Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanna Ghirghi.
Hi Jeanna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have created art my entire life, starting from a very young age. Drawing was how I occupied most of my time, and it was an activity that brought me much joy. From doodling with my father to trying to recreate my eldest brother’s anime artwork, you could always count on me to create. In school I was always ‘the art kid’. In elementary school I had a drawing submitted to the winter park arts festival, as well as winning the art award in 5th grade. However, I was making the transition from adolescences into the young woman I am today, I had (and continue to) face the biggest obstacle in my life, mental illness. I was unfortunately diagnose=d with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, eating disorder, body dysmorphia, and autism. The depression hit me hard and managed to destroy many passions of mine. Although it never created a rift between my love of art. In fact, I used and still continue to use art as a coping mechanism. All of my art is a direct reflection of my life, my struggles with mental health, and a collection of my darkest and most hopeful thoughts. I bear all in my art with complete openness. Ive found great purpose in transforming my pain into art, for it helps me find peace and understanding to what ive gone through. I hope by remaining vulnerable in my art and its meaning, I will be able to create incredibly strong and person connections with others who have encountered similar obstacles as myself. I know my art helps me navigate through life, and I sincerely hope it can help others too.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The challenges i’ve encountered in my 24 years on this planet have been anything but smooth. There were many times where I almost lost my life due to my depression. Many artists, including myself, are their own worst critics. Plenty of times I’ve questioned my ability to become a full-time artist. It’s hard and scary to take the route of openness in my artwork, especially when my dream is to make a career out of my artwork. Because I draw inspiration from dark moments in my life, my art can contain heavy dark subject matter. Ive made art about suicide, self harm, depression, anxiety, body image issues, heart break, and many more dark topics. Some artworks are darker than others because I am drawing everything ‘head on’. My art isn’t the typical “oh this would look great in my kitchen’ Its sad at times. Scary. Morbid. and overall… dark. Thats not to say every piece is like that. however, the majority are. I have even created an artwork about this internal struggle of creating dark pieces of art versus creating things that are easier on the eyes and mind. However, if I did that, I would lose my entire purpose as an artist. So far i’ve found people drawn to my darker artworks and it has not deterred them from buying it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I use a variety of mediums for creating art, such as digital art (procreate), colored pencils, acrylics, watercolors, and pen. I wouldn’t claim to have a particular style. I make what I make and how it looks is unrelated to keeping it under the margins of a certain style. Although, I would say my art closely resembles surrealism. I am most known for my dark subject matter, my use of colors to convey meaning, and reoccurring symbols (especially question marks). My art centers around my feelings of anxiety, depression, and body image issues. I tend to stuck to a primary color scheme of red, blue, and yellow. The reason for that is to create a language in my art to help the viewer to understand its meaning better. For example, red will represent anxiety, dark blue is depression, light blue is peace, yellow is ideas/happiness, purple is wisdom from learning how to cope with anxiety and depression. Recently more colors have made their way into my artworks as I have gotten a better grip on my mental health issues. When it comes to my artwork, I am most proud of how vulnerable I can be, especially in person. I attend events where I sell my work at least once a week. Naturally, I am a very incredibly open person. It allows me to talk about the worst moments in my life with complete strangers who are interested in my subject matter. I have found my art has genuinely helped people get from one place to the next. Moments like that are always my most proud moments, and they truly give me a deep purpose to my pain.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I consider myself to be a spiritual individual. I turn to tarot cards or oracle cards when I need a boost to be my best self.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeannaghirghi
Image Credits
just me!
