Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffa Minsal.
Tiffa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had lived a bit of a nomadic lifestyle before taking root in the Los Angeles area about a year and a half ago. Born in the more impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods of New Jersey, my life was limited to the areas of my home or school. Being home was too dangerous at times due to growing up in a household with abusive family members. I began to develop an insatiable appetite to see the world outside my own, spending time in my room living vicariously in the worlds of video games, cartoons, books, and lucid dreaming. This influence was carried into my art, and I sewed inspiration from everything I loved into the farfetched worlds of my imagination.
Most of my creative upbringing was fostered in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, where I studied the design behind video game creation in pursuit of my passion for art. I was one of two members in my family to graduate from college. My world opened tremendously, along with my sense of wonder. The love I have for learning new things introduced me to many facets of the art community such as art shows, creative conventions, fairs, and global game jams. I took a shine to the gaming industry, wanting to be a part of a team that created worlds for others in similar toxic upbringings to escape to.
My goal was to bring them the same joy that video games brought me as I was growing up. I worked with several indie game companies as an artist on short term projects, and that path led me to a full-time position in 2017 with Butterscotch Shenanigans, an indie game company located in Missouri. Here is where I learned not only the joys of being a part of a small gaming company but the harsh realities of it as well. Small gaming companies are usually not stable and as such the majority of the company was let go a year later.
The events that occurred in Missouri only made me more determined to be known as an artist and take bigger risks. Moving to L.A. connected me with family members I’ve never met before, introduced me to opportunities in the film industry, and gave me the courage to be a part of the well-known gallery Nucleus. This city has a powerful and diverse art community that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of in my short time here. There’s still so much I’d like to contribute and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds in this beautiful community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been many challenges I’ve faced throughout my years as an artist, but one of the biggest so far was coping with the repercussions from not keeping in touch with potential clients. Even reaching out to friends from time to time can be overshadowed by other projects and the volunteer work where I find myself deeply absorbed. So, this year I’m trying to change that by setting time aside and becoming more social outside of meeting others at events or shows.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
I specialize in whimsical dream-like illustrations. The colors are pleasant and inviting, yet the stories within my work tend to be poetically macabre; I enjoy the juxtaposition these two elements hold.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m looking forward to working with the world’s famous maze designer Dave Phillips on his latest passion project, Mega Maze. Later this year, we will be reinventing this lost game to appeal to players today. The original Mega Maze was a 2D top-down computer game, but we will be approaching the game in 3D for mobile. This summer, I will be working as an art instructor for La Canada High School, teaching children the basics of art techniques from the famous artists of our past: Andy Warhol, Alphonse Mucha, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and more. I couldn’t be more excited to bring the techniques I’ve learned through the years to the classroom for the first time.
Pricing:
- 8″x11″ archival prints $25
- 12″x17″ archival prints $30
- 17″x24″ archival prints $45
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tiffanyminsal.com/
- Email: tiffaminsal@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffacakes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffacakes
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffacakes
- Other: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/tiffacakes/
Image Credit:
Mo Li
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