Check Out Christiana Odum’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christiana Odum. 

Hi Christiana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, thanks for having me. It’s an honor to be here. I’m a self-taught visual artist based in Nashville. My professional background has been primarily graphic design, but I started drawing and painting again in 2015. I fell in love with fine art after taking my first drawing class during high school. I discovered and honed my skill for still life drawing and quickly fell in love with the process of creating something from a bit of paper and graphite. As I learned more about art history, I became fascinated by visual language and how artists communicate their stories and elicit an emotional response from the viewer.

When I entered college, I chose to pursue graphic design. I wasn’t aware fine artists could make a living off their artwork, so I wanted what I perceived as a more sensible path. Working as a graphic designer allowed me to hone my visual communication skills while earning an income to support myself. I spent a decade focusing on my design skills, leaving very little time for creating fine art until 2015, when I committed to a daily drawing practice. From there, I spent a few years experimenting with art materials and learning how to paint. I was a prolific painter for a few years until 2020 hit and slowed things down a bit for me.

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?
There have been a lot of challenges, especially over the last two years. Of course, every artist has moments of self-doubt and deals with rejection, but that’s to be expected and doesn’t matter much when you consider the bigger picture. However, I’ve been hit with some pretty tough and unexpected challenges the last two years. In March 2020, I was displaced by the tornado, and the pandemic hit Nashville the day after I secured housing. It was a difficult year with many personal challenges and tragic losses. Then in March 2021, we were hit with another round of severe weather, which impacted my art studio, and I lost everything to flooding. It was an incredibly painful experience to lose everything I worked for over the last six years. The flood destroyed over 300 original paintings and most of my equipment and supplies. I’m grateful for my community, which was so supportive during that time of emotional distress. Losing my studio forced me to take a year off from painting, but I’ve been dreaming up a new collection that I’ll begin working on next month.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve learned that honesty and vulnerability are essential aspects of my art practice. There have been times I felt insecure about sharing something I’ve created, only to discover those more vulnerable pieces deeply resonated with folks. I love this quote from Andy Warhol: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” I think that’s a good philosophy to live by. Sometimes my work is more vulnerable and sometimes more playful and energetic. I’m more concerned with creating the artwork I want to make than how others perceive it.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
You’d probably describe me as a shy bookworm who was quiet in crowds but loud around her friends. I would often team up with my cousins to choreograph song and dance routines to perform for our grandma, and I spent many hours climbing my favorite tree to camp out in the branches with a good book.

Contact Info:

• Website: ChristianaOdum.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/christianaodum

Image Credits
Christiana Odum