Many young people struggle with what they want to be when they are older, but notDimitra Milan.
They are abstract in their arrangement, leaving them open to interpretation from the viewer.
We last spoke with Milanwhen she was just 16 years old.
In theirMastery Program, students learn how to transform their passion into a viable profession.
Scroll down to read My Modern Mets latest, exclusive interview with Milan.
It’s been many years since we last spoke to you.
What’s one of the most significant ways your art has grown since then?
As an artist, my work is always evolving.
At the time of my last interview (2015), I primarily worked in oil paint.
And Im letting some parts of the underneath layers show through to the end.
I like to keep the collage kind of hidden so you could only read it up close.
I also love using inks, pastels, and acrylics in the beginning stages of my paintings.
In my freedom, Ive found the theme of women and animals resonates most with my spirit.
Tell us more about your paintings.
What kind of symbolism do you see the women and animals having?
Everything in nature has a deeper meaning beyond our surface understanding of its function, especially animals.
We werent ready to be a couple because he had a lot of pain he needed to grow through.
But I saw him as a leader, a strong independent person pioneering his own path.
I saw him as someone who would eventually lead others to realize their greatness.
Around this same point in time, I started painting wolves and I didnt know why.
I believe that there are both negative and positive symbols associated with every animal.
When I painted women with wolves, I was unknowingly painting our love story.
A story of growth, overcoming, persevering, and fulfilling destiny.
Interestingly, Ive noticed that wolves happen to resonate with my viewers the most.
I hope viewers feel very inspired when looking at my work.
How did having artistic parents help you as you began your journey into art?
My parents are a huge influence in my life.
I look up to them in so many ways.
Im so grateful I was raised in a family where following your dreams is the only way to live.
This is our belief system.
We must follow our dreams and passions.
My whole life Ive watched both my parents pursue their passions and never give up.
They both work hard at their dreams, and this inspires me.
What was one of the biggest lessons you learned from them?
Growing up with professional artists as parents, art was always encouraged.
From age five, I would ask to paint with my parents in their studio.
My sisters, brother, and I spent hours drawing together every day.
I wanted to be anything else, something different from my parents.
I wanted to be a scientist and have a zoo.
Then my parents opened up our school Milan Art Institute.
They encouraged me to take some classes and I couldnt escape the love I had for painting.
After selling a few pieces, I was so motivated and never wanted to stop.
It taught me that you really can make a living from selling art.
I was fortunate enough to have this belief instilled in me from a young age.
These are the values my parents ingrained in me.
Can you talk more about that?
I clearly remember the day my first story with My Modern Met was published.
It was vibrating so much that I had to turn off notifications because it was overwhelming.
Within a couple of hours, I went from having 300 followers to over 4,000 followers on Instagram.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldnt believe it.
Within just a few weeks, I gained over 30,000 followers.
(continued)This made me realize how powerful of a tool social media could be.
I was making so many connections with people and sales online, it was difficult to keep up with.
As the internet grows and evolves, art galleries and publishing companies are becoming less and less important.
They obviously said no.
The publisher never took the time to satisfy the inquiries that I had online.
They went so far as to not ALLOW me to answer my own inquiries for my art.
If anyone wanted to buy a painting online, I had to refer them to my publishers.
I wasnt allowed to deal with it.
And I kept getting more messages from upset people because the publisher wouldnt deal with people online.
They only wanted to send my paintings to galleries because the galleries were selling consistently.
I felt like I was on this hamster wheel, constantly painting to satisfy the galleries.
The month I decided to leave my publisher was my highest selling month of all time.
What is your advice for artists who are looking to get written about in online publications?
Online art sales and businesses are flourishing.
Its easier than ever these days to make a living as a full-time professional artist.
Right now is the BEST time to be alive as an artist!
If you want to get exposure, my advice is to create your art every day.
The more personal your story is, the more resonant it will be.
If you paint consistently, your skills will grow and your voice will be honed.
I think thats what publications look for.
You’ve established an online school with your mom, the Milan Art Institute.
What kind of classes do you offer?
Milan Art Institutespecializes in helping people become professional artists.
We teach artists the truth.
Theydohave a unique voice and itdoesntrequire talent to be successful.
We dont believe in talent as the determining factor.
All you need is a passion to thrive and be successful.
What can students expect from your classes?
What makes our school really unique is our one-yearMastery Program.
We teach a variety of classes in drawing, oil painting, and mixed media.
This is because it lays down the proper foundation for success with mixed media materials.
Through trial and error, weve found that students find the most success when beginning with oils.
And we help you do that.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Anything exciting you’re able to tell us about?
One of the designs features a girl with wolves and the other features a flower with wolves.
We hope that any couple who wears our sweaters is able to experience the same magical feeling together.
With Milan Art Institute, there are always exciting projects on the horizon.
Something recent that is very exciting is that we launched season 2 of our artist reality showThe Outstanding Artist.
Looking forward, what Im most excited about is our social learning platform that were launching.
Think Facebook meets Netflix but designed just for artists.
This is where they can learn, grow, and realize their full potential as artists.
This will be available in December 2021 for all artists to join!
