We had the good fortune of connecting with Drew Borders and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Honestly, I’m still figuring it all out! Drawing has always been a passion of mine for as early as I can remember, but my inner critique was merciless. I’m sure all artists can relate to feeling so frustrated that giving up seems like the only logical option. However, my love for it only intensified when I got to college. Being in an environment where you’re constantly surrounded by other creatives was incredibly valuable. Rather than comparing myself to other artists, I was inspired by those that I felt had more experience then me. It forced me to push the boundaries of my own work and try something different for a change. I’d recently worked on a project with another muralist who explained it like this, “you’re driving down a road in your car and to the right of you is a Ferrari. There’s nothing wrong with your car, it works perfectly fine and you’re a great driver. Yet you can’t help but be envious of the Ferrari. If you focus too much on them and not your own driving, you’ll crash. Keep your mind focused, and you’ll arrive at your destination.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I want everyone to feel the energy that I feel when I’m creating my work. I want them to feel the joy and magic that my characters radiate. My work is very anime inspired. I read and learned how to draw from a lot of Shoujo drawing books. I had an infatuation with magical girl characters. I thought they were beautiful and badass. Growing up, I lacked the confidence they had. I suppose my work now focuses so much on Black women because I want little Black girls to be enamored with themselves. I want them to know that they define themselves, not society.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well this is difficult! Instead of listing out what we’d do on each day, I’ll just list the experiences:

1. We’re definitely doing brunch. While there’s endless places to go in Atlanta, I’ve recently been obsessed with College Park. Whether it’s Nouveau Bar & Grill, The Real Milk & Honey, Breakfast Boys, you will 100% find something you like in the area (just get there early, I warned you).

2. We have to go to Cabbage town, to see the murals, walk on the Beltline a bit, and try one of the restaurants in the area. Littles makes a great burger and Carol St Cafe puts their whole foot in those sandwiches. Yeah…a lot of this will be centered around food because I like to eat.

3. We’ll do a bit of shopping in Little 5 points. That’s where I get the best whipped shea butter and scented oils.

4. And if we want to look nice and feel grown, we’re going to Rock Steady, Fin and Feather (go on a Thursday), or Red Phone Booth for good drinks and you guessed it, food!

5. Lastly, they’re in Atlanta so they have to have some good wings, I don’t make the rules. We’d go to the Wing Bar in East Atlanta for that. That agave bbq flavor is something else.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think if I were to sit down and try to name every person person/group that had a significant impact on where I am today, we’d be here forever! First and foremost, I’d have to say my family. While it was nerve racking at first for them to see me showing interest in a career typically deemed uncertain, they still provided me with as many resources as they could to make it happen. The friends and professors I had during school definitely expanded the preconceived notions I had on what art could be. And all of the friends I’d made after graduation opened my mind to what my career could be

Website: https://drewborders.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewborders.art/?hl=en

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