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

Mya, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to work for myself and make a career out of doing something I love. As a painter, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from selling a piece I put so much time and effort into. Knowing that I can share a part of myself with others through my work is a feeling I’ve never experienced from a regular job. I’ve always recognized my happiness as an artist by knowing I would undoubtedly prefer a full 12-hour day in the studio rather than an 8-hour shift anywhere else. Therefore, to answer the question, yes, I’m certainly happy as an artist and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Mya, 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?

I began my creative journey when I was 9 years old, through cake decorating. As I got older, I realized it wasn’t about the cakes, but about the creative process and the excitement on people’s faces when they received them. This sparked my transition into working with traditional art mediums. I later went to a specialized art high school in Ottawa, Ontario before moving to Toronto to attend OCAD University for their Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Drawing and Painting.

My work is a manifestation of feelings and experiences from my life. Both my oil and watercolour paintings act as a journal through the day to day. Whether through a representational approach or using distortion to abstract the world around me, these works serve as a type of therapeutic documentation for many aspects of my journey.

In 2023, I began selling prints of my artworks at small business markets, growing my artistic practice into a business. Through these markets I’ve been able to reach a much wider audience with my work and meet so many other creatives in the process. I now sell my prints and original works online at myanaidooart.ca.

Currently, I am focused on further developing my art and exploring new techniques. As I move towards the completion of my degree, my paintings are in the process of becoming a large, cohesive body of work to be shown all together.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The world has certainly become more open to artistic and creative careers, but there is still a long way to go. To better support artists and creatives, society needs to make more of an effort to buy from and facilitate opportunities for their local artists. In the past few years, there has been a large increase in small business markets. These have been a very useful tool for creatives to expand their network and client base. More events and opportunities that allow artists to meet buyers and other people in their field would be an amazing way to support artists and creatives in this growing society.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I always thought that social media would be my greatest resource as artist. Of course, it plays a huge part in being a successful artist in today’s world, but in the past few years I’ve realized the creative’s best resource is actually meeting other creatives. I’ve learned this especially during my time at OCAD University, where we are constantly surrounded by other artists like us and creatives in other fields. When I first began my degree, our classes were primarily online due to the pandemic, making me create art alone in my apartment. While solitude can be a valuable part of the creative process, my work didn’t progress very quickly as I had no contrasting ideas pushing me to experiment. Now that most of my time is spent in the studio, constantly discussing processes and techniques different to my own, I’ve seen a change in both my overall thinking and final works.
As creatives and entrepreneurs, we often think we need to accomplish everything on our own. However, I personally think surrounding yourself with people who motivate you to try new things is an integral part of the creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: myanaidooart.ca
• Instagram: @mya.naidoo.art

Image Credits
Mya Naidoo