing giveaways and having raffles are great ways to connect with a wider audience as well. At the end of the day, actionable or interactive posts are the most effective. To me, its all about quality over quantity. I would rather have 10 people who love my work, and genuinely want to support me than to have 100 people who are just looking for reciprocated follows/likes. Our time is valuable, it is something we can spend but never gain back. Give your time wisely and authentically.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elenaohlander.com
• Instagram: elena_ohlander

Image Credits
Toni Smailagic (Head shot) Tish Kitch (Mural Portrait)