Emma Rowland is a West Australian artist who runs Rowland Studio; an illustration, sign writing and scribing business based in Sydney. She also has her own art practice, allowing her to pursue a wide range of projects and mediums. Emma is interested in the juxtaposition of old and new; such as hand drawn letters applied to historical ephemera. She currently has a studio space in Erskineville, New South Wales.
I would like to tell 16 year old me to keep following her intuition and keep creating art. I didn't have much confidence in myself but looking back, I already had a curiosity and talent to build on.
I run my own business so I don't have a traditional 9-5 schedule, which I enjoy. Because my projects vary from signwriting to scribing to illustration, every day is different. I also love that this enables me to have the flexibility and time to work on personal art projects.
I think as a society there is so much emphasis on the external body. When I think about what excites me and gets me curious, bodies are really so far down the list however I can be as susceptible as anyone when it comes to negative thoughts, particularly as I don't especially 'fit in' with what's considered feminine in our culture. When I was a kid, I always remember my dad saying I was 'just right' whenever I questioned my body shape, which is a mindset I always carry with me.
My biggest challenge has been cultivating a positive mindset and feeling confident enough to express my ideas.
