Meet Golareh | Contemporary Artist, Creative Director & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Golareh, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

I, like most, live with my inner pessimist, my inner optimist, and my inner realist. This is, in fact, what most of my art is based on – a study of the dialogue between my positive and my negative personas. To create a balance between these two sides, or maybe to even give the positive side a grater chance at overpowering the negative side, I have learned to incorporate certain practices into my day-to-day life so that I can improve my chances of making informed decisions with greater potential for success.

One such practice is daily meditation. I start most of my days with a 20-30 minute meditation session that combines positive affirmations with forgiveness and gratitude exercises, and chakra cleansing, awakening and activation. This practice allows me to release built up negative energy and let go of events and encounters that have left me feeling stressed or anxious. It also reminds me of all the abundance and love with which I’m surrounded. After my meditation, I feel rejuvenated and ready for my day, and I can make decisions that are based on clear examinations of the facts instead of hyper-negative thoughts based on fear or self-doubt.

Another daily practice that has helped me stay strong and resilient and not give up easily is yoga. I have learned that I am more likely to let my negative mindset take a hold of me if I’m in physical pain or if I’m suffering from low energy. With daily yoga, I have managed to reduce various muscle pains and tightnesses around my hips, lower back, and shoulders which had become more aggravated with the sedentary lifestyle of remote work. The combination of yoga and mediation have helped improve my energy level and my positive mindset so that I feel more empowered to manifest the reality that I want for myself.

Finally, my art has always been, and continues to be, my sanctuary. Whenever I truly feel defeated or I’m trying to overcome a failure, I retreat to my art studio and immerse myself in creative expression to heal. It really doesn’t matter if I’m just slapping paint on a canvas abstractly, or if I’m actually painting a figurative or expressionistic piece, the process of creating something that did not exist prior to me creating it is very empowering and it often serves as a reminder that I am innovative, resourceful, and capable. This in turn energizes me to look at problems from different perspectives with enhanced awareness.

So, to answer the question of how I know whether to keep going, or to give up, I furnish myself with the necessary tools to make sure that when I walk away from something it is not as a result of a negative perspective, but rather an informed decision and analysis of the facts.

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 painted my first large scale oil on canvas painting in 2003. I can’t believe that was 20 years ago! I didn’t have any fine art training. In fact, my undergraduate degrees were in Political Science, Criminology, and Journalism, and my Master’s was in Mass Communications. But somehow, the desire, or maybe it was the need, to put paint on canvas and attempt to communicate through visual expressions instead of with words, was very strong in me. From there, art has been a constant, ever-evolving aspect of my life. I haven’t stopped painting since, and have actually grown my artistic expressions into other mediums, including photography, video, design, and animation. As artist statements go, I have come to acknowledge my art as visual poems that translate narratives based on innocence and experience, hope and despair, and dreams and reality – aiming to create a dance between the optimist, the pessimist, the dreamer, and the realist. But even this statement is fluid and ever-evolving.

One thing that became apparent early in my artistic journey was the need to make sure that art was part of my day-to-day existence. To do this, I had to commit to living a creative life – one that was sustainable and profitable. I had to figure out how to pay my bills while still living an artistic life. This is where my entrepreneurship kicked in. I founded my media and content creation agency MindTripz Inc. in 2016 and began to focus my artistry into marketing and branding campaigns, as well as content development, creation, and video editing. Through this company, I evolved as a creative director, a video editor, a motion graphics and animation artist, and a marketing and branding specialist.

About a year later, I also founded Gogimogi, a design house that initially began as an evolution of illustrations I created for my children’s book “Gogi & Mogi Go To The Garden” and later became a t-shirt e-commerce site that incorporates humor with classic styles.

A few months later, in December of 2016, I launched The Healing Salon, an online mindfulness and meditation center that focuses on a convergence between art and mindfulness through visual guided meditation videos available on YouTube, as well as mindfulness consultations and private guided meditation sessions. Since I myself have benefited immensely from incorporating meditation and mindfulness into my daily life, I wanted to offer a platform where everyone could come and benefit from these practices.

Through these three companies, I have been able to continue my commitment to living a creative, yet sustainable life. Meanwhile, my growth in traditional fine art also continues. I have explored with glitch art and pixel sorting, photo art, and more recently AI art. Currently I’m working on a collection entitled “AI & I” – a merger of human and machine art that combines my oil on canvas pieces with AI to create new and exciting pieces. I’m also interested in expanding The Healing Salon’s visual meditations for a younger audience and offering services that combine art and mindfulness to help elementary students and teenagers cope with their daily stresses.

I am curious to see where my artistic journey will take me next.

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.
My favorite spots in LA haven’t changed much in the last decade. I still love going to the beach and spending a day on the Venice boardwalk. I still love spending an afternoon at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and visiting the Japanese Garden and The Lily Pond and having brunch at their newly renovated Tea House. I still love visiting all the amazing museums in town, from Norton Simon to The Getty, to the Natural History Museum and The Griffith Observatory. Food wise, there are so many amazing options. I’m a vegetarian so for me going to Sage Bistro in Pasadena is always a treat. I will also never say no to a hike at Runyon Canyon or a road trip down to San Juan Capistrano. Los Angeles is my home. I love this city. 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe my success to the women (and girls) in my life. To start, my mom Elisa is one of the strongest women I have known. Her resilience and drive to constantly improve the quality of life of all her children and family, truly sets her apart. She is the reason why I have had the courage to pursue my dreams. My sisters Robyn, Shanna, and Victoria, are not only my best friends, they are my therapists, my rocks, my supporters, and my life-lines. Without them I would have never made it to where I am today. And my nieces Jasmine and Atessa fill me with so much love that I feel like I can overcome any obstacle. Their cheerful and loving energy keeps my drive youthful, and fills me with the motivation to keep going, keep reaching new heights, and keep improving every day.  

Website: https://www.golarehsafarian.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golareh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/golarehsafarian/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/G0lareh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/G0lareh

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheHealingSalon

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@g0lareh?_t=8cxNqqhijLH&_r=1