Hi, my name is Ilona. I started drawing when I was a little kid. Back then, my princesses were floating in the air, without any background or foundation. That’s why I didn’t get accepted to children’s art school. But I kept on creating, and taping my drawings to the wall so my family members could see them. For some reason, in high school, it was a trend to wave art class, and so I did. Back then, some people thought art wasn’t important, and I believed them. But I do remember once peaking into an art classroom in high school. Kids were leaning over their colorful projects. It seemed interesting.

When I was in college, I found myself in an art studio class. It was an elective art course I took just for fun. There was a boy in this class who never painted before and confessed that he was very nervous about being judged. The teacher assured him that it was ok to be different and that every artwork has its own beauty. I could see that the boy tried hard and as a result his paintings were the most interesting ones in the whole class. His style was uninhibited. He painted bold and colorful images on large canvases. They looked like children’s drawings and precisely that made them interesting. Everyone loved his work. I don’t remember what I painted in that class but my takeaway was, art was worth trying.

As I was becoming a young adult, I started carrying a sketchbook around and drawing in my free time. It’s the way I processed emotion. I drew faces of my favorite actresses, and models from magazines. I studied their expressions and it made me feel that I am connecting with them. When you are drawing, you get to look at your subject for a long time, and at some point you become one with it. It helped me focus.

My cousin went to an art school and I was inspired when I saw her work. One day I walked into her room and she was sitting on the floor painting eggs. They were placed on a sheet in front of her and I noticed that she saw and painted so many colors in them. I never knew simple eggs could be so vibrant. I thought to myself, I wish I could do that.

My first job out of college was at a large publishing house. Part of my job was collecting book jackets for my boss from the art department. Every once in a while I had to walk over to the colorfully decorated art cubicles where the graphic designers worked. Walking into that area was like going to Disneyland. I got to see their toys and postcards at their quark boards, their stylish earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and nose rings. I felt some unattained freedom in that space. And I loved it.

In a few months I registered for a graphic design course at a local art university. It was a night program for people who were interested in continuing education. Some students in the class were more advanced than others but we all shared curiosity and passion for art. I stayed at school for quite a while, taking a course after course whenever I could. 

One of my favorite courses was Design and Personality with late Milton Glaser. Once he asked to bring into the classroom something that creates light. I had an idea to bring in enough black illustration board panels to cover all the walls. I planned leaving small streaks of space in between, where the white walls would peak through, to show that light is created by darkness because if there was no darkness we would not know what light was. But i didn’t do that. Instead, I brought in something conventional and when asked to explain why, I told the class about my initial idea. I said that I changed my mind about the panels because I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. The teacher liked my idea of darkness and light, and wished I’d brought it in that day. He explained to the class that we should not second guess our ideas. He said that many good projects never come to life only because artists doubt themselves. From then on, I learned not to ignore my ideas. In fact, I started keeping idea notebooks and idea boxes.

With time I assumed a new role as an in house graphic designer for a children’s publisher. It was a real challenge. I didn’t have a formal art degree. I learned as much as I could from my art classes but I knew that the foundation of an art university degree program would have opened my horizons a lot more. I was working together with art school graduates and it felt competitive. They seemed to know more about layout and color. They were able to create complicated designs under tight deadlines. But I didn’t give up. Every day was a new challenge and I welcomed it with open arms. I remember having assignments to come up with designs at a deadline, and sketching on the subway on my way to work. One particular sketch I was proud of was a design of a child’s summer diary. I saw a woman on the train holding a package of cheddar Goldfish and I got an idea to draw a fish for the cover of the diary. Then, my fish ended up playing with a whale. I learned that we are all influenced by the things that we see. Knowing this, my boss would sometimes ask me not to look at certain books when I worked on a specific assignment. If she had a style in mind, she would recommend specific images to refer to. And reference was everywhere, including my own colorful graphic designer cubicle, with my own toys, quark board postcards, and cute children’s books.

For me, becoming an artist also meant creating new habits. I liked to visit museums, book shops, and record stores. I liked the energy of New York City, especially SOHO, where I spent most of my time. It was a wonderful and inspiring place, where many artists connected. I found a live drawing studio near my work where I sometimes took classes. My goal was to learn as much as I could about art, and improve my drawing skills. I also liked speaking to other artists and learning about their path.

