About the Artist
Tiffani Sahara was born and raised in Boston, MA, but has lived in Baltimore, MD for the last 18 years. Tiffani Sahara has always loved to create, but never thought of pursuing it as a career. In fact, the one art class that she signed up for in college, she ended up dropping so that a senior who needed it to graduate could take it instead. For Tiffani Sahara, art started as just a hobby, and developed into a passion and a necessity about six years ago. Art is therapy, art is life!
Tiffani Sahara paints with bold, vibrant colors, and always finishes with a touch of gold. Her artwork depicts natural beauty, love and heartbreak, struggles and triumphs. Tiffani Sahara only paints what speaks to her heart and soul, in hopes that her work will speak to yours as well.
Interview with Black Girls Who Paint (BGWP):
Q: Describe your experience as a current artist.
A: I am currently a full-time worker and a mother who finds time for art after a busy day of work and when the children are sleeping. I have always loved to draw and have always expressed myself through art, but I just recently identified the sense of purpose that it gives me. I painted on canvas for the first time six years ago; inspired by my good friend (now father of my children) who is a full-time artist. From that day it became a hobby, developed into a passion, and is now a necessity for my sanity. Art gives me meaning. Art is life!
Q: What was your biggest challenge in pursuing art and how did you overcome it?
A: There are many challenges that come with being an artist. My first challenge was growing the confidence to define myself as an artist, even when others who are full-time artists did not consider me a “real” artist. Now that I have overcome that challenge, my biggest obstacles are 1) finding time to create and 2) creating even when I’m not “feeling it”. There’s always a “pull” from the inside of me… a NEED to create, but it isn’t always possible to meet that need. I usually find time to paint once my children are sleeping, despite being tired after a long day at work. Then there’s the artist’s worst enemy called creative block. Even when I do find time to paint, sometimes I’m just not feeling it; whether it be because of creative block or depression, sometimes I just stare at the canvas and then walk out of my art room. I am still working on overcoming this obstacle, to be able to paint even through these funks, because painting is where I find purpose.
Q: What is one thing that makes your art unique?
A: A lot of my art contains subjects who do not have facial features (faceless art). When my subjects do have faces, they are typically abstract. I want people to be able to look at my art and see themselves. I want people to feel emotions, without me telling them/painting which emotions they should feel.
Q: How do you maintain your mental health and inspiration?
A: Painting gives me a sense of purpose and keeps me sane. Even when I’m feeling depressed, or experiencing a creative block, I am learning to push through that funk because creating is what helps me to heal. I have learned that, by healing myself I am healing others. My new mantra is “feel, reveal, heal”. You must allow yourself to feel emotions, no matter how uncomfortable they might be. Identify those feelings. Assess what made you feel that way. Share your story/testimony. Through sharing your story, the healing happens. For me, that healing happens through art.