We were lucky to catch up with Emma Mutiu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I was never super artsy and didn’t love to draw, but when I tried painting I realized I had found my medium. I was only introduced to it when I wanted to paint some plants pots for myself. My first attempts were… mediocre at best. I’m not really the sort of person to watch tutorials, etc. to learn how to do something (even though they can be great resources), so I mostly just used to come up with an idea and try my best to make it work! At the beginning, my ideas weren’t super complicated, so they mostly turned out decently well, although simple. The designs were also were extremely varied, ranging from mandalas to cartoons.

As time passed, I started challenging myself to more complicated designs. I think some of the realistic animals I did majorly helped my painting – in all aspects, not just in realism. I also painted my dog for the first time then, but it wasn’t a great success so I abandoned that idea for a while. Looking back, seven pet portraits of my own dogs and countless of other people’s pets later, a bit more persistence in learning the things I wasn’t automatically decent at I probably would’ve progressed significantly faster. As I continued to paint, I started wanting to try more mediums. So far, I’ve settled on adding resin and polymer clay. The more I’ve created, the more I’ve developed my own art style.

I think that being more open to learning techniques from other more experienced artists would’ve helped me a lot. So would have being a little more patient with myself, because you don’t just learn overnight. I think I was my own biggest enemy at the beginning, and I definitely held myself back some being a little stubborn and annoyed at my own ‘inadequacy’. It also didn’t help that as things returned to normal, and my school work increased, I had less and less time, so I’ve had to learn (and keep learning now that I’ve started university) how to balance art and school.

Emma, 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?

In 2019, in grade 8, I started my plant collection. By 2020, I had a number of plants that needed a new pot, but I was having a lot of trouble finding nice ones that had drainage holes (plant people, you know the struggle ;)). My mom was actually the one who suggested to my sister and I to paint some terracotta planters for our own plants. I did some research, found a waterproof sealant, and got to work! And because of the pandemic, I had no school, which gave me lots of time to paint. At that point, the intention wasn’t to sell them, but I made too many for myself and I didn’t know what to do with all the pots I had! In March of 2021, I set up an account for my plants, and in June of that year I started sharing some of my pots. I actually sold my first pot online that year, and it was super exciting for me! In March 2022, in grade 10, I participated as a vendor at my very first artisan market. I hadn’t visited too many markets before, so I didn’t really know how to find the best markets for me. Fast forward to now, I participate in fewer markets, but more targeted towards what I feel is my audience.

I’ve shifted from what I used to sell, and I no longer try to provide a product/design for everyone – I’m trying to stay true to what makes me the happiest to create and what represents me as an artist the most. I love colour and sparkle and whatever I make will always reflect that. My products include plant pots, trinket trays, earrings and more. I do customs of all of them – and customs are arguably one of my favourites to do because I love helping other people turn their ideas into a design they’ll love. Pet portraits hold a special place in my heart, because more than any other customs, their pets are a big part of their lives.

I have donated my time to create pet portraits for fundraisers for Misfit Angels Rescue, where i also donate 25% of my profits.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I would love to see schools support art as a career. As kids grow up, often we’re influenced by those closest to us and schools to choose a career that is viewed as more practically ‘valuable’ to society – a doctor, an engineer, a scientist. We’ve all heard the ‘you should be a lawyer, they make so much money’. Art in general is mostly viewed as a hobby rather than a possible career. And yet for some, STEM, etc don’t bring much fulfillment. I think if we placed more value on art as a career, instead of always treating it like a little side hobby, life would be so much richer for everyone.

I think we often place too much value on how much money you make rather than what your career means to you. The ‘starving artist’ stereotype often pressures students that have to decide their future relatively early to choose a career that is known for making more money – even if they know they won’t like it. And yes, it is of course so much easier to know you have a guaranteed salary, but we spend too much of our limited time working to choose something that doesn’t bring you any happiness, doesn’t add anything to your life except money.

A second point of view, and maybe it also stems from the art education we receive, is about the value of an original, hand-made, and in many cases one-of-a-kind item. We can buy ten cheap items from Shein or Temu or Aliexpress for the price of one handmade. And even aside from the obvious ethics considerations when it comes to these websites – they will never have the charm and the originality of a hand-made item, of knowing you’re supporting someone’s dream. It comes down to appreciating the quality, and the story behind, the item you’ve bought. It is a little more difficult to say what society as a whole can do about this, but I think that as a whole we need to try to appreciate the fact that we don’t need ten items – one or two will do as well, and you can feel good about where those one or two came from.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me I think the part of art that appeals to me the most – in other people’s art and what I strive for in my own – is creating a sense of feeling where there is none, bringing a sort of ‘life’ to the boring, if you will. I find that being able to portray a certain perception of an otherwise uninteresting subject is one of the most rewarding things I can accomplish. When we look at things our feelings don’t translate into words – but in art, through colour, you can replicate it so much more accurately and convey those same feelings to the viewer. If I had to choose the most rewarding thing about art, it would be this.

Customs in general are also very rewarding, often challenging me to create things (paintings, planters, trinket trays) of subjects I’d have never thought of myself. Many are not easy, and come with quite a bit of frustration, but I usually love the end result, and it definitely improves my art to have to stray a little from my comfort zone. It also gives me the opportunity to create something that represents an important memory or moment for my client. One of the customs that is most rewarding are pet portraits. As a pet owner myself, I feel privileged to be able to celebrate the life of a beloved pet, or to create a keepsake of a pet that has passed away. I love it when my clients first see their pots, in most cases the emotion is so evident, and I am grateful to be able to create that moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fromdeserttojungle.ca
• Instagram: @fromdeserttojungle.ca

Image Credits

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