I continued to take art classes after I left the graphic design job to become a stay home mom. As my kids were growing, they inspired me to look into teaching. I started developing art curriculums for young kids and this process was especially interesting to me because it combined my love for research, art, and children. As I was learning to be a mom, I was learning to understand ways to help children make art part of their lives. I saw the importance of it because art helped me process many emotions and express myself when I didn’t know how to with words. I thought if I could teach kids how to do this early on, and show them the skills I learned along the way, they would develop into more confident adults. And have fun in the meantime.

I spent hours and hours looking through art books and searched for ways to open the world of art to kids. My house was always filled with all kinds of art supplies. My kids and I were always creating something, and anyone who would visit our home, would end up creating something too. From simple sketching of stick figures to multimedia and conceptual art, we pretty much did it all.

I started volunteering for schools, and eventually got a job as a children’s art teacher at a local daycare. I had a blast with those kids. We painted fruit, made collages, built out of clay. I told them about Van Gogh, Kandinsky, and Mondrian. One day I brought a tent into class and we played circus. Another day I brought in drums, trombone, and a guitar and let the kids play and paint. Young kids love to explore. All they need is a safe space to do it, inspiration, and some guidance. They will do the rest. One of my favorite student projects was clay Swiss cheese with a little clay mouse on top of it. It was so beautifully imaginative and simple at the same time. There is so much joy in working with kids. I loved being an art teacher.

After working at a daycare I dived into community work. I studied the way art influences the development of empathy in children. I worked with older kids, teaching them to think about emotions when looking at an artwork. I encouraged children to gift their art, as we created clay projects that we gave away to children that were treated at hospitals.

I spent a lot of time researching and learning about lives of different artists that sparked my interest. I learned about how other artists thought by reading biographies. I learned about how and why artists collaborated.

My next endeavor was children’s illustration. I took a series of online courses from someone who studied book illustration in Europe. I enjoyed children’s illustration specifically because most of my career was focused around children. My background as a writer made it easy to create characters. I knew how to write them, now I was learning how to illustrate them. I also learned to give animals human characteristics. My favorite part of drawing animal characters, aside from learning about their habits, was to dress them. How cute are giraffes with striped scarves and roosters with cowboy boots. And just think about them sitting at a coffee shop eating cheesecake. I exhibited my illustrations solo, and in collaborations with other artists.

Another avenue I took is book making. I have to say, it’s a science. There are rules, but then again, there is so much room to play. Creating characters and giving them voice transports you into Adventureland. Making them interact helps you discover who you are. I write and illustrate children’s books and hope to share them with my audience one day. I think everyone needs to hear a good story. It’s one of the ways we learn about the world, the people in it, and their feelings. Sharing your story takes courage. But when you do, you see so many benefits. People appreciate honesty and vulnerability. It’s part of being an artist to be honest with yourself and others.

I like learning about art therapy. I know for sure that art can make a person feel better and I am always grateful for a chance to help others heal through art making. Another benefit I can share is creative self expression. Sometimes, we can’t find the right words to say something we need to say. An artwork can be very powerful in cases like these. When you put yourself out there and show your creations to an audience, you see that many people relate to your art and your feelings. Art makes you see that you are not alone.

Today I am still learning and still enjoying to discover new things. I create projects for myself and I love doing my very best at creating art. I like finding a balance between being a solo creator and a public person. Making art is often a lonely endeavor. You need the space to look inside your mind and heart to create an artwork. And when you are ready, you let it go and share it with others.

Being an artist has taught me to be patient and humble. It taught me that there is more than one way to say the same thing. That I am part of a bigger community of makers that also feel, learn, and struggle. It taught me that beauty is in the process. That color can heal. How to share. When to be silent. It taught me to be observant and to look for light. And it taught me how to move on from my losses, and to come out of the darkness.

I am grateful for having this space I can share with you. On my blog I share my insights and experiences. I also publish interviews of people who inspire me.

I enjoy meeting new people. Sometimes I collaborate with other creators. I help guide people on their artistic path. I inspire kids to create art. Please feel free to reach out to me. Ask questions. When there is a will, there is a way. And any journey is more meaningful with art.