Tell Your Story in Paint with Manaz Raiszadeh

[00:00:00] That's why I like this contrast of being like, yeah, I'm a woman, and on top of it, I'm an Afghan woman. So when people see my art, they're like, whoa. Like this is, you're a woman and you're Afghan and you're painting this type of art. So that's, I always like this contrast because it's, to me, it's not a contrast. They coexist together. They're there to make the world. Please say it is acceptable to all.

[00:00:30] You're listening to unfold with Kellee Wynne. This is an unpolished, imperfect, and totally honest podcast, and I'm talking to all the artists creatives. Visionaries and change makers who wanna live a life by design and not by default. If you're ready to have thought-provoking, eye-opening, and heart-centered conversations that explore the stories that made us who we are and break through the boundaries of expectations, then you are in the right place.

[00:01:04] Hello? Hello. So excited to welcome you to unfold with Kellee Wynne and our second guest artist. This interview is important to me because I am introducing to you an artist born in France, but from Afghanistan who has a. All the most beautiful, bold, feminine work that captures my attention and a story to tell.

[00:01:29] I knew she would be important to bring onto the show. In fact, I love her work so much that I invited her to be part of the virtual art summit that's coming this May. You're gonna love Manaz. She goes by most of Manaz. On Instagram and on her website and whatnot, and you really need to dive in and take a look at her work and realize that it comes from a place of story, of re-imagining her past, where she came from, all the things she's been through, where she is now in life.

[00:02:00] And I'm beginning to see some sort of a. Ritual that's happening here with my guest artists and the people that I'm getting to know on how they find their voice. They're using writing and exploring self as a real great way to dive deep into their own personal visual language. And so with Manaz here, I was just very curious how she came upon her style.

[00:02:23] And when she explained to me that she spent more than a year just exploring and writing and practice, when she knew she wanted to come back to art, I was like, ah. There's that thing again where they're writing out their entire experience in words while they're experience experiencing the growth in painting and becoming.

[00:02:44] This is the same as what we heard with Artis Goodwin from the previous podcast that I recorded, and I'm starting to find this same story happened over and over again with many artists as I wanna explore deeper into what makes us. The artists that we are and to create work that commands attention. It's really a lot about self-exploration.

[00:03:08] So I think you're really gonna enjoy this. Um, you need to learn more about her. Go check her out on her Instagram, say hi. Let her know that you heard her here on Unfold with Kelly Wynn. And then let me know what you think of this interview and how excited you are to learn from her in the Virtual Art summit.

[00:03:29] Welcome to my podcast, Manaz. I am so excited to be meeting with you. We've chatted once or twice before and I feel like you are a perfect guest to have for this subject of finding your voice and your style and how you got to where you're at right now. So if you don't mind giving us a little introduction about where you're at with life right now and who you are as an artist.

[00:03:53] Hi. Well, thank you for having me, Kellee. I'm really excited to chat with you today and who I am. So I am, I'm Manaz rere. I'm an abstract painter based in San Diego, but I'm originally, I was born and raised in France, in Normandy, in a very small town in Normandy called Anson, and both of my parents are from Afghanistan, they're from Kabul and I've never been there. But, uh, that's a big part of who I am, obviously. And now I've been living in the States for the past, uh, 15 years, and I've been painting full-time for the past five years. So, um, and that's, uh, we can go deeper into that . Yes. But as I understand, you have a new baby, so that means that you've been painting through motherhood too.

[00:04:37] Yes, I have a new baby who's is three, it's gonna be four months in a week, and I also have a toddler. So I think my, it's, yeah, it's very linked together, my motherhood and my artist life. And I always call my artist life. Not a job or a career. It's, it's a lifestyle. But yeah, it's, I got married, became a full-time artist, then had a baby still painted, I had another baby and I'm still painting.

[00:05:02] So it's all like joint together. Well, I have to give you big, uh, kudos for continuing with your creativity and your painting through motherhood, because for whatever reason, when I had my first one, I just stopped for like a whole 10 years. So I love that you're proving that it can be done and you don't just paint small. You paint big paintings. Mm. Yeah, and I think for me it really kept me sane. I, I remember after delivering my, my second one, which was like four months ago, I was dying to get back in the studio and I was back there a week later and I'm really, I'm really lucky that everything went well and I was feeling good.

