We recently connected with Shawn Ahkeah and have shared our conversation below.

Shawn, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I always dreamt of being an artist painter but as i grew older it became something i kept in the back of my mind. I knew when i graduated high school i needed a job, so i had menial jobs but in the back of my mind i wanted to do art. I joined the air force hoping when i got out id have a steady employment and education but there was no time in the service to go to school for art. when i got out of the service i still was looking for employment and got into the construction field. My father was a land survyor and i just got interested in that field. I became a land surveyor working in the natural gas field of construction. This line of work allowed me to travel through out the southwest and see the colorful beautiful lands. which intrigued me to want to paint. Having the profession of a land surveryor influenced me to paint the colorful landscaped of the southwest

Shawn, 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 Shawn Ahleah, I’m a full blood Navajo from Shiprock New Mexico. I began my art career in 2018 although i have been creating art all my life as a child. I am a self-taught artist but i did take classes in my lower educations. Due to my career as a land surveyor i did not start my art career until June 2018. Most of my inspirations come from the scenery of the southwest and the pe0ple who inhabit the area. I love the Navajo culture and the land they inhabit. I try to convey that into my paintings.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

when i was a child growing up my father use to travel with his job and i use to have to attend different schools throughout my childhood. most of these schools i attended a were hundreds of miles from my hometown and culture. I remember there was a Navajo woman who the schools hired to come travel off the reservations to come to my school and teach me my culture. So, i would spend the whole day with her and she would teach me my Navajo language, bead work, or Navajo culture. It was great to have someone continue teaching me my culture as a child when i was away which helped me tremendously with keeping me interested in the arts as a child.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I try to convey the culture of the Navajo tribe through my artistiic vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shawnahkeah.com
• Instagram: Ahkeah_art
• Facebook: shawnahkeah