Meet Naomi Griffin | Artist, Painter & Studio Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Naomi Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Naomi, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking a risk is a must, not just in the creative industry, but also in life. Every decision, every task, every idea is a risk that me must take if we want to ever move onto the next step and grow, in our business, as a person and as a species.

Life is always up to chance. I learned from a very young age that nothing is promised after growing up with my mother having cancer and losing the battle in the summer of 2019. Today and tomorrow are never a guarantee. Learning as a child that I could die at any moment made me realize that I don’t have a lot of time to think about whether or not doing the things I love in life are worth it, even with all the cons that it may come with.

A lot of people in life choose the easy route, the one which requires less effort in having to figure it all out on their own. The “paved path” metaphorically speaking. The one that’s laid out for you, one that you can see ahead so you know which next steps you have to take. Making that decision does require risk, but it is ultimately left up to one decision and the con of that risk is never truly living or loving your life. Most people take the job that pays well to make the money to provide for what they love to do, but in that I find in the future that the hobby fades and the initial job takes over. That is less thinking, less loving and less doing.

To take the risk and live your life doing the thing you love, often times means opening your arms out to embrace the struggle. You may risk not making much money for a few years, and in that risk you may also have to push back other stepping stones in life, like moving out, getting married and raising a family. But if you are doing what you love every day, are pushing those things to a later date not worth it? It takes time to build from the ground up, dedication, drive, passion, connections, patience, confidence, faith, and resilience to do so. It’s hard in the beginning but you cannot go backwards when things begin, it only gets better, more complex, but better. In time the path that wasn’t paved for you begins to be easier to create and hack away at, you get stronger, you’re no longer guessing, know what to do and how to build back up if you recede. The whole time you’re taking that risk, you are becoming a better you. Everything you learn about yourself and your spirit can be applied to everything else in life.

I made that decision a long time ago, not knowing or caring where I would end up. Knowing I could die tomorrow, I made it my only goal to get better everyday. Doing that, in 5 years I accomplished almost every goal I sought out for myself as a kid, including painting on stage live with my favorite musician that I grew up listening to. I have done things I never thought were possible because I took those risks constantly and still take them to this day. It’s how I learn, grow and build for myself. I know that I will continue to surprise myself more and more everyday.

My message to you, is to take those risks. Don’t listen to the doubt of others who did not believe enough in themselves. Find those who are where you want to be in life and learn from them. Learn everything. Learn it all. Dive into the true depths of your soul instead of putting them off to be lost in time. Live your life. Love your life. And remember, we would not be where we are today if those of us who made a change never took that risk in the first place.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I used to work only in black and white graphite pencil and only drew in hyper realism. I did this since I could remember, refining the skill over my years as an adolescent. Now I work as a painter primarily in medium of gouache watercolor.

With the aid of my mentor, I am currently in the process of finding my voice in art, my style, what makes my work mine instead of something that can be copied and mimicked, trying to put parts of my soul into the work and stray away from pop culture. Pop culture I often do to sell prints at conventions I work at and travel to. They make up most of my work but it does not represent who I am. In order for me to start putting myself in my work, I had to be broken of my detailed realism. THAT was the hardest thing I have ever had to accomplish because I had to unlearn everything I had taught myself in art since I had first started drawing as a toddler. But that wasn’t all I had to unlearn. I had to break a habit that took a deep root in my life that I wasn’t even entirely aware of.

I have learned that the problems you have in everyday life show up in your work. Some people can never finish a project, and in life that can translate as a lack of confidence, laziness, or a fear of commitment. For others they make take a long time to finish a piece which can translate to depression, tiredness, and being distracted. For me though, I was a detailed “perfectionist.” That translated to me focusing too much on the problems in my life and trying so hard to be “good enough” for those around me. It translated to a lack of confidence, and people pleasing. I was never able to step back from the details of the painting and see the bigger picture. That is what I had to unlearn in order for me to put myself into my work again, to feed my soul. That is what is helped me find myself spiritually. So as of late I’ve currently been working on more conceptual pieces, pieces people have to think about, that are laid thick with emotion, feeling and ideas. Sometimes creating works like these take time since I often have to mentally and spiritually fight that side of myself while also painting, but the work I produce when I finish blows me away.

I don’t have to fight myself when I point pop culture pieces though, and I find that I tend to paint very quickly compared to others. If I’m given an allotted time, I could even finished a piece live within a few hours! I’ve had a lot of practice in this, so recently I’ve started trying to combine being quick with my conceptual pieces. Doing this, people often find me painting live at local shows, concerts, runway events as well as conventions and galleries.

There are many times though where the struggle to survive and make money in what I have built for myself is challenging, scary even. There’s no guarantee that I will get a paycheck, even if I get a job there’s no telling if or when I will receive the money. You have to be innovative to survive in this world, you have to make money in more than one way, doing anything related to art. Paint on furniture, clothes, do murals, make prints, put your pieces on objects and sell them online, offer things to people for cheap, make free offers to step into new doors. You have to learn to think on your feet, you have to have a social life, you have to keep going even when times are hard and it’s hopeless. The more you do, the more you’ll figure it out, the easier it’ll get and the less you’ll have to struggle. In doing all of this, you also build a name for yourself and that is something helps you as well.

Living life as an artist is hard. It’s the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. But I know I could die happy in this moment now and I would do it all again. Good luck out there to all of you. Make your dreams your reality.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I don’t go out much, but when I do I find the best places to go are those surrounded by supportive and creative people.
Night markets are where you will meet some of the greatest people in your life, you can find help, love, support, partnerships and lifelong friends who believe in you and what you are doing. They are always a great atmosphere to be in.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life truly started the day I met Rob Prior in 2016, my current mentor. Before I met Rob, I was stuck living the cycle of “life,” I was in my own way, almost stagnant. I had no dream, no vision, no desires and that even showed present within my art. I only did hyper realism at the time in black and white. Just a human photo copier, drawing what I could see, probably going to go to college and had no idea what I wanted to do so I was going to let others decide for me.

When I met Rob, he gave me my first opportunity. I took the risk, made the decision and it changed my life. Everything I have accomplished, I did because he has given me the inspiration and guidance to do so. He made me believe in myself and gave me the assurance that what I was doing was right for my heart. He believed that I would manage and find a way even if there was struggle. And I have. Thank you, Rob, for changing my life, getting me out of my own way and believing in me before I even believed in myself.

Website: https://www.xenagriffinsartshop.com

Instagram: Personal: @xena.griffin Art Portfolio: @xena.griffinsartshop

Image Credits
(Pictures of me painting the monster face) Instagram @virgothemagician
(Picture of me painting the burning ice man) Instagram @anerrickmanagement