Diana Tohar

What first inspired you to try art? 

Back in 2018, my 17-month-old son was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. 18 months later, after intense treatment, he relapsed. His relapse was the beginning of my decline mentally. I felt like I was drowning, and I remember sitting in my bedroom’s desk one night and starting to just cut paper. It was some strange form of therapy, from then I started cutting different shapes, animals mostly, and from then started putting things together. That’s how things started for me, from a deep place of hopelessness and pain.

Was there ever a moment you wanted to quit art all together, and if so what brought passion and inspiration back?

I’ve never felt the need to quit art, since making art keeps me functioning and alive. It’s the rawest form of healing for me. Some weeks I do experience “blocks” or no inspiration, and I take that time to explore ideas, find inspiration.

Have you gone to art school or are you self taught? If you’re self taught what resources or exercises did you use to learn? 

I am completely self-taught. I have never been to school for art or received any formal education. In the beginning, I started gathering paper all around my house, different shapes and colors to create my collages. I quickly found themes that give me inspiration, and I also quickly found what my favorite style is. Mixed media and collage give me a wide range of possibilities. I also started to watch basic videos on YouTube that just allow me to learn how to draw/illustrate complex items, animals, etc. The rest I learned on my own, and developed my own technique.

What is the most challenging part about being an artist for you? How did you overcome that challenge?

The most challenging part for me is giving away my original art. Because my pieces come from a very raw and personal space, it is almost impossible for me to sell my original art. What I have tried to do overtime is sell the art with a light heart, give it to someone and know that this piece will give them joy. It’s been one of the biggest challenges for me, and prevented me from attending shows, selling my pieces.

What does art mean to you?  Right now, it’s a way of life. It’s a necessity that I cannot live without. I feel like my mental health depends on it. All my pieces are colorful, whimsy and happy, and it’s like the opposite of my reality being a mom to a medically complex child. I love touching others with my art, my themes, a world that is completely different from mine. 

What would you recommend to new artists trying to build a career? What are the keys to success?

I think it’s really important to find your style, what touches you most, what makes your heart flutter. I think it’s important to find inspiration from others, but develop your own way of creating things. For me, from the very start I knew illustration work is not what moves me. Gouache, acrylics, abstract works do not touch my soul like cutting and gluing paper is. You just have to find something that moves you to the core, and from then on you can do anything. 

What would you go back and tell your younger artistic self if you could? 

I don’t feel like there’s anything I can tell my younger artistic self. I was never artistic before. This kind of path was never in my journey. The art came from a very dark and hopeless place. It was and remains a form of healing. I was in the corporate world before my son got sick, I never held a brush in my life. Everything came suddenly and as a desperate need to keep my head above water under tremendous duress. I am so happy I am on this path, but it was never in my plans before. 

Where do you see yourself in the future? What are some of your goals?

I want to touch people’s hearts with my art. I see that it moves them, and I want to continue that. My goal is to be able to sell more original art, to be able to part with it. I am slowly building my website, offering more products, and starting to attend some markets/shows. Everything is very slow because I always remember what started the whole thing. Ultimately, I just want to be able to create, use my hands to make more pieces primarily for myself and my mental health. 

What drives the inspiration in your paintings? How would you describe your style?

Most of my pieces are geared towards children, and I think that’s something that I constantly find more ideas in, more inspiration in. I used mixed media primarily for all my pieces. I look at my kids and I find inspiration from them – their likes, their world inspires me to find ideas, and add a whimsical side to my art. 

My website: orideacreates.com

My instagram: @oridea_creates