We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mic’a Ward a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mic’a, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

Content creation is the biggest trend in almost every industry and it’s such a powerful tool for social interaction. I’m from the era of experiencing the very first computer, cell phones without digitized screens and the launching of literally every social platform up until now (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Vine etc.). The extreme growth in accessibility of technology has definitely made a huge impact on how we all use social media today, especially in business.

I remember the days when my favorite hobby was creating content at home, but for no reason at all… since I was only in middle school! Gratefully enough I had my own DSLR camera and an Acer laptop. I was always a tech kinda girl so it’s all I asked for that Christmas (plus a new bible) and being an only child genuinely led me to find new ways to express my creativity.

One day I came home from school and decided to take pictures of myself. I had just learned how to use the self-timer feature on my camera and wanted to have a full photoshoot on my own, I don’t know why and I could’ve asked for help but I didn’t think anyone would understand. I put on an outfit and my mother’s red lipstick without her knowing and also grabbed her favorite perfume which then became “I’m going to shoot a magazine advertisement for this perfume” and the ideas just continued to flow in. I didn’t have a tripod yet so I figured out how to prop up my handheld camera. I really wish I had a remote to control the self-timer back then, I’m not sure if that even existed yet but it definitely would’ve helped. After the whole process of staging the scene in my backyard, running back and forth to the camera to pose within 10 seconds and looking through all the terrible photos that were completely out of focus, somehow it gave me a sense of fulfillment… because I at least tried it! I got one good shot and posted it on my MySpace page. I can’t even explain how that opened a new door for me and after all these years I finally understand why it was such a monumental moment.

Lately, I’ve been hesitant about creating content for social media. It’s a whole career now. I see how beneficial it is for small businesses and entrepreneurs but I’m often conflicted. I consider myself one of the trailblazers of this trend, so now that’s it’s so commonly used I am a little concerned with how it’s going. I think it’s important to differentiate the real creators who take chances and are extremely innovative from the actual trend itself. Even though social media may seem over saturated with trends, I want to reassure all the trendsetters that it’s okay to keep being different and to keep expressing yourself creatively for the world to see.

Mic’a, 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?

My name is Mic’a and I’m a full-time visual artist. I completed my studies in Fine Arts and Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan (2018) and have since relocated to other major cities, such as Atlanta and Miami. I also go by Muralmica, which has been my brand throughout my journey of being a freelance muralist while starting my design firm of Murals + More. I founded my own business and I’m the Artistic Director for all services and the curation of education and artistry trainings. We offer many services remotely, such as digital design (logo and website development) and custom artwork (paintings, prints etc.) to collectors and other businesses. For the past year (2022-23) I’ve pivoted into different avenues within my industry by starting a global Art agency and I currently represent other visual artists as a solo agent. I also coordinate and facilitate private events as an art educator for all ages. I hope to continue expanding in more creative ways. It’s what keeps me going!

What’s most interesting about my career is how genuine my growth has been. I’m simply just following my dreams as I go along! I’ve been an artist all my life but never knew it could be my career until it was. I know there are other creatives like me and that’s what inspires me to keep going. I’m always learning more about myself through my business each and every day and I truly value the clients and collaborators who especially trust my vision.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have many stories about pivoting in my business and in life in general, some successful and some detrimental. Pivoting is not easy either way because essentially you’re deciding to change focus on your initial direction, for either a bigger outcome or for the sake of damage control. It’s almost like being in a maze, sometimes you have no choice but to turn around and other times you have two options in front of you. Not only having a new business but also a creative business altogether means that I basically have to pivot each and every month. I’m still learning about the outcomes of my unique strategies and my overall audience/clientele as a remote business. That all may sound like a lot to deal with and it is a lot to deal with, but I care so much about my craft and those who support me so I will never become ungrateful for having to pivot in and out of situations.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Over the years, I’ve found that it’s much easier to share my successes with others once everything is officially complete. Unfortunately that means… during the process itself or when there’s any delay on something already expected to be great, there’s an unspoken struggle of disappointment that isn’t shared. We deal with disappointment and dissatisfaction a lot and critique ourselves more than people think we do. I’m sure most creative artists can relate to this and I always appreciate seeing vulnerabilities within artist’s success stories. Creative people are so used to using [ego] as a tool for growth that sometimes it’s forgotten that we’re just human and not unicorn fairies all the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.muralmica.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/muralmica
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/muralmica
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@muralmica
• Other: Pinterest- https://pin.it/1JEo0pI TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@muralmica

Image Credits
@therealchrisstarr