[00:05:42] But painting really is something that's, I. , it's essential to me. So I need to do it. And I do paint big. I've been painting bigger and bigger every, every year now. Um, and I truly enjoy, I think what the bigger it is, I get, it's just free. I'm free to do whatever I want and I'm myself. I do paint small too.

[00:06:02] And when I paint small, it's, I bounce back. It's to recenter myself sometime when I just need. Yeah. But it is true when you paint big, you can kinda let loose on all that space. Yes. Mm-hmm. . Yes. So I'd love to hear your process, like how you, it was so fascinating when we were talking before, like why you came back.

[00:06:25] You had always been a creative person, but why you came back to painting five years ago and how you developed your voice, because it's fairly distinguishable when I see a Manz painting coming through my Instagram feed. I know it's your work. So how did you get to that point where you were really honing in on your own voice?

[00:06:43] Well, thank you. Um, but yeah, I think five years ago, I'm, I'm a planner, so I plan everything. I, it's something that I, I enjoy planning things. It just gives me, keeps me happy, safe. I don't know. There's something that I've always done. So when I got married, I had a, I had a good job. Like I was working in tech in San Francisco.

[00:07:01] It was very, it was creative, but it wasn't something that I wanted to do forever. And I knew that I wanted to have kids. and I knew that I loved art. So when we moved from San Francisco to San Diego, I told my husband that I wasn't passionate about my job. So what if I started something new? And also part of it was that I, I was working remote, so I was very lonely.

[00:07:23] Plus I didn't fully enjoy it. So my husband, thankfully, I'm really lucky, he was very supportive. He was like, yeah, do your thing. Um, so I started painting every. From the floor of my living room, no kids at the time, so very easy to do, but also like it. So I started painting, but I also started writing a lot.

[00:07:42] And I knew that I wanted to share my story, but I didn't know how. And the only way that I could share part of me or my story was through painting, like having paint around and brushes and canvases. So I was writing a lot. And I was painting a lot, but painting really took over. That's what it made, it made the most sense for me to express myself via painting.

[00:08:06] That was, that's my medium. Um, and then by sharing my story, I think at the time, and still today, I think I, I will never be done like looking for. Deeper inside of me to find myself and then to evolve with myself too. And being from Afghanistan and being from France and living in America, I was trying to tell the story, but also find myself through my words and my colors.

[00:08:29] And it's funny because initially when I saw it painting, I, it, it was very abstract, but homes were appear, villages were appear on my canvas. I have picture on my website or early on my Instagram feed where it's a lot of abstract background with homes on it and villages. And I couldn't explain why these homes would appear and people would ask me.

[00:08:50] Cause I started showing also my art around San Diego. People would ask me about these homes and villages. At first I was so I didn't know what to answer. I was like, oh, they just appear on the canvas and slowly, like it was a reverse process, like by painting more homes and villages, I found myself, I found my style and these homes kept appearing until they didn't.

[00:09:14] And for the first year when I painted full-time, it was mainly homes and villages and they slowly went away. And then it became, Like my distinct style that you see today where like it was, it's now it's. . I always like the contrast of things like having something that's very girly, very feminine and bold colors and grungy dirty.

[00:09:36] Like not dirty, but like this fit. Like that's what you see on the wall when you go to a big city. Now it's more like, yeah, like the graffiti. I, that's what drew me to your work to begin with, was just like, oh, I, I get, I can relate to this work. You know? It's the bold, feminine, you know? Yes. I, I like that.

[00:09:52] Yeah. And it's, there's not that many, I'm not a graphic artist per se. There's not, in the gravity world, in the real gravity world, there's not a many women. I mean, yeah. Already in the art world that the, the top artists, like, there's not that many women. So that's why I like this contrast of being like, yeah, I'm a woman, and on top of it, I'm an Afghan woman.

[00:10:10] So when people see my art, they're like, whoa. Like this is, you're a woman and you're Afghan and you're painting this type of art. So that's, I always like this contrast because it's, to me, it's not a contrast. They coexist together. They're there to make the. It is acceptable to all. I love that idea. Like really welcoming everybody in when we see your work.

