Meet Keisha Okafor | Illustrator

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

Hi Keisha, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Creating art makes me happy and I enjoy enjoy making art that brings joy to others. Part of me wishes that I wanted to be an accountant or something more stable haha! The other and bigger part of me enjoys illustrating so much that I can’t imagine doing anything else.

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.
My art creates joy and celebrates people. One thing that I am most proud of in my art is that I draw different faces, skin tones and body types, not just the social media filtered face and body.

To get where I am today, my biggest hurdle was mentally getting myself to believe that this path was viable for me. I graduated from an art program at North Carolina State University thinking that I sucked at art and there was no reason to draw anymore. I spent a few years being a graphic designer before I got the itch to draw again consistently for fun and I fell in love all over again. While a great feeling, it’s not enough to start a career! I spent a couple of years researching how to get clients, making art I wanted to get hired for, reaching out to potential clients and putting art all over the internet before I started to gain traction. Hard work and patience were and still are key players in my story.

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.
A road trip, no matter how small, is a must in order to see the beautiful greenery in North Carolina. Around this time of the year I’d take a friend to see the sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park, take a quick trip to Carolina Beach and to any indie bookstore just because I love them. I’d also stop by a place like Morgan Street Food Hall so they’d have a choice of a bunch of great places to eat!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely want to shout out my family! I initially thought they were going to look at me weird for deciding for pursue illustration full time but they have been a constant support for me. Even when they have no idea what I am talking about, I always appreciate that they are on my side.

Website: http://www.keishaokafor.com/

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

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