Artist Spotlight: Marijanel Knight
Oct 06, 2021
Some of you might recognize Marijanel's name from Bold School's new Bold Artist Podcast. If you've been listening, you know that Marijanel is not only a personal friend of Charla's, she is the Bold Artist Podcast's host! We wanted to offer the community a chance to get to know her a bit better, so here she is, meet Marijanel!
Q. What is your name?
A. Marijanel Knight
Q. What kind of art medium and subject matter are you focused on right now? Have you studied other kinds of art?
A. I call myself a multi-form artist because throughout my life I have been mastering several different art mediums. I have studied photography, sculpting, painting, and performing arts. Currently, my main artistic focus is podcasting, writing and recording a memoir, and creativity mentoring. Podcasting with Charla and Bold School and producing the Bold Artist Podcast is a full circle dream and passion for me... and it's also an art!
In the realm of painting, I am currently studying and expanding a body of expressive landscapes in acrylics.
Q. Why did you become an artist?
A. Being an artist is a way of life for me, not really something I chose. It's just who I am. Making art is my way of moving through the world, my way to communicate. For me, being an artist is not only about mastering a medium, but it is about learning from the process and mentoring others through the journey, too.
I used to compartmentalize my talents into neat little explainable labels like "I'm a photographer," or "I'm a painter," when none of those can sum me (or you) up. None of the labels or titles define us. It's just simple...I'm Marijanel, I'm an artist.
Q. Tell us about the moment you decided to make art a part of your life. (Whether just for fun or professionally)
A. There isn't a defining moment where I decided to become an artist, but there are certainly pivotal moves I made along the way to set myself up to succeed. As I already mentioned, being a multi-form artist there have been times I've adapted or altered one of my artistic focuses in order to center my career again. My artistic story is one with many twists and turns on the path to discovering myself as an artist and understanding my creative identity. I relate my art journey to being a world traveler. Though I’ve had the chance to visit eight countries in my lifetime, it's been the time in my studio making art that has taken me to places I never dreamed of. Artists are explorers.
Q. Tell us about your art education. Did you study art at school? A self-learner? A life-long learner? Do you learn online?
A. Being an artist is a way of life for me, not really something I chose. It's just who I am. Making art is my way of moving through the world, my way to communicate. For me, being an artist is not only about mastering a medium, but it is about learning from the process and mentoring others through the journey, too.
I used to compartmentalize my talents into neat little explainable labels like "I'm a photographer," or "I'm a painter," when none of those can sum me (or you) up. None of the labels or titles define us. It's just simple...I'm Marijanel, I'm an artist.
Q. Tell us about the moment you decided to make art a part of your life. (Whether just for fun or professionally)
A. There isn't a defining moment where I decided to become an artist, but there are certainly pivotal moves I made along the way to set myself up to succeed. As I already mentioned, being a multi-form artist there have been times I've adapted or altered one of my artistic focuses in order to center my career again. My artistic story is one with many twists and turns on the path to discovering myself as an artist and understanding my creative identity. I relate my art journey to being a world traveler. Though I’ve had the chance to visit eight countries in my lifetime, it's been the time in my studio making art that has taken me to places I never dreamed of. Artists are explorers.
A. Though I learn on my own, I don't consider myself to be self-taught. Rather, I like to say I'm a self-directed learner. What do I mean by that? It means that I direct myself to places and mentors where/who will allow me to learn what I want to learn. Attending one of Charla's painting classes before Bold School ever existed was one of those self-directed decisions I'm so thankful I made. Often, I will intuitively know the next step or skill I need to master to forge ahead. I will look and align myself with a teacher -- whether in person or online -- that can help get me there. I believe we need to be taught/mentored by the ones we look up to and who have gone down the road ahead of us, and I believe that we intuitively choose where and who to learn from.
Q. Tell us about the space you create in? Is it a dedicated studio? A place in your home? Feel free to include a story about a past space or a future dream.
A. Since I've been in the arts my whole life (and I've moved homes more times than I can count), I have learned to make studio spaces in the most creative ways! If I couldn't make a space, I would rent a space. Having my own creative space is a top priority to me and one that I'm thankful my family supports.
In order to make studios, I've done everything from building walls into garages, to renovating old outbuildings, to taking over guest bedrooms. Some of my studio spaces have been dreamy and beautiful, and others have been just a corner partitioned off. Some have had vaulted ceilings and natural light, and one was a tiny farmhouse attic with a single pane window where I learned watercolors. I can say confidently that an artist claiming space is a very important part of the process.
I presently have a studio built into my garage where I podcast and paint. This means I'm home to be the "mom taxi" and to stir the soup on the stove. For right now this is perfect, but I always dream of new studio ideas, and I never know what surprises are around the corner.
Q. As an artist, describe yourself in one word.
A. The word I would use to describe me is... conversational.
I was born to communicate. I create everything with a message. When I'm painting or sculpting I'm conversing with both God and the medium I'm working with. When I present my art to viewers, I'm opening up a conversation with them even if that is just a conversation within their own mind -- a thought, or an idea, or a simple feeling. For instance, some of my recent expressive landscapes are tranquil and appear to have slow-moving skies. They open a conversation of peace and of hope for a better world.
Describing myself as conversational also pertains to why I thrive at podcasting and interviewing others. There's nothing more that I love than hearing someone's story, understanding how they got where they are, and having a rich conversation that goes beyond the surface. I say (with a smile) that I'm the most people-loving introvert you might ever meet. I truly love people, and I particularly love artists.
Q. Do you own original art from another artist?
A. I own an original from a painter named Becky Luth who goes by @bekisart on Instagram. It's a painting of a single pine tree surrounded by fog on a cliff. Every day I look at that painting and see something new. The way Becky painted the highlights makes me feel the light is dancing on the branches and it inspires me to paint in such a way that others would be captured into my pieces over and over again, seeing new light every day.
Q. What advice would you give an artist who is picking up a paintbrush for the first time?
A. I would say that at first have a balance of both practice and play and don't go overboard with one or the other. Practice fundamentals in order to gain mastery and skill, and spend equal time playing around with no plan at all. The practice should include self-directing yourself to learn from professional sources, and the play should include time and materials wasted on sheer curiosity and delight. If you balance practice and play -- just like we teach children to do -- you will grow with confidence. You will also develop your own unique style because confidence comes from the learning part and uniqueness comes from experimenting. I'm of the mind that both practice and play are crucial for an artist's success.
Q. Can you recommend a book that’s a must-read for an artist?
A. I highly recommend "Breath for the Bones," by Luci Shaw -- a book about art, imagination, and spirit. Luci has a deep appreciation of beauty and creativity and sheds light on the drive inside us to create something wonderful.
Q. How do people connect with you, personally, through social media?
A. Marijanel Artistry is:
@marijanel on all platforms
I am open to any questions! My creative mentoring services and memoir podcast are due to launch in early 2022. And, tune in every Monday to the Bold Artist Podcast to join conversations with me and beloved artists around the world.
Creativity awaits!
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