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

Hi Naimah, why did you pursue a creative career?
Art allowed me to see myself in a way that I never thought about. I didn’t particularly view myself as someone that would be painted or show stopping, painting myself allowed me to feel that way about myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the way I looked but the fact that I wasn’t represented in the paintings I like to look at and I want to make that change. I love painting small detail that I see on myself that the viewer might not think twice about. Allowing those small detail like moles, stretch marks, etc to be seen normalize them showing that paintings don’t have to depict the perfect person.

Collage of children, landscape, and buildings with a large yellow number two balloon, in a torn paper style.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Art has always been something that was fun and never felt like it was serious enough to pursue professionally. Going to college for it is where I really thought that I could do something with it and still have fun doing what I love. I’ve always wanted to teach and seeing graduate students do just that while still creating was extremely inspiring and pushed me to get my masters in the future. Sharing and helping fellow artist become better at their craft is something that I hope that I can achieve and see the progress that we both make as we make more artwork.

Framed artwork hanging on a white wall, with a small label above it.

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?
I actually have a complete trip planned for a trip to Miami that I think would be perfect for my best friend and I!
* Monday
– Get groceries (for breakfast)
– Clean Surroundings 🧽
– Relax!!
* Tuesday
– Get Brunch @ Pluma
– Thrifting!!!
– Mall
– Dinner @ Chica
* Wednesday
– Watch the Sunrise 🌄
– Museum: Van Gogh Experience
– Attractions/ Sites: Pintos Farm,
– Lunch: Food Trucks
– Beach
* Thursday
– More Shopping!!!
– Beach
– Dessert/ ICE CREAM!!!
– Movie Night 🍿
* Friday
– Clean up & Pack
– Snacks
– Orlando

Framed artwork on a white wall, with a small label above it, featuring abstract shapes and lines.

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 want to shout out to the teachers that helped me through college and allowed my art to flourish in ways I never imagined. To the students that pushed and inspired me to make my art look better. Even when critiques were dragging on it still helped me in the long run. Lastly, to my parents for always driving me around with my art to exhibitions when I needed them to. Thank you for calling some of my not so good work masterpieces.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/naimahfair

Woman standing in front of a poster with five women posing, on a white wall, with a tiled floor.

Two women in pink dresses, one sitting on the floor and the other in a mirror, both with long dark hair, against a yellow background.

Portrait of a woman with short black hair, looking at the viewer, with a colorful background and a white cloth over her shoulder.

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