Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Ballard.
Hi Carla, 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 started creating art when I was in the 3rd grade. It started with me learning how to draw using pen, which later turned into me learning how to paint using acrylic paint. But if I’m being completely honest, I think my love for art and creating things was always there. I can remember being a little girl and my mom not being able to get me a dollhouse so I built one using cardboard, colored paper, and a lot of tapes. I can remember loving to go places with my family because I would be fascinated by my surroundings and imagining them coming to live and the type of stories I could convey through my art about them. Growing up, I was always known by my family, friends, and even the schools I attended as kid with the gift for creating art. So, It came as no surprise when I went to college at Georgia State University to pursue my love for art further and graduated with a bachelor’s degree as an art studio major. It was through my college experience that I got to see just how vast the world of art and creating is, and it was how I came to realize I was a sculptor and digital art creator. Through my sculptures and digital art I love to portray black women and men as joyful and Multi-dimensional as well and focusing on the faces & bodies of people and the kinds of stories I can convey through my art about them. Currently, I share my art on Instagram @Carla_the_ artist_.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
For a long time, I thought that my love for art could never be anything more than a hobby and would never be something that I could make a career out of because of being told by people in society that being an artist is not “practical” or “dependable” and most importantly that is was not “profitable”. I know now that this is a lie and I’m so glad that I listened more to the people who loved me and supported me as an artist then those who didn’t.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I create art via printmaking, painting (oil, acrylic, water), drawings (pencil & pen), photography, sculpture, hand-dyed fabrics, and digital art. However, I definitely would say that I specialize in and am known for my sculptures and digital art. I am most proud of both my sculpture and digital art because it is always amazing to me to see how one idea can lead me to creating a piece that just takes off and becomes something so different from what my original thought was. I feel what sets me apart from others would have to be that I only create what I want to create. My art and my process is my own and I do not aim to recreate pieces that others have made or create art that is “trending”. I create what I feel aligns with me in that moment mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love that there is so much culture from everywhere and it’s all in one place. Everywhere I go there is someone creating art, food, music, fashion, and so much more. Our City is just one huge abstract painting that looks and means something different to everyone who sees it and regardless of what they see or think about it they cannot deny that it is art.
Contact Info:
- Email: Carlaballard101@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/carla_the_artist_?utm_medium=copy_link
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/blkk_honei?s=21
