We recently connected with Mariah Mitchell and have shared our conversation below.
Mariah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I wish I would have started taking art more serious earlier on. I always knew I loved to draw but I didn’t start expanding my interest until I was 24 years old. I’ve been drawing all my life just for fun. When the pandemic hit in March of 2020 I started painting and taking commissions. I wish I would have started sooner. I think starting sooner would have been good for me because art had opened so many doors for me. I have gotten to meet so many amazing people and experience so many awesome things with my art career. It’s always better late than never so I’m grateful regardless.
Mariah, 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 decided to start painting after years of only drawing and sketching. I started off selling canvases I would create in my spare time. After a while I started taking commissions. About four months after I started taking commissions I decided to leave my full time job and pursue art full time instead. I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come. I not only sell art but I’ve also curated two gallery exhibits. I love working with different artist and helping to promote others work and dreams. I am so grateful for all the support I get and wish to continue on and keep progressing.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being paid to do what I love. Being an artist isn’t something that is usually looked at as a stable career where I come from. It isn’t something that is pushed like other career fields are. So that fact that I get to do something I never thought possible is a dream come true.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building an audience on social media takes time and consistency. It took me a while to gain a following and support online. Making content and posting every time you create something new is essential. I wasn’t one for social media so it was tricky at first. I think that educating yourself on the algorithm and having a good understanding of how everything works makes the process easier.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/riahs_canvas?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiahNkoh
Image Credits
The photo taken of me was taken by photographer Jeff Cancelosi.