From San Francisco to Los Angeles, artist Miranda Evans finds herself moving amidst the pandemic. She shares with us her breakthrough with finding herself through her work, the importance of community, and a glimpse into her new abode in LA.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Fullerton, California. My family has lived in Orange County since there were actual orange groves in Orange County. The original promise of Orange County was that the land was fruitful, anything could grow. My great grandfather built his family home himself in Anaheim amongst the orange groves. He grew everything in his yard; avocados the size of your head, tangerines, corn, tomatoes, the best plums I’ve ever tasted. I spent a lot of time chasing my brother around those trees and crops. Not too much happens in suburbia but those memories always make me feel grounded.
What does home mean to you?
It’s nearly impossible for me to define home as a stationary, singular place. To me home is ever changing, it is community, it is safety, it is comfort and it can be found within oneself.
What are you going to miss about your San Francisco home?
I’ve been feeling nostalgic about San Francisco for a few years now. It’s been a city full of goodbyes. The community of like-minded artists and creatives I fell in love with have all slowly started leaving the city. We had a really beautiful thing going there for a while. Now though, I’m so excited to watch that community expand and grow in all of these different corners of the world. But I’ll miss that the most. SF is nothing without it.
How do you start your day?
I’d love to say I have some sort of healthy morning routine, but I mostly just do what I feel. What I feel is usually green tea and CBD.
How does your work give you joy?
I struggled for a long time with my self confidence. I never felt very good at anything and therefore it was really hard for me to have any direction. Painting was very much something I did as a hobby. It was/ is a way for me to get out of my own head. When I stopped being my own self-saboteur, my art really started giving me confidence. It gave me community. It gave me a sense of purpose, direction and joy.
In what ways do you see yourself in your work?
I tend to paint self portraits, so I guess I literally see myself in my paintings (lol). Most of my paintings are something I’ve really been obsessing over; either a dream or even just a shape or color. They are really just the inner workings of my head. It is fascinating to me to see self growth and progress or even just a shift in perception through my paintings.
What are some tips you'd give to artists who are trying to find their voice?
Kill your self-saboteur. Don’t waste time with self doubt. Put your head down and just do YOUR work. If it’s your truth, the universe will be receptive to it.
(photography by Jasmine Pema)