[00:10:33] I, I have no doubt because we'll have all this in the show notes and some images and, and make it very easy for everyone to find you on Instagram. But it is inviting and exciting and I love hearing that. It's a lot about, um, unfolding your own story into your work because. In all honesty, so many artists go and they say, oh, I like how that artist paints.

[00:10:57] And then they, and then they repeat it, which is fine when we're learning. But man, the the one thing I encourage everyone over and over again, like, dig deeper into yourself because when it comes from inside yourself, you're gonna make your most powerful work. And that must have been why I was drawn to you in the first place.

[00:11:15] Yeah. Um, yeah. Thank you. I, that's, that's exactly what I, how I feel like even. Until this day. So when I started painting, for instance, it could be something that I've seen, a feeling that I've felt like it start very like with something really small and intimate inside of me, and I just go with that feeling and that feeling becomes a word, could be one word, a sentence, and then it becomes a shape and a call.

[00:11:38] Adding on top of each other and they make sense to me. And the amazing part is that it's completely between me and the canvas. It's, it's a very intimate relationship between the artists and, and the canvas. But someone will come around and feel the exact same way. I'm like, whoa. Or like something in the same like, like, did you feel this way?

[00:11:58] Did you think about this? And it's really amazing that when it truly comes within. It actually connects you with more people. I love that. That is such a great way of putting it. Tell me how, I'll be honest. So it's so easy to just like go into an internet hole and see the work that everyone else is making and.

[00:12:24] Fall in love with something, but then try to replicate it yourself and, and not maybe, I would say I've struggled with this, not trusting myself that I know what to do when I go to the canvas, so that I'm looking outwards, I'm looking at what's popular. I'm looking at, um, styles that I'm looking at how other artists make their work.

[00:12:42] Even after a decade or two of painting, I, I will still look outwardly. How do you keep yourself. Like in the flow and really connected to your work without always having to reference the outside world. Now, I love that when people are inspired, like who wouldn't be inspired by a Basque? I could see some relationship between his work and your work, but mm-hmm.

[00:13:03] it's that like constant need of input is something that I struggle with and I think that that's something a lot of artists struggle with that then prevents 'em from being able to dig into those like deeper moments where it's that conversation and relationship between you and the canvas. How do you get to.

[00:13:18] Place on a regular basis so that, you know, you can make so much work? Oh gosh. Um, I, I mean, yes, I still, I, and I think I will always look at other people's work, like famous artists or current artists, and mostly with social media because I'm on it every day. So I see things all the time, and I don't, with copying and getting inspired and it's, yeah, for learning a hundred percent.

[00:13:45] I agree. Like if you wanna learn a certain. Art skills and you're getting inspired by a certain artist and you're seeing what they went through, what they've, what, which tool they've used. And that's, I think that's something that I did. I did in the past. I've taken classes and I've learned from other artists.

[00:14:00] I will still do that. But as far as bringing it back into my work, I've never, I've never liked copying. I've never, like, I was like, I, I, I'm able to admire someone's work, but I don't wanna do the same. So I think it's, maybe it's a desire of like not wanting to do the exact same thing, but I desire having the same like desire that they, that the same inspiration that they have to work the, the way they work on the canvas, the way they get inspired.

[00:14:28] So maybe let's say like when I wanna, when I'm stuck, I have a lot of art books in my studio, so I would. And I would just go through the pages and I won't try to copy, but then I will, like a color will speak to me, a color or a shape. So I would take that shape and I will bring it into my canvas, but it will never be the same.

[00:14:50] And I will never do like a whole composition, but like a color or shape. And I will start with that and maybe adding from another artist, like, oh, like let me see what he's doing. Which color is he adding with his pink and his greens? Maybe he's splitting blue and haven't put blue. So I think. They inspire me, but then I don't wanna copy them and I don't enjoy copying because I will see if I see the same thing on my canvas.

[00:15:12] It's boring. They've done it, they've done it. Like they're, they've excel at it. So I, I want novelty, even if I want novelty for myself. So, and, and I usually also, if I get stuck, we all get stuck. So if I get stuck, Um, I never, the rule is like I need to leave the studio. I won't try to add more and do more layers and do more work.

