Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yeala Grimes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yeala, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been an artist my entire life. The visual arts have always been a key part of my expression, learning, and thought processes. From a very early age I knew that I was always going to be dedicated to my art and my craft, and that has not changed. Over time I’ve given myself the room to learn and explore new interests and pathways, but art has always been my greatest passion.

Over the years, I’ve explored a wide variety of mediums and subject matter. Eventually, I found myself leaning towards art focused around visual narratives and storytelling. Such as in comics, animation, and video games. By the time I was a junior in highschool, I knew what professional artistic career paths resonated most with what I enjoy creating, and I was able to plan my higher education around that goal.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always been a jack-of-all-trades in the art jobs I take on. I’ve been doing portraiture since I was in middle school, created custom digital illustrations, and illustrated graphic novels for clients. I’ve also been a logo designer, vendor, and video and photo editor. I see most creative endeavors as a worthy challenge and don’t often turn them away. I enjoy the act of creating in that it encourages me to push myself and always try to learn a new skill.

Though most of my client work thus far has been freelance, with each of these opportunities I’ve grown not only in how I approach my work but how I handle myself as a professional artist and conduct business. It’s taken a lot of trial and error and support from mentors and fellow creatives, but I’ve been able to steadily develop my ability to properly evaluate what my work, time, and effort are worth.

On my own, I’m pursuing a career in the video game and animation industries as a concept artist and illustrator. I consistently provide new ideas and visuals to build stories out of. I bring a unique perspective and passion that I feel is sorely needed in the fields I strive to work within.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I am so grateful to be an artist because it gives me a path to be passionate and fulfilled in my career. I know that the work I create in my aspiring field will always connect back to me in some way because I have an unending urge to create. Whether the project I’m part of is big or small.

The ability to share different and underrepresented stories and perspectives through my work is also a great privilege. Art is an incredibly accessible medium and I feel driven to share ideas and narratives that have not been given enough attention. Alongside this, I greatly value the constant opportunities to be in constant community/collaboration with others through the work I make.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

To support artists and creatives, I think it would be great for people to seek to understand and appreciate how passionate creators are about what they make, and realize the value of art. Countless hours are put into learning and refining a craft, even when there may be no tangible reward to be found other than self-satisfaction and a sense of pride and fulfillment.

I think in a world of over-commodification, art often gets reduced to being something cheap and low-effort. Something that should be as streamlined as possible for the sake of profit, and I think that does an extreme disservice not only to artists and creatives, but to culture as a whole.

Art is a thoughtful process, crafted from the knowledge and experiences that come out of being human, and therefore inherently has value. From sprawling stories spanning several novels to doodles in the corner of a notebook. Anyone can be an artist. Art is not an exclusive practice and can be learned and created by anyone willing to give it the time. Support the artists and creatives you know, but also realize that, as long as you’re willing to make a mark on paper, you can be on the path to create something beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: ArtStation.com/anitithe
• Instagram: instagram.com/yae.la
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeala-grimes-74b697239
• Other: s21ygrimes.weebly.com