We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Primrose Paul. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Primrose below.

Primrose, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Sometimes I wish I started my creative career sooner just because I think I would have had better skills but I also believe that things happen when they are supposed to. I began my creative journey in college when I switched my major from biology/chemistry to studio art. For a while I had struggled with the thought of what my career would be as a doctor and I didn’t see myself as one. On the other hand, I had a deep passion for art history and reading which was actively getting ignored because I was pursing another path in school. And on one random Tuesday when I couldn’t stand to do chemistry anymore, I had a light bulb moment, I wanted to do art history and pursue something I saw myself doing. I was on google trying to find out what art historians did after college. I went to a school which did not offer art history as a major so my next best choice was studio art, and with a great mentor; Jim Viewegh, I had the opportunity to learn that I could paint. This all happened sometime in 2021.

Walking into art class on the first day was one of the most gut wrenching because everyone seemed to know what they were doing. It felt like most of the kids there had been doing art since they were young and I was just walking in at the last minute as an imposter. I really do not know what difference it would have made if I was exposed to fine arts earlier but in this journey I have come to appreciate that things happen at their own time.

As I sit here today writing this, I am proud of the journey that I have pursed to be an artist. Using art to communicate about my life and incorporate things I learned from those that came before me has been a beautiful journey.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I think of myself as an accidental artist because I would have never known I could paint if I didn’t take the risk of trying. However, my primary career is not as an artist but as an art curator. The honest answer to this is that I got into the industry but actively making space for myself. The day I knew my career path was going to be curation, I had a talk with one of my good friends and she gave me space to have art exhibitions in.

Some of the services I offer are curation of spaces using art and design especially when my clients are looking to have an aesthetically stimulating environment. With my clients, I have always loved establishing that when we are working together it is important that we see each other as partners working toward the same goal. I enjoy talking to people and learning their personality because it helps me paint a vision of colors or things that they remind me of. Art happens to be an extension of who we are and there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone’s vision for a space come to life.

One of the most fulfilling projects I worked on was a curation project that explored stories of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was a research project by Dr. Jyostika Saksena and Dr. Shannon McMorrow where the women were given camera to document what their life was like integrating into American society.

Overall, I always want my work to be a teachable moment but also offer an means of expression for artists and clients.

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

The simple answer is to show up. I currently work for a creative nonprofit called 10 East Arts on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis where we are constantly doing programs and sometimes we have very few people show up. These are programs that cater to help artists and neighborhoods to build better creative ecosystems. Thriving community have a strong connection to the art and humanities because they help us want to do better not just for ourselves but those around us.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Creating community with other people. Arts truly brings us together and somehow heals us. For me, art has helped me find my people who are creative in different ways from florists to musician to dancers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://primroseapaul.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primrroosee/#
• Other: https://kr.pinterest.com/uncledooodles/

Image Credits

Photographer: Kivonte Houston, owner of Breakthrough Visionaries