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

Irina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I have always admired artists who can create from peace of mind and those who do not lose themselves on the road of life. There are artists who create from peace of mind, and there are those who create from turmoil of the soul. I believe I feel more inspired and become more creative when I experience difficulties in life. I create better from emotions and strong feelings, which represent a very deep source of inspiration for my art. Art heals, motivates, and gives me strength to overcome difficulties in life. For example, I feel such a great release when I finish a painting, and there is always a meaning and an authentic story behind each creation.

Being in the situation of having a regular job represents a big emotional challenge for an artist, and, usually, it is about money. The artist will desperately search for anything related to art in all the responsibilities and opportunities at work. But it would never be enough.
I have had many jobs in the United States that did not necessarily refer to my artistic activity. And all these jobs that I had to do, took me gradually away from my vocation. They made me lose myself as an artist, experiencing the meaningless feeling. I know how this emotional upheaval feels and I know how much it has affected my creative mood.
In another chain of thoughts, I believe that art is not about money at all. If an artist creates with the primary goal of making money, then the art cannot be authentic anymore. Art represents a veritable calling of the soul. Thus, making money from art should be a necessity, but not the number one goal.

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?

My artwork represents timeless and seasonless wearable art, and hides a large amount of work and emotions behind it. The entire process lasts for weeks on average. The composition is sketched on large pieces of white cotton, which is hand painted with waterproof paints. After the painting has dried, the fabric is decorated with hand embroideries, and the entire process of sewing a garment follows.

I have been fascinated by art and fashion design from an early age. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design in 2013, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Public Communication in 2014. After I had graduated from the Fine Arts Academy from The Republic of Moldova, I created my first hand painted collection inspired by Venetian motifs. I launched my own brand in 2014, and created more than 500 unique pieces of wearable art so far.

I primarily find inspiration in nature: a hibiscus flower, a rose or peony from my mother’s garden, a colorful old door. I am also inspired by colorful places that I visit, books that I read, the experiences that I live, and people that I get to know. The number one principle that I follow is authenticity. I try to find my own way by being guided by intuition. I believe that if we want to be like someone, we lose our true self in the end. We tend to turn our attention to people around us, but we forget to explore the most important terrain – our inner self. Each person is unique and we can find the answers within us.

By creating colorful wearable art, I intend to highlight the beautiful side of things. I am aware that the coin has two sides, but still I like to seek beauty even where there is none. This is the reason why my painting palette has always been colorful. If I had to describe my art using only one word, COLOR would be it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

We need to overcome so many obstacles if we want to make progress toward our goals. Challenges make our life more interesting and never boring. I moved to beautiful San Diego in 2017 in search of new opportunities, after I had won the green card lottery. Moving to a different country so far away, trying to rebuild a career from scratch, and finding a new target made my journey really difficult. Despite that, I am so grateful for everything that I got to experience. The United States has taught me to start over countless times, to take big risks, to discover inner strength, to amplify ambition, and to live with homesickness. I strongly believe that there is no authentic art without sacrifice. Everything happens for a reason, and my reason represents my vocation.
My biggest dream is so big that sometimes it is hard for me to even imagine it fully. I dream of walking the streets in different places around the world, and seeing people wearing my paintings. My lifelong dream is opening my own fashion house and spreading enthusiasm and passion around the world. This is the goal that is driving my creative journey.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

“What happens when you mix carmine red with sapphire blue and yellow topaz? Artists know: you get the color of mud. It is not the fertile mud, but a desolate and a dull one. When an artist creates mud on canvas, he has to start all over again”. – This represents a phrase from my favorite book, called “Women who run with the wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, a difficult book that has been written for twenty years. I truly recommend it to both men and women. It is a book of a unique depth and artistry, that touched the deepest hidden place of my soul. Reading it has been very challenging.

My favorite part was about enthusiasm, or “joy of creation” if we talk about artists. At some point in life, the artist can lose the joy of creation for a certain period of time or even permanently. The joy of creation is the greatest joy that an artist can feel to its fullest. It represents that towering feeling when you literally jump up, because you have just finished a very difficult painting, or that brief moments of pure happiness when one of your dreams has finally come true.
This complex book explains, heals, teaches how to keep the enthusiasm alive, and, most importantly, it shows the way how to be in touch with your true self.

Contact Info:

• Website: irinamadan.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/irina.madan
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/madan.irina
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/irinamadan