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

Hi Traci, thanks for joining 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.

I chose this question because a lot of artists face this. Oftentimes we are pushed to take the “safe” way to do things by our friends or fami.y because a lot of people don’t consider art as a career when if they actually thought about it everything they use everyday depends on the work of artists and designers. I had to find out that I would never progress as a artist until I was willing to put everything on the line and go for it meaning the comfortable job and all of that it is a trap that will keep your career on hold. Once I was willing to let that go and do whatever it takes to make it that’s when I started to see real results. You have to literally be operating in a crazy blind faith and be unwavering and unstoppable. Also be able to block out the naysayers and the doubters let the rejection roll off your back and apply to the next opportunity. That same small paycheck you get every two weeks to make someone else rich you can be investing that time into making your own money and creating your own legacy.

Traci, 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 am a visual artist who works with printmaking, painting and drawing. Most would classify me as multidisciplinary but most of my training is in printmaking. My earliest memory of exposure to art was from my father who was drawing a portrait of my sister he had just returned from the Vietnam war and we were sitting on his lap as he drew an amazing portrait of my sister. That moment was a catalyst for me to start drawing and from that time on I never stopped. I attended college at Florida A and M university as an architecture major and after taking a drawing class as an elective sophomore year I changed my major to visual arts. Upon graduation I went directly to Tyler School of Art at Temple University for my MFA with a concentration in printmaking and from then on my focus was on creating art that was a mirror to humanity that spoke to social issues. I was also exposed to quiltmaking as a form of painting after visiting the studio of Faith Ringgold with a student group. She made an indelible impression on me that would stick with me in my creative work until this day. I often create focal points centered around textile patterns or use quilt patterns in my pieces. In addition to this my goal as an artist is to draw attention to and document various aspects of black identity and culture from the viewpoint of an African American female.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have a lot of stories but I will select the most recent, On Christmas Eve 2022 there was a winter storm that caused the pipes to freeze in my home and burst. The house flooded and water was coming out of every wall and the ceiling collapsed. It was hours before I was able to get someone to help but by that time I literally lost everything and a lot of my artwork was lost to water damage and I had a solo show opening in February so I was left with one month to recover and get work done for this show keep in mind we were without running water and heat for several weeks. I set about writing emergency grants for artists and was able to secure two grants to replenish my art supplies. I was determined to get it done and I was able to produce enough work to fill the gallery space for the exhibition.

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

I believe that my journey in art is my calling. It is the God in me, my gift and part of the legacy that I will contribute to the world. I look at who paved a way for me and who invested in me and I won’t allow their belief in me to be in vain. I am driven by the message in my work and for the culture. My goal is also to keep evolving and to keep growing in my practice. Also art is documentation, it is narrative it will be here when we are not.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackartinamerica.com/
• Instagram: @traci_mimsartist
• Facebook: Traci Mims Artist
• Twitter: @traci_mims