[00:15:32] I just leave the studio. I go for a walk. I go see my babies, something different, and then I come back when I'm fresh and ready to go. Those are like really great advice ideas to get you through those periods where you're stuck. I've been talking a lot lately about the fact that I've had major creative block.

[00:15:52] I don't even know if it's creative block. I've just had like very low desire to create and I'm breaking through that now. Um, but. I'm like reviewing all of the things that have helped and have hindered me in my process. So that's why I'm coming to this point where I'm asking other artists, cuz I'm very curious about your process, about how you do it, and I love that you touched on.

[00:16:15] To be inspired by somebody else's work. We can take a shape or a color or a texture or some sort of brushstroke and pull that into our work without having to mimic the entire thing. And I think that's the point that I'm trying to make. It's not necessarily that we're gonna go and copy brushstroke by brushstroke an entire painting.

[00:16:36] It's like, It's, it's when you're like falling in love with someone else's style so much that you adopt it 100% instead of taking a little bit here and taking a little bit there and then like continuing to explore your own voice until it becomes your own. That's more like the more. Far more exciting path to go down.

[00:16:55] I think, um, like you said to like, just for example, I, I've, you know, I love going to museums. I think I've need to go more often, but it's like you can really see all those paint textures and layers and, and that really will like, Influence your work in a positive way? I think the part that I'm more concerned with is when artists spend so much time on Instagram that they're like, I really love this artist's style.

[00:17:19] And then, and then they're trying, they think it's popular. They're trying to repeat something they see, rather than exploring how it's gonna show up in their own work. And I can see that you're like really in tune with your own work. and the marks that you make and all the interesting, you use words and mm-hmm.

[00:17:36] shapes and very interesting ways and color combinations. And so that's something I, I just wanted to like, touch on, like how do we like break that habit? Like, yes, we're always gonna be inspired by social media or the things that we see visually, but how do we stay true to ourselves? So, and also taking breaks.

[00:17:55] That's a good idea. . Yeah. . Well, I'm also lucky because, I mean, lucky because I don't have so little time when I'm in the studio. I, it's a p. So I really make the most out of it when I'm there. I'm like super excited to be there and I'm like making the the best out of it. So maybe that also helps me not to have the time to overthink things.

[00:18:17] Think like I, I just have to do it. . Yeah, this is a good point. . . When you have small kids and you've only got a couple hours because they're taking a nap, or you got a babysitter for a little bit and you're like, okay, finally . Exactly. Yeah. . So what would you say were some of the biggest influences on you as you were finding your voice?

[00:18:42] I think for me being so what? When, when I start, decided to start painting daily and every day and make it my, my lifestyle, I also found a community of artists. So I have a big network of artists, so I was, I think Google is my best friend. So when I, when I'm stuck, when I wanna do something, I Google things.

[00:19:02] So I, I Google art classes and, um, I found this amazing commute of artists in San Diego. and that really, that was my first being surrounded by the same type of people who have the same passion. That was huge because I was not alone. Even if I was painting by myself at home, I still have a big group of people around me doing the same thing.

[00:19:23] So that was very helpful. And also, it's such a lonely, yeah, it's a very lonely world. If you. I mean, social media is great. It's amazing. I love this platform, but you need also your, your tribe, um, to share tools and to share tips and then to look at your work physically. So that was, that was big for me.

[00:19:41] It's still big for me. Um, and as far as like influences and it's just, , everything that I go through in my personal life comes into the canvas. So my, I'm lucky to have a supportive husband and I'm lucky to be able to like, go to museum and see things. Um, and on a bigger note, like my, I think the, the main big influence is.

[00:20:06] Where I come from, like I really question like, oh, what does it mean to be Afghan? I, I, I look at, I, I read about it, the good and the bad. I, and being from Afghanistan, it's, it's the mostly today there's this notion of like, oh, the. The trouble and the war, and then like all these suppressed women. So I wanna make sure that it's it, yes it is.

[00:20:29] That it's the real, it's a very, very sad reality. But there's also good things in that. I want more of the, I wanna show the good from Afghanistan. I wanna show, like, I'm an Afghan woman, I'm an artist. I'm, I'm making pink paintings. I'm making like very bright and happy paintings. So I think that's a big thing in my art I wanna show, and not only for Afghanistan, for all the women, the, there's more.

