We were lucky to catch up with Justina Moran recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Justina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Around 5 years ago, I was going through a rough time in my life mentally. I felt like I was going through life with no purpose. One day I was so bored I picked up a canvas and some cheap paint from Walmart. Later that night, I sketched a girl on to a canvas, and spent the next 2 days completing the painting her. Those 2 days, we’re possibly the best days I ever had at that point in my life. The moment i finished that painting, i knew i couldn’t stop. So, I picked up 4 more canvases and painted a series of different cultured women. These paintings changed my life, because for the first time in my life, i felt passion and purpose. From that day, I knew art was everything to me. Over the years, I’ve dedicated all my time to pursing art in many forms from Makeup to Canvas art. I’m still growing in my passion and every day is still a gamble, but with my hard work I know I can’t fail.
Justina, 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?
Since 18, I’ve worked a full-time job working as a receptionist, accounting clerk, administrative asst, and so much more. I feel like my work life has played a huge part in how I handle business with my art. I pride myself on how I communicate and handle business. Life forced me to be responsible and discipline at the age of 10, and I believe it’s always drove me to do more in life.
I still work a full-time job and pursue my art on the side. Sometimes It feels like I work 3 full time jobs. However, I’m most proud of my drive, motivation and passion for art because it gives me so much life. I really don’t know where I would be without art as an outlet. Art has been more than just paint and fun. Art has been therapy through some of the hardest chapters of my life.
I create canvas art and sell my pieces online. I’m currently in the process of putting my work in art museums. I also do commission work for clients who want something more specific for gifts or their own style.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to own my own photo studio, because photography is another passion of my fiancé and I. My goal is to have a section for just my art. So that I can be in a creative space when I want to focus on my craft or just relax. I’m also pursuing other business ventures.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My social media grew tremendously over the past 2 years. I worked day and night to create a structure to grow on my platforms. I dedicated over 10,000 hours on just creating for social media. The beautiful thing about social media is there is always a group of people who are interested in the same things you’re interested in. My best piece of advice is pick something that makes you happy, and then decide if it’s something you want to purse as business venture or if it’s something you do just for fun. It’s important to know the difference because you don’t want to devote so much time into something that you don’t see as a business. Then, brainstorm all the ways you can create content, opportunities for yourself and possibly others, brands you can work with, ways to generate funds, grants, etc. Then, PLAN like you’ve never planned before. I’m currently working on planner that I believe would help other content creators, something I wish I had when I started. My goal is to have it released this year (2023)
Contact Info:
- Website: Currently under construction.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinavictoriaart (@JustinaVictoriaArt)
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JustinaVictoria
- Tik Tok: (@_JustinaVictoria) – https://www.tiktok.com/@_justinavictoria?_t=8VDqFMXPj94&_r=1
Image Credits
The image of myself (The 1 image of myself in all black) was taken by Domnic Metz. Instagram: @Da.Koning