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

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

For me, being an artist and a creative are inseparable; I am at my best when I am building, designing, and painting. After eight years in Film and Design since graduating from EMU, I’ve reached a pivotal moment in my career. I found myself at a crossroads: Do I pursue art full-time? Should I try to get hired as a full time graphic designer for guaranteed salary pay?

To find clarity, I’ve chosen a dual path—keeping Versara Creatives focused on film and design while establishing Ty Steele as my personal artist brand. That leap of faith is already paying off.

I am thrilled to announce that my piece, “Abstract Lovers,” has been accepted into two international exhibitions: The Holy Art in Paris, France and the Woman’s Essence 10th Anniversary Edition in Milan, Italy. Additionally, I am honored to receive the WAA Woman Art Award 2026. Taking my work overseas is a dream realized, and I can’t wait to see where this international chapter leads.

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?

My creative path has been anything but linear. It started with childhood crafts and evolved into a career designing for the screen and the gallery.

Since graduating from EMU in 2018, I’ve navigated the corporate and cinematic worlds with a singular focus: visual storytelling. From my early days at DPTV and Woodward Original to working on-set for Queen of the South (Netflix), I’ve spent the last several years mastering the art of the “physical space” as a Set Decorator and Production Designer.

This February marks a major milestone: Versara Creatives LLC is officially 6 years old. I created my company in February 2020, a Black and woman-owned creative agency that has become my home for Creative Direction and Brand Identity. While I spend my days bringing my clients’ visions to life, I spend my nights perfecting my own craft as an abstract artist—a practice that remains my ultimate source of clarity and expression.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The common advice is “get a regular job and do your passion on the side”,but for a creative, that can be a recipe for burnout. Traditional roles often drain the mental energy required to truly explore and express. I’ve found that I thrive in the freedom of freelancing and long-term contracts; they give me the space to travel, immerse myself in different cultures, and bring fresh perspectives to my work.

There is an undeniable tension in this path—the allure of a steady paycheck vs. the hurdle of corporate ‘big name’ biases—but at the end of the day, I choose myself. I’m choosing passion over a pre-packaged career path, and while that might seem unconventional to some, it’s exactly what fuels my best work.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Reading Rick Rubin’s ‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’ has taught me to stop overcomplicating and get back to the basics: What am I expressing? How am I doing it? What emotions are surfacing? Inspired by the philosophy I approach my work by focusing on the definition of “Art” itself, the fundamental essence of expression. For much of my life, I found it difficult to navigate my emotions through words; however, the canvas provided a space for me to be fully seen. By focusing on the raw emotion of the moment rather than a complex end-product, I’ve learned that the most powerful art comes from simplicity. I believe that when we strip away the excess, the artist’s true intention finally has room to breathe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TySteeleArtist.myportfolio.com
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/tytianasteele
• Other: www.versaracreatives.com (Film & Design)
  www.imdb.me/TytianaSteele (Film)

Image Credits

Detroit Photographers:
Charles Kennedy
Nari Garner