[00:20:52] There a lot of countries, a lot of area, even in our own country, in the US a lot of womens are suppressed and not not having a voice. So I, that's a big influence in my work. I wanna show that. Um, and also being from France, there's a lot of, I mean, I have, I'm my, I think my artistic side was truly born in France.

[00:21:11] Like the, I was surrounded with art and beauty and appreciation. Too, like I was taught to appreciate art and, and beauty and everything. Um, so yeah, that's, I think that's something that's coming up in my work and it's, it will always be, it's always evolving, but that will always be the core of the influence on my art.

[00:21:30] Do you still write about that as you're painting? Because you said you started off with a lot of writing, um, and then just, you know, to discover yourself through writing and through art. Do you still explore some of those stories or what made you who you are? Um, and how that's influencing your art. Do you write about that at all still?

[00:21:51] I write in a different way. So initially when I started writing, it was very explicit about my story, where I came from, what, how I felt like, and also the stories from my parents. Um, but now I do write daily, but I journal now and I think it's, it's a mix of. A practice for my own self, like San Sanity. I write a journal every day and also as a part of, um, still writing about my background, but it's just mixed together into, I, I journal every day for, for gratitude and to plan like how I want my day to be, and, and part, part of it also, free writes, so free.

[00:22:31] Yeah. So it's a mix of both. I love that. And, and does, does that, um, help influence the work that you're doing too, to keep you on, like, on that creative energy continuing to go every day? Oh, definitely. Yes. I think it's, uh, I call my art, art practice too, and that's a big part of my, my practice too. Yeah.

[00:22:52] Because. It's if my mind is cluttered or if there's a lot of things going on, mostly with having kids. Um, it kind of helps me switch. Like in the mor I have my routine. I have breakfast with my boys every morning, and I, I get them ready and, but before that, before I wake them up, I'm lucky. The great sleepers, both of them.

[00:23:13] Um, so before I wake them up, I also, I write, I journal, I get. I have to get ready in the morning. That's not, I cannot function, but yeah, my writing part is probably like, it could be sometime, it could be five minutes and sometime it's 20 minutes. , but that really sets the tone for the day. And I've noticed, um, if I don't do it, for instance, I don't write in the on the weekend cuz my husband is home and I don't know, I just like, it's the weekends I, I don't write and my days are not the same my days, even though it's the weekend and it's supposed to be fun, my days are less stressful sometimes during the week then on the weekend cuz I, if I don't write, so I was actually thinking about it last week.

[00:23:51] I need to start journaling in the morning on the weekend too, to have a better. I love that. I think I'm asking a lot about the writing component because I haven't done much of that in the last decade. And yet the artists that I talk to that are really good at tapping into their own creative voice tend to do a lot of that writing.

[00:24:14] The automatic writing or the free thought writing that just like pour it out and get like, I think, um, sometimes it's called daily pages. But I just, or morning, morning pages. I just love that thought that that's connecting you to your work before you've even begun your work. Yeah. And you know about the writing, it's interesting because.

[00:24:34] I, I've been writing now for the past five years as much as, not as much as making art, but then it's has been a practice daily and before that, I remember writing a lot when I was in high school, and that's where I was very artistic because I was also a drama major, not in a sense of acting, but a lot of like make reviewing plays, studying plays and making, helping people, making plays.

[00:24:56] And I would always write, and that was a big part of who I was, but. It was always related to one another. When I would write, I would also be creative in another medium. and it went away with after high school, college, and you try to figure yourself out life like it. And so adulthood . Exactly. So I thought it was not, I thought it was not important.

[00:25:17] I thought it was something that you do as a kid and it's not really important until now when I realize it's so important, like the writing part, like just for your, it, it clears out your brain. Anything bad good just comes out. And then it's almost like accepting it all and being okay with it and dealing.

[00:25:36] Ah, that's so cool. It's like you don't have to hold all that anxiety in your head. You just put it on the paper. . Yeah. I was like, oh, gone . Yeah. I, I am curious, um, because you had a career and then after marriage you moved to San Diego and decided to make a transition to something that you would enjoy more.

