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

Hi Michelle, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I don’t really know why I pursued an artistic career. I just know that art has always been a part of my life since I could remember. Growing up, I struggled a lot in school and art was my only outlet. My parents couldn’t afford to sign me up for art classes so instead, my mother, who was going to college to become a nurse, took art classes as part of her electives and would come home to teach me what she learned. Even now, I still use art as an outlet or a way to escape from reality.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I focus my artwork on pushing the boundaries of my work by fusing my two cultural backgrounds through the use of repetition, pattern, and design. As a biracial woman of color, I am constantly questioning the lack of security that both my cultural backgrounds hold within American Culture. My constant need to fully represent both my Mexican and Iranian cultures while also addressing the hateful and degrading comments about not being a true American is the reason why I focus my work on the beauty rather than ugliness. By fusing my cultural backgrounds together rather than compartmentalizing them, I am able to fully accept and rightfully reclaim my own cultural standing by dismantling the unrealistic standards through my work. The one thing that I am most proud of is all the people who have been able to connect with my work. I’ve had the most profound conversations with people from all cultural demographics or multicultural backgrounds who also felt displaced within American culture. All the stories and conversations that I had the pleasure of being a part of was more influential than any personal experiences. The one lesson I learned along the way is to remember that human connection is essential for individual growth. It’s so easy to get lost online and feel disconnected but using my work as a way to connect with complete strangers reminds me of why I make art in the first place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love taking friends and family to mom & pop shops or just hole in the wall places that only locals would know about. For food places, I usually take many of my friends or family to either 626 Night Market or to the Original Farmers Market. I love food, so for me these places have the best variety for any food lover. As for activities, I love going to escape rooms and the one place that I love taking people is to Escape Hotel. It’s also on the Hollywood strip so it’s like a bonus sightseeing adventure for anyone who hasn’t been there. If it’s during the summer, another place I love is the Music Center’s Dance DTLA where everyone gets together to learn new dances. Each week has a different music theme where you can pick and choose which days you want to go to.

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?
Besides the obvious recognition to my parents for encouraging me to pursue my passion for art or from my mentorships with faculty during prevalent times within my academic career, I really want to give a shout out to Ballet Folklorico de CSUF. I have been a part of a Ballet Folklorico group for about 9 years now and although many of the people that I had started dancing with are no longer there, they were a big part of my life throughout school and my art career. They were also the ones who helped me realize what I wanted my artwork to be about. During my time with them, I had started a series of work called “Roots” where I depict each region in Mexico along with the traditional garments that they would wear for their folklorico region. This series started by learning new regions in Mexico as well as also learning that specific states dance. Now, even though I am no longer a part of that group, I am continuing the series by learning and depicting other parts of Mexico that I never got the chance to dance myself.

Website: https://michelleemami.wixsite.com/artist

Instagram: @michelle_emami

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