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

Halimah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I’ve thought about this so much after taking my art seriously and sharing it with the world. I started creating consistently during quarantine because why not? I along with everyone else had all the time in the world so it just made sense. I dealt with stress and anxiety during the lockdown and creating art daily was one of the only things that brought me peace, hence the name of my brand. Once I did start and see how much people loved my work, I wished I started much sooner. After graduating college, I started working immediately trying to find a job in my field that I was passionate about and I never really found one role that satisfied me like my art did when I started. Sometimes I think about all the roles I wasted time in when I could have been pouring into my passion all along and growing my brand. I’m so thankful to have started and that’s why I always encourage people to just start. You never know what will happen until you do.

Halimah, 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?

I started Artpce (pronounced art piece/peace) in 2020 and the primary mission of Artpce is and always will be to uplift and celebrate Black people and Black culture. Many of my pieces highlight black joy, self-care, and social justice issues and uplift and support black-owned businesses. I started out posting art daily on Instagram and after a while, so many people were inquiring about purchasing so I made that an option. I launched my website on 11/11 and I have grown my product offerings from fine art prints to posters, canvases, mugs, and even journals. I have had the opportunity to create art for many large companies like When We All Vote, DirecTV, Missguided, and most recently Peacock. I’m most proud of being self-taught and still open to learning each day. I have a unique style to my artwork but I’m never afraid to try new styles and learn new techniques. I love that I can take amazing concepts from my clients and elevate them into unique relatable pieces that are loved by many.

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

The most rewarding part of being an artist is definitely seeing everyone see themselves in my artwork. My heart literally melts when someone comments that they think a piece looks like them and they love it because that is the purpose of my work. I want people to see themselves and feel uplifted, beautiful, and represented so I am so glad that I can provide that for some people. Selling my artwork has also made this journey so surreal because people will tag me in photos of my artwork in their homes and I still feel so honored.

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

Yes omg! My favorite audiobook is “The Game of Life and How to Play It” by Florence Scovel Shinn and I listen to a lot of Abraham Hicks. This is where I got the saying “Everything is always working out for me” from. I’ve learned so much from these teachings about creating your own reality simply by adjusting your thinking and it has paid off so much for me. I truly believe that I have all I have and I am so successful because I worked hard, prayed, and always believed that I would do amazing things. Even when things aren’t going the way I envisioned them I truly believe that things will always work themselves out and they always do. I know and trust that the opportunities will come, and the ones that don’t actualize were not meant for me and that’s okay. In the slow seasons, it can be really scary and sometimes I do wonder if I’m doing enough but I know that things wouldn’t have worked out thus far if it wasn’t meant for me. Every no is redirecting me to all the “accepted, approved, and yes” messages I will receive along my journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: artpce.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/artpce
• Facebook: facebook.com/artpce
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artpce/
• Twitter: twitter.com/artpce
• Other: tiktok.com/artpce

Image Credits
Peacock/BLK Photo: Robin Marshall Other images: Jonathan Davis