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

Alright, Espacia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been able to support myself entirely from my creative work since a graduated high school in 2015. I had an opportunity to sell my work at the Palmer Park art fair in Detroit which lead me to doing art fairs full time. I will forever be grateful for that eye opening opportunity.

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 orchestrate a variety of mediums, predominantly watercolor and ink. The Watercolor gives way to spontaneity, immediacy, and impermanence. While the ink and other mediums contrast with permanence, concentration, and order. In my paintings, I use plenty of negative space to represent unknown possibilities. I am passionate about zen, philosophy, communication, and human experience. I believe, my innate drive for creation is from my studies on these subjects. A recurring theme in almost everything I read is chaos and order (surrender and discipline) which I equate to watercolor and ink. Uniting these opposing worlds, I am able to construct equilibrium, harmony, and balance within my mind and paintings. I am also inspired by the Japanese lifestyle/aesthetic called Wabi-Sabi. The lifestyle embodies the present moment, mindfulness, and simplicity. The aesthetic acknowledges the beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. While these three words deeply inspire me, my own paintings lack their physical attributes. To bring these ideas to life, I have created a reusable interactive book called “Imagine, Draw, Erase, Repeat!”. This book contains 20 abstract shapes that serve as a starting point for your imagination. One dry erase marker to draw what you have imagined and one cloth to erase and start something new. “Imagine, Draw, Erase, Repeat!” was designed to be playful, engaging, and open the space to create without serious pressure.

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

Devoting myself through the lowest moments of the creative process is what has proven to be the most rewarding aspect of being a creative.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Great thinkers such as Alan Watts, Terence McKenna and many others have significantly influenced my life which leads to influencing my creative process in truly amazing ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.espaciafotiu.com
• Instagram: espaciafotiu