I am delighted to introduce an absolute pioneer of the art scene in today’s Role Model Interview, namely the freelance German-Persian artist Shirin Donia. Shirin not only attended academies in England and the USA, she also completed additional training in digital art. Today she is internationally renowned among collectors for her extraordinary, large-format and deconstructed paintings of women.
1 Dear Shirin, thank you very much for giving us an insight into your exciting biography as part of our Role Model series. Would you like to take us on your personal journey – who exactly is Shirin Donia?
Dear Kinga, I am very happy to take you on my artistic journey and look forward to giving you and the readers a look “behind the scenes”. I have been working as a full-time artist for about 18 years. Although I have always enjoyed painting a lot, it was never my original plan to turn my hobby into a career. In fact, even though it may sound strange now, I had more requests for my art very early on (since I was about 19) than I could paint “on the side”. At some point, I made the decision to devote myself entirely to art.
2. you yourself describe that as a single woman and single mother you have a very special perspective on your career. Were there any particular challenges that you experienced during your artistic career?
Oh yes, there were hundreds of challenges and there still are today. When I started turning my hobby into a career back then, it was before the days of social media and before female artists could market themselves. The classic way was to study art and then, with luck and hard work, find a gallery to sell the art. I have worked with a few galleries, but I was never a fan of them. That’s mainly because I’m so attached to my paintings. I put an incredible amount of personal positive emotion into my artwork. It broke my heart when someone I didn’t even know bought my “babies” through a third party. I wanted to get to know my collectors, have personal conversations and build a connection with them. That was the first challenge: to take a different approach to the traditional way of selling art. A challenge that I gladly accepted and that has more than paid off when I think of the wonderful contacts I have been able to make over the years.
3 I can imagine that in addition to the creative process, traveling as an artist is also very important in order to present one’s own works appropriately. How do you personally manage to maintain a balance between your role as a mother and your artistic work (and everything that goes with it)?
I like to travel a lot, but mostly with my children and, if you want to look at it that way, more privately. Of course, I can’t resist buying fabrics, newspapers and materials that inspire me and that I later incorporate into my art. But I rarely go on real “business trips”. This is simply difficult to manage from an organizational point of view. I communicate with my art collectors from all over the world online. Zoom or Facecall are great ways to establish a nice connection despite the distance.
4. what were the most important points for you to become internationally successful?
My first real step into internationality was an exhibition in a luxury hotel here in Frankfurt in 2019. That was the beginning, when my art was bought by hotel guests from the UK, India or Australia. In the course of this exhibition, Jogi Löw also bought eight of my works. Meanwhile, it is the digital world that is making national borders disappear and bringing collectors from every imaginable country, such as Kuwait, Japan and of course the USA, to me.
5. have you noticed any differences in the treatment or evaluation of your art in this context, for example because of your gender?
Fortunately, I have never had any serious negative experiences because of my gender, either professionally or privately. The only aspect that sometimes “annoys” me is the assumption that as a woman you are supposed to be the perfect mother AND the perfect family breadwinner. I often think to myself that if a man were to do my job and then come home, look after the children, do homework with them, go shopping and iron the laundry, no one would expect him to bring a home-baked cake to the class party. Sometimes it also puts me under unconscious pressure that other mothers want to meet for a coffee so often in the afternoon. You can do that sometimes, but I simply don’t always have the time or capacity. When I’ve worked all day, my work as a mother and housewife is just beginning. In the evening, some days I’m so exhausted that I just fall onto the sofa, turn on the TV and fall asleep straight away.
6. how did you come to create images for celebrities like Pamela Reif or Shirin David and companies like Levi’s Strauss?
Levi’s Strauss has its German headquarters very close to where I live. They had contacted me at the time with the task of transforming an approx. 3 x 8 meter wall into a work of art. It was to tell the company’s history and, as a highlight, display an approx. 2.5-meter denim portrait of the founder “Levi Strauss”, made entirely from cut-up Levi’s jeans.
In April of this year, I was commissioned to immortalize the star guests in my unique style on canvas at the “Founder Summit” – an event for start-up founders organized by Entrepreneur University. A real affair of the heart, as each portrait has a deeply personal touch. It is essential for me to stand fully behind each individual work. I was later allowed to meet the people portrayed in person – and was overwhelmed by the response! The reactions exceeded all my expectations. I was deeply moved by the enthusiasm and sincere appreciation I received. Shirin David gave her a warm hug, influencer Pamela Reif shared her picture with her more than 10 million followers in her Instagram story.
7. is there a project or work of art in this context that you particularly like to remember?
There are many. In December 2022 I created a series of 18 paintings. The series “I AM RICH…” (…in love, hope, blessings, happiness, health, money, peace…) consists of portraits with positive attributes. The individual paintings are intended to remind viewers of their own values. The paintings have titles such as “I AM PRECIOUS”, “I DESERVE LOVE” or “I AM ENOUGH”. The series was created to give viewers confidence and strengthen their belief that everything can turn out well. That he/she is enough and good the way he/she is. I only published the series online and it was completely sold out within 4 hours. This was one of many great projects, as it showed me that I can trigger good feelings in people through my art.