[00:25:56] I am going to make an assumption here that you made it with, specifically with the decision that you would excel at. At your painting and sell it and make it, um, your basically more than a lifestyle. But it is a career because you had intentions from the beginning that it would be, um, something that you would make money off of.

[00:26:17] Is that correct? It was. Wait, yes and no? Because it was, I think it was a dream, like the, I wanted making art. I knew for sure, but selling art that was. I wanted that, but it was almost like I was keeping it inside of me as a secret because it was Dr. It was a dream, like having a piece of me, like a piece of my creation at, in someone's home, someone willing to buy it.

[00:26:40] It was such a big deal. I remember my, my very first sale and I was. Very, I was shocked when it happened the first time I was very, I was shocked and I was grateful and, and all the like, happy emotions coming in. So I think it give me that first time gave me the confidence I could do it more, but.

[00:27:00] Initially, my first plan was just to paint, paint, just like get better at it, just keep doing it. And that was my first goal. And I do, I do my yearly goals. I do every year I sit down and I do my, my goals. And the first year was a lot about that be becoming creative and more creative and painting more and producing more, uh, not as a number, but then I.

[00:27:22] Confident and comfortable on the canvas. And I think the second year I had a very small goal of like paint selling. Alright. And that I, I think I sold 10 times more than what, or was my goal. So it's like, oh my God, I can do this . So that's like, it's just like do like, it's like, I guess it's one step at a time.

[00:27:41] So, and when I saw that, I was able, I was scared I think of, of thinking of it as a business. . I didn't wanna think of it that way, but now I think now I'm, this year in last year, I'm probably the most confident in my, my business. It is also a business and I'm very proud of it. And I think like it's very durable and I want younger people to think that it's okay to go to art school because you can.

[00:28:08] Yeah, it's a real thing. It's more than a real thing because you have two sides. You're creative, you're developing, you're creating voice, you're, you're creating a pro, not a product, but a piece of art. And you also have the marketing, the business side. Like there's so much to it. Yeah. Which is kind of creativity all in itself.

[00:28:26] true. Yeah. I think, I think it is. But uh, On that note, yes, you can go to art school, but you can also be successful without it because you don't have an art degree, right? I don't, yeah. Many artists that I know that are are. I'd say self-taught, but in some ways we are taught through non-traditional means, meaning through self-exploration, through taking classes online, whichever, taking classes in person even.

[00:28:54] Um, but definitely non-traditional. I, I think there's just some, sometimes a bit of a freedom and being able to explore your voice without having all the constraints of. The rules of , the academic world, um, and that that can give a little bit of freedom, but either which way that you end. I agree with you that it is, it is not just possible.

[00:29:18] It's absolutely probable if you make a decision and you move forward with it, however, , the whole point was, is that you spent time developing your voice and your skills and a regular creative routine before you even made it a goal to sell your art. And I think that that's really an important thing that listeners should understand, that, that it, it sets you up for a lot stronger foundation.

[00:29:43] That way you're not as swayed by. External sources, you get to come in fully as your own with a practice habit and being able to show up and, you know, show your voice through your art, your style, which of course, style always evolves, but it is really exciting to hear that it's starting to become very profitable.

[00:30:06] A business venture for you on top of a creative outlet? Oh, it's, it's funny cuz my husband jokes every, every other month that he's gonna retire. I'm like, what? You like, you wanna, he's like, he really, he's like, no. He's like, I believe in you. We, I can retire. Like, you just have to paint. And that's it. Like, But yes, sometimes when you finally get through those blocks and you dream big, it's totally possible.

[00:30:29] That's how I look at life as well. Why not? Yes, anything? I mean, truly anything is possible if you put your mind into it and your heart into it. I mean, everything done with your heart leads you to. I mean, that's, that's my mindset. I feel like if I, if I truly believe in it, if I love it and then I'm giving it my all, like, it's, it will always work out.

[00:30:52] It's, it has and it's, I make it today. I feel like I make it sound like it's easy and it just happens with love and then acceptance and being present and all these cute, these, these buzzwords on what that we hear all the time. . But in my, in my twenties and my, yeah, in my twenties, I went through a lot of up and downs trying to figure it out things and I think didn't work out the way I wanted to.

