We recently connected with Miranda Loftis and have shared our conversation below.

Miranda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I graduated high school in 2017, I was told that I now need to go to college and know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It seemed like the only thing to do because of a false belief that was programmed into my mind from a young age. Back then I was an athlete, I had endured a lot of injuries and worked with physical therapists. They had a great impact on me, so it seemed only right to pursue that as a career to help others. The only thing I had right in what I wanted was to help others. I then proceeded to go to college for three years. By the end of my first year I started to realize that physical therapy wasn’t for me. At that time, I was, for the first time, getting really into going to electronic shows and festivals like Electric Forest. There I tried psychedelic medicines for the first time that year, which led me to really digging deep within my unconscious and unlocking parts of myself that were hidden. I also starting seeing all the worlds problems in HD and wanting to find the roots to these problems. One conclusion I came to on this journey was that schools, religion, etc. were programming the creativity out of us. The school system is training industrial workers still. They are training you for the 9-5 job. Creativity is how we grow as the human race, we need people to be thinking out of the box, questioning the norms, innovating society. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be worked out, when you don’t practice, it becomes much harder get into a creative mindset and then people settle for comfort. This naturally led me to trying a bunch of new creative avenues to keep myself within a creative mindset. These thoughts of mine led me to simply realizing that helping people isn’t just saving people medically, it starts in the unconscious. But at this point I was still scared to drop everything to pursue art, so I took a safety net and switched to a graphic design major, seemed like a safe field. I just really didn’t like graphic design too much, I preferred crafts that were created with my hands. I was absolutely obsessed with painting, I felt at home when painting, and I never wanted to stop. Once COVID 19 started reeking havoc on our lives, I had gotten a bit more comfortable with change and I felt I had enough of doing things out of comfort, I have dreams, dreams to be a painter, dreams to encourage creativity, dreams of showing people my visions of what the world could be. So I dropped out of college in pursuit of being a painter. Best risk I have ever taken. Because of that decision, I was able to truly work on myself, deepen my meditation practice, build healthy habits, turn creativity into the main focal point of my life and moving everything else around that. I would not be where I am today with my craft if it weren’t for taking that risk.

Miranda, 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 am Miranda, the owner, visionary, artist, vendor, live painter, podcast host, web designer, social media manager, coordinator, product photographer, advertiser, fulfillment and packaging manager of my brand MirLo Creations.

I was born and raised and still in Metro Detroit. I am a self taught artist focused on acrylic painting. I create unique, conceptual works inspired by visionary art, psychedelic art, pop art, and anime/cartoon styles mostly. Music Festivals, stage design, live visuals and installation art have been huge inspirations to me as well. I bring a playful, childlike style to my color choices and brush strokes to my canvases. My vision is to bring a raw, childlike outlook to some deep parts of the world, evoking emotion and wonder.

I have had tons of amazing opportunities along my journey, including vending music festivals and local shows, to showcasing my work in a solo gallery, to live painting at local shows and festivals, to exhibiting in group art shows. I have met so many amazing and inspiring artists along this ride and carry lessons and inspiration from all.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

There are so many ways for society to support artists. It starts at a young age in the school system. There are schools that offer art classes, but some don’t, Detroit Public Schools had cut their budget for creative classes. The schools that offer art classes, don’t offer enough, creative classes shouldn’t just be an elective, it is a core piece of the overall puzzle. There should be more creative avenues available, we should be investing in technologies that help in creative processes. By the end of schooling, kids should have been able to try all creative paths, see what calls to them. Schools should be structured in the way that encourages creativity.

Also, there should be more public art programs such as investing in murals, sculptures, installations, and providing artists with more opportunities to showcase their work and ideas while engaging with the community. I also believe that government organizations should be providing more grants and funding to assist costs related to materials, studio spaces and living expenses. More artist residency programs offered would help artists with time, space and resources for their creative endeavors.

Lastly, when it comes to policy, I feel as if there were tax incentives for purchasing creative supplies would encourage art and creativity.

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

I find the most rewarding part of being an artist is when engaging with community through my art. I attend a lot of art markets and live painting and have met a lot of people where they are able to interact with my paintings. When I can tell they are truly experiencing the art, allowing themselves to be vulnerable, and can see the emotions felt, I feel rewarded. There have been times people have cried from seeing my work or shared the part of themselves that felt touched or seen from my work. That is when I feel like I have done my job right, and that is truly means something.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mirlocreations.squarespce.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirlocreations_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092474723463

Image Credits

eyedewphotos