For Black History Month, we invited four accomplished Black artists to share their career advice for all new creators navigating the design world.
Sharing the perspectives of independent artists of colour, like this group of talented professionals, is crucial not only for Black History Month but for the success of the industry in the years to come. Explore some inspiring tips on how to build your business with Contrado below.
1 – JENNIFER FYNN
Meet Jennifer, UK founder of Pebbles and Dash, a creative business that has grown since 2020. She has created collections of ‘colour maximalist’ fabrics and products to uplift spaces in the home. Having picked up multiple commissions through social media and recently landing a licensing deal with a women’s clothing brand, she shares her best advice for artists looking to start their own business:
“I’m very new to this business, but I would say that we don’t need others to make us successful. I think that being visible and sharing our stories is really empowering to emerging black artists and building a community of artists to support each other. I also feel that we need to make the art that we want to see, whether that be political, personal or commercial and share it widely.”
2 – Doran DaDa
American visual artist Doran opened his online store, Doran DaDa, during the pandemic. He tells stories inspired by pop art, Egyptian and traditional folk art to “represent people of colour on the world stage”. With experience creating trending digital vector art, printed fabric and products in the new NFT market, he talks about important conversations being had in the design world and how to express yourself as an emerging artist:
“Important conversations are about our long and amazing history. We need to reconnect to our legacy as the first people on the planet who created an advanced civilization that lasted thousands and thousands of years. My advice would be, stay true to yourself, listen to yourself and dig deep into your soul to find your gift to the world. We all have unique gifts to offer.”
3 – TERESA LUBANO
Teresa Lubano is a Kenyan surface pattern designer and founder of Shop Nanjala, which sells sustainable home décor pieces and potted plants. With numerous awards for her design work and rewarding experience as a Creative Director in a London boutique advertising agency, Teresa continues to produce high-end and sustainable ‘Afrofloral’ products. Her advice as a conscious designer?
“To me, sustainability is a mindset. It means being committed to good design and sustainable practice in everything I do. Perhaps it is why I draw so much inspiration from nature. Nature is a good teacher of sustainability. It’s about reducing our consumption of resources, increasing recycling/upcycling initiatives, and protecting our forests… It is only fair that we, as creators, are hyper-sensitive to this issue and recognize that we have the power to change and design better products so that future generations can also enjoy what we’ve had.”
4 – DIANA PHIRI-WITTY
Diana is a UK independent artist with years of experience illustrating buildings and cities and creating sustainable clothing, decor and more inspired by Ndebele and Basotho traditional house painting, woodwork designs and masks from her Malawian background. With plans to soon collaborate with photographers and models to bring her collections to life, she shares her creative vision and advice below:
“I love what Contrado does as a print-on-demand model. It means they only sell what people want instead of carrying lots of stock that might end up in landfills… I believe when people are coming to Contrado to shop, they want to support smaller artists, but they also want to buy, wear and own things that are special and that they will enjoy long term rather than a quick fix buy. Sustainability, to me, is about the long-term; it’s about loving every item of clothing you own or the art on your walls so much that they stay with you for life, and you don’t need to keep replacing them. Love and longevity are what create an eco-friendly environment.”
With high-quality fabrics, bold all-over printing and over 500 sustainably made products, you can be inspired to start your own business now with Contrado.
