Meet Riah Eastman of visualaire in Aurora

Today we’d like to introduce you to Riah Eastman.

Riah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been creative – my earliest memory was in pre-school watching another girl draw a horse. She was maybe a few years older than me. I remember seeing it, thinking it was amazing, then thought that I could do it too. I realized later it takes a lot of practice, but I didn’t stop. Since then, I have been scribbling, drawing, painting, making a mess and letting my imagination run wild.

I am self-taught, most of my learning has been a few books, some youtube videos, but mostly I have learned through good ole’ trial and error. Throughout high school, I took art classes and loved them. In college, I was told anything in the subject of art would be a useless degree, so I majored in business. I later dropped out, and haven’t returned since.

I’ve lived in several different states across the country, and have slowly seeped my work into various galleries and events. I broke into digital art a few years ago and fell in love with graphic design and animation. I started doing small freelance gigs with that. Now, I work in marketing, but I still indulge my creative impulses. Eventually, I would like to transition back to running my business and doing more fine art.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It honestly has not been a smooth road. Life gets messy and complicated. I’ve certainly lost myself several times along the way, but I’ve always managed to find my way back mostly through art. What I have learned from failing is only taking me closer to my success.

Let’s talk about business. Tell us about visualaire – what should we know?
I started out selling paintings and prints on Etsy, as well as doing galleries and art fairs. I stopped for a bit due to my career change and moving out of state. I plan on getting back into selling art and doing a few commissions soon.

Currently, my freelance business is also on pause. Being new to the Denver area relying solely on freelance jobs or art was too big of a gamble for me. So in the meantime, I am working with a temp agency for a marketing position. As I make more connections here in the area, I am hoping to work with new amazing people on some super cool things.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Mostly, my friends and family! I am grateful to have such supportive and encouraging people in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visualaire.com
• Email: riah@visualaire.com
• Instagram: @_rye_uh_

Image Credit:
All by Riah Eastman.

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