INTERVIEW WITH CANVAS REBEL
We think the world needs more artists, more creatives and more folks unwilling to spend their days as a cog in a giant corporate machine. We don’t necessarily dislike cogs or machines but we think the world clearly needs more artists and creatives and so we wanted to try to figure out how more artists can make it work financially since this is one of the major obstacles blocking so many artists and creatives from pursuing their art full time. So, we asked folks who have been able to make a full time living through their creative work, how they did it.
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We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Magda Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Magda below.
Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “you must have always planned to become an artist” or “for sure you must have been painting since you were little?” Both couldn’t be farther from the truth. While I’ve always enjoyed the arts and naturally gravitated towards creative projects, I grew up with one expectation: go to university. This probably resonates with many first-generation immigrants whose parents had similar expectations. Having this deeply ingrained in my system, I fulfilled their expectation while putting aside any thoughts of having a creative career. I graduated with a Bachelor of English Literature then went on to complete my Bachelor of Education which propelled me towards teaching high school students for many years until I became a mother in 2017.