[00:31:15] But now friends are now going to art school. I regretted so much like, oh, I have a master's and I, my master's is not in art and I wish I would've done that. I wish I would've gone to art school. And actually no, now, today, like in my, no, it, it just, it wasn't meant to be. And then I got, I got that experience in working in tech and it brought me so much more knowledge now that I can.

[00:31:37] I can use for my art, and it just taught me so much more. It opened my mind into a new horizon that I can bring back to this world now. So everything happens for a reason. You have, I think, yeah. You just have to keep going, keep painting, keep making art. Like just like, just keep doing it and eventually it will lead you where it should be if your heart is in it.

[00:31:59] I think that that was the key that you said is that really let it come from your. Put your, put your whole heart and soul into it. Um, I have to ask you, what are you most excited about now that you're working on what is inspiring you? How do you see your work shifting at this moment? I think what I'm most excited right now, it's.

[00:32:21] Painting bigger and bigger. I've really enjoyed that. And I've been, uh, painting on loose canvas. On stretch canvas, um, making a lot of bold art. So a lot of, we, we mentioned the gravity style and that's something that was exploring last year, but this year it's big, it's in my work. Um, so I'm really excited to have.

[00:32:41] Strong, a strong body of work that's really, um, and strong big body of work. So I don't know if I wanna have space for everything, but I've been like dreaming big about, um, expressing myself in a bigger way and having maybe, because I feel like the bigger I go, the bigger my voice is. I'm excited about that.

[00:33:03] Yeah, . Okay. And what do, and what do you suggest to everyone who dreams of going big but doesn't have a lot of space? You're working out of your garage, right? Yeah, I'm very lucky. I have a, I have a big garage and then I, I, we live in San Diego, so also like I. work outside of my garage too. Yeah. Um, but even for me, like my garage is getting smaller with all of my, my work.

[00:33:29] So, and I work on multiple pieces at a time. I never work on one piece. So working on loose canvas, it's something that's, um, if you don't have much space, that's always, you can roll it and put it aside. So that's, uh, that's an option. And it's also, it's less expensive. Yeah. Um, and easy to ship. That's, that's why I also love it.

[00:33:50] It's much easier to ship. Yeah. The shipping part, I think I love everything about what I do, like the marketing, the business side, I don't mind any of it. The shipping side, it's like that's the hardest Yeah. To figure out shipping. I a thousand percent agree. Sometimes I wonder if I'm like not having an art sale specifically, so I don't have to ship anything

[00:34:12] I dunno. If I sell it, I have to ship it. . , yeah. That's the stressful part for an artist, . Yeah. No, working big on, on um, loose canvas is a great idea. I love that you just pin it up to the wall and then go, or sometimes do you just lay it flat on the floor? I work on the floor a lot when it's loose canvas.

[00:34:33] I've done the wall, but doesn't give me, I don't know, it doesn't give me the same, when it's a stretch canvas, I feel like I can be, um, tougher on the canvas. On the stretch canvas. So, I don't know. I just, when I do loose, I'm on the floor. I'm on my knees all the time and I don't mind it. So, oh, and then, oh yeah.

[00:34:51] Really putting your whole body into it. Yeah. And then I've, uh, I didn't realize it until I, I did little videos when I'm painting on the loose canvass on the floor and I was watching myself. I was like, I look like I'm doing a workout or a yoga practice, something . That's so cool. Well, everyone should know that you're also going to be participating in the Virtual Arts Summit that's coming up this May.

[00:35:15] I thought, oh man. I always pick the artists that I wanna know more about and love their work, so, Manaz, do you mind? I know you've never really taught before, but do us the honors and she said yes. So for everyone listening, it is coming in May, the Virtual Art Summit, and there will be a whole video with Manaz explaining her voice and her style and giving you a demo of her beautiful artwork.

[00:35:42] So I'm so excited to kind of like break through and see how you put those pieces together. I'm really excited to thank you for having me. Like I'm really, really looking forward to it. It is an absolute pleasure and honor to have you, and thank you so much for joining us today for my brand new podcast that's only been out for a, less than a two months now. So exciting. It's wonderful to have you, and I hope that everyone's coming away inspired like I am, to get back into the studio and look inward, tell your story through your art like Manaz does. Thank you very much. Thank you.

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