I want to start of this feature by sharing how I met Reka. I love sharing stories of how I met people. Unfortunately we had the chance of meeting in person during Alt Summit last March, but I was busy sketching people at my art presentation. Reka had stopped by to get sketched, but because of the wait her photo taken by my co-presenter, Donna, so I could draw her later. Sure enough Reka’s photo would show up in the round of portraits and she stood out to me. I’m not sure why, but she did and the positive impression manifested in the illustration I did of her. I photographed the process of her portrait and scanned her portrait because I loved it so much. I wasn’t sure what I would use her portrait for. I didn’t even know her name! It wasn’t until I showed her portrait in a fashion illustration Reel did I get a comment, “Hey, that’s me!” I found her, or more like she found me. It felt serendipitous! Since having been reacquainted with Reka, I knew I wanted to get to know her and work with her so I’m very excited to feature her at The Riza!

1. What story, feelings, or values are you expressing in your work?

I am passionate about art, design, creativity and individuality. My purpose is to bring color and happiness into people’s lives and to help them find and embrace their unique voice. I hope that comes through in my work and in my everyday actions throughout my creative journey.

2. I love your Pandemic series! It's amazing to see how creative you've been during difficult times. In what ways did you have to adapt to keep up your creative energy during quarantine?

The Pandemic started out really rough for me and my family at the end of March we all were infected by Covid-19 and while my family was all able to beat the virus at home, I ended up in the hospital alone for 10 days. I had tons of support and so many people praying for me while I was in the hospital and when I came home that allowed me to see the beauty in the dark situation I was in. Through my recovery process I was allowed to see how blessed I was to be regaining my health unlike so many others around me. After allowing myself to heal I feel like I had no choice but to be creative and to pour out the love that had been poured into me and my family in our darker moments.

3. What color or color scheme do you often gravitate to and why?

I love to use all the colors! Teal and pink usually find their way into my work no matter what I’m creating. I tend to have really bright color pallets its just what I have always been drawn too and what feels most authentic to me.

4. I love when artists support other artists! What inspired you to create Black Girls Illustrate?

Black Girls Illustrate started as a passion project for me. I have been creative all of my life but never saw anyone like me as an Artist or Illustrator so it was always instilled in me to do something more “practical" with my life, even with the support of my parents putting me in art classes, I feel they didn’t really know how to direct me in that area. So when I began to get serious about my creative journey I became so connected in online courses and Facebook groups, but there were only maybe two other people in the surface pattern industry that looked like me.

So when creating Black Girls Illustrate I wanted to create something that my younger self needed to see. I was coming across amazingly talented black women Artist that weren’t getting the recognition that their work deserved and I just had to share. I started an Instagram account and hashtag and the account grew faster than I could have ever imagined! I’m so happy to help girls grow their following and come across opportunities that they may not have had access too if their work wasn’t showcased on a larger platform. I am so protective of all the Illustrators and sometimes even refer to them as my girls! I am just so happy that they have allowed me to show up authentically and that they can see my heart in Black Girls Illustrate.

5. Last summer, the action to call out our respective industries on anti-blackness was made. What critiques do you have for the art industry and what do you believe to be the highest priorities for artists supporting Black creatives?

I have seen a lot of businesses putting in the effort to collaborate with Black creatives on various projects. They need to dig a little deeper so they aren’t all utilizing the same black creatives over and over. I think they need to do the work to find creatives that may not have been able to build a huge following or get their artwork in front of the people that are making these decisions. It’s hard to make a verdict on how they are doing while it’s currently on trend to collaborate with Black creatives. Only time will tell on what industries and business are really being authentic with their efforts.

Thank you so much Reka for being a part of The Riza! You can support Reka’s work here and be sure to follow her and Black Girls Illustrate!