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

Tiffany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One meaningful project I recently had the pleasure of being a part of was creating illustrations for a social activism children’s book, “J is for Justice”. A short time ago, I was contacted by Dara Beevas of Wise Ink Publishing based in Minneapolis. Dara mentioned she’d been following my work and wanted me to be involved in a really exciting illustration project with author, lawyer, and, activist, Nekima Levy-Armstrong. Nekima’s work on issues of racial justice and disparity in Minneapolis and throughout the nation spoke to my core values. I was excited to be connected on a project with a revered entity in the space. After 8 months of storyboarding, character development, and meetings with the team we finally had a beautiful book with page designs by the talented layout artist, Cindy Samargia Laun. Today, “J is for Justice” is available nationwide through major online retailers, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The most gratifying part is to see young children connecting with the book’s main character Joy, and for them to learn about social justice from an early age.

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?

Hi, My name is Tiffany Baker, I’m a Chicago-born Artist and Digital Designer working out of Brooklyn, New York. I specialize in realist portraiture with a focus on nostalgia and storytelling highlighting images of black people. I sell original paintings at shows, print my artwork through my website, www.tiffany-baker.com/shop, and create work for corporate clients.

I’ve been an artist since the very earliest moments of my life. The transition from these budding experiences to the artist I am today took a winding journey. I studied at Pratt Institute where I received my undergraduate degree in Industrial Design. I landed a full-time corporate job. After working three years in, I stopped being fulfilled with the work I was doing there. I knew I wanted to create and share my authentic voice through black stories in a positive way. Looking back on my education, there were many gaps in representation; because of that, I pivoted to exclusively depicting black people in the work I create. Through my art, I’ve embarked on a re-education and a truthful exploration of the world around me. Today, I continue to uplift and share black stories via my visual art. If there’s anything to take away from my work is that I strive to create art highlighting the people and communities I grew up with in an authentic way.

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

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved my art studio three times. After two years in my first space, I came to the harsh reality it didn’t make sense to maintain the rent payments. I tried negotiating with the landlord for a less expensive amount -(lesson #1: always try to negotiate!). When that fell through I miraculously found another space in my budget and sadly said goodbye – (lesson #2 don’t be afraid to walk away from something you love but isn’t serving you). After about a year there, the new landlord revealed they were relocating to a different state. I had the option to take over the lease which was significantly more than the portion I was paying at the time. It was tempting to believe I could stretch myself and “make it work”. I find that being creative, we are very emotional beings and I was thinking with my emotional mind at the time. After some consideration, I declined and started woefully looking for a new spot once again.

This experience felt like a sad Deja vu moment playing out over again. My morale got so low that at one point, I thought, “Maybe it was time for me to throw in the towel”. Fortunately, I reminded myself that these were only roadblocks and I would overcome them. Funnily enough, it didn’t take even a month before I found my third studio space. I answered a Craigslist ad; turns out the studio manager and I went to the same college! – (lesson #3 remember your network! It can come in handy!). I made good art in that space and was content for the majority of the time there. Then came the daunting email from the landlord…. (this can’t be happening again). “Maybe I’m just not meant to pursue my art, why does this keep happening?” The cycle played out again, however, I had the experience of the past to let me know it would and always did work out.

This time, I had a crazy idea…one that took personal growth and to put my ego aside. I called my 1st landlord. I asked if my old space was available and if he would he be willing to offer it to me at an amount I could afford. I loved that studio and it was so nostalgic to me. He agreed! It was a true full-circle moment. I’m currently working where I started, a reminder that- (Lesson #4 don’t let your ego make you miss an opportunity.) This entire experience of what I call “musical studios “ taught me that although life is unpredictable, I am an overcomer and not to internalize these setbacks. It taught me about perseverance and to continue moving forward to live your dream.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an artist, I enjoy the reality that I get to follow my curiosities and turn my dreams into visual works that people connect with. I enjoy bringing stories to life and watching in real-time people resonate with the message I convey through my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tiffany-baker.com
• Instagram: hiccupbk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studioHBKart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyebaker/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpmaGjtAWjE
• Other: purchase your signed copy of J is for justice: https://tiffany-baker.com/shop/j-is-for-justice-a-social-justice-book-for-kids-signed-hardcover

Image Credits
Images courtesy of Tiffany Baker and photography by Jason Bailey