8 I can imagine that commissioned work in particular is not always easy. Do you know something like “creative blocks” and if so, how do you deal with them?
In fact, commissioned work is a real challenge because I don’t simply paint the person portrayed. A great deal of personal information about the person painted flows into the background of the paintings. The background can consist of photos, song lyrics, poems, city maps, zodiac signs and all themes that trigger a good memory for the person portrayed. It is actually much more than just a “portrait”, it is a love letter and a tribute to life, packed with appreciation and personal memories and stories.
I try to capture the essence and soul of the person in my portraits and yes, it’s not always easy, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. Tears of joy have often flowed at handovers, and not just from the person portrayed… I always cry too, because I’m so moved. Wonderful moments. There has never been a creative block here, as these works only partly need my creativity. I implement the vision in my own style, but the original vision comes from the client or is at least developed together.
Fortunately, I rarely have creative block when I’m working on series. At the moment I have set myself the task of not painting any women, but a whole series with men only. Simply as a challenge to myself. And even though painting the men is surprisingly fun, I realize that I’m struggling to find a motif. It’s easier for me with women. But it would be boring to only do what is easy for me at the moment.
9 Female portraits are one of your main motifs, for example in your “Rebel Painting Series”. Is there a specific message (or several) that you want to convey with your art?
I mainly paint female portraits, perhaps because I am a woman myself and my art is closely linked to my identity. Although I rarely or never paint self-portraits, I identify strongly with my female figures and use my art to communicate messages and encourage the viewer. That’s why I tend to prefer portraits of women, although I’m in the process of discovering my “male side” in my “OH BOY” series.
I generally work on series when they address an important topic. For example, the “I AM RICH…” series or the “REBEL” series. What all the series have in common is that I want to emphasize positivity, promote self-determination and freedom and convey happiness and warmth of heart. The world is already grey enough; with my artwork I want to offer viewers and myself an oasis of joy, love and beautiful colors. My art should offer the opportunity to escape from everyday life and lose oneself in beauty, love of self and neighbor, appreciation and authenticity. Because this message is so complex, I use my art to convey it – sometimes gently, sometimes cheekily, sometimes humorously, sometimes tough, but mostly with a little wink.
10. what tip would you give to someone who would like to live their artistic dream but is afraid to take the “plunge”?
My tip for someone who wants to live their artistic dream would be to start by taking a two-pronged approach. It is important to develop a feel for your own job and the market before going “all in”. The main reason for this is that the pressure to earn enough immediately can take the ease out of it. Being relaxed and confident in sales talks by being happy that others are enriched by your art is a completely different matter than if you are dependent on this one sale because otherwise you can’t pay the rent.
Mindset is important, but not everything. As a creative/artist, you don’t spend all day in the studio. At the beginning, it means hard work in areas such as logistics, sales, accounting, marketing/PR, social media and materials purchasing. Be prepared to learn and understand these tasks before perhaps outsourcing them later.
I regularly continue my education, e.g. with an AI course or further training on online marketing and press relations. Enjoying learning, even across different subjects, is crucial for this path.
Another important point is to forgive yourself for mistakes. Not everything goes perfectly at the beginning, that’s part of it. Sometimes you just have to let everything go and take a break from time to time in order to be successful in the long term.
These are the basics that I would recommend to anyone who wants to go down this path.
11 I know that all art enthusiasts are already looking forward to the last question, because I would like to know: What are your future goals and projects as an artist (or perhaps as a private person)?
A competition is currently running until 01.07.2024 in which one lucky winner can win an individual portrait painting worth over 5000 euros. It’s super exciting for me because I get so many emails and messages from such lovely people telling me all the things they would like to have integrated into their picture.
Click here for the competition: https://gewinnspiel.shirin-donia.de/
At the same time, I’m working on the aforementioned men’s series “OH BOY”. And because I couldn’t resist, I’ve already ordered the materials for the next series, which will deal with zodiac signs. So if everything goes according to plan, my next projects will be a LOT of painting.
Dear Shirin, thank you for this insightful and exciting interview. I am delighted to bring such an inspiring artist to the attention of our community and hope that this wonderful insight into your personal life will give many people the courage to live their dream too.
Dear Kinga, thank you very much for this great opportunity and the appreciation it brings!
Here you can find Shirin:
- Website: https://shirin-donia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirindonia/
- Linkedin: https://de.linkedin.com/in/shirin-donia-518428a1
About the author
Kinga Bartczak advises, coaches and writes on female empowerment, new work culture, organizational development, systemic coaching and personal branding. She is also the managing director of UnternehmerRebellen GmbH and publisher of the FemalExperts magazine .
