What is the best thing that I love about my work?
The thing I love most about my work now is the joy it brings. For about 20 years, my art was created digitally because of life-threatening allergic reactions to almost every tactile medium. I was pushed into being a digital artist starting in 2004, and it was challenging to get that kind of work into galleries and museums back then, since it was mostly considered commercial rather than fine art. I had always loved tactile mediums, so it was hard to create behind a computer screen. A few years ago, I received a diagnosis and medications that helped me move into gentler mediums like watercolor and gouache.
After building that career over 2 decades, I started trying to move my digital voice into these new, more tactile mediums now that I could, and I really struggled with the experience. I went back and forth between trying to mimic my established voice and letting myself experiment freely, and when I experimented, my fan base, collectors, and galleries didn’t respond well, and I lost a lot of support. After 2 years of going back and forth, I decided to choose joy over support. I was willing to give up the career I’d worked so hard to build to go after joy instead. I am so thankful to be able to use tactile mediums again, and it brings me joy just to make the work I love to make.
What is my idea of happiness?
Happiness is doing what you enjoy in life and also being able to accept that things won’t always be “good” or make you “happy.” Life is full of ups and downs and my idea of happiness is to hold onto the good times and when things are less than pleasant try to find the good or the silver lining in the hard parts of life. I think happiness comes from going with the flow, the ups and downs, and not letting them distort you no matter how low things get. We are all human having a human experience.
What is my greatest fear?
My greatest fear is losing the people/animals I love. Just writing this makes me sad. I have very, very few close people in my life and my dog in my life, and they are everything to me.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
I don’t deplore anything about myself, more than anything I try to be gracious about my shortcomings the same way I am gracious with others. I think deploring things about ourselves does not help us grow or change, I think being aware of things we want to improve is important, and then taking the action to make ourselves better people for ourselves, our loved ones and the world around us.
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?
I admire anyone in my profession that does not let the peanut gallery, the internet, the social media likes dictate how they approach their creative endeavors or their career. I love it when people do not follow fads or what is expected of them and they follow their heart and their own inner guidance system. It is hard these days to do that with so much internet feedback and pressure to perform in a certain way.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
That with the 360 shift in my style after 20 years, every idea I have now that seemed to be locked inside my head the last 20 years I don’t have enough time to get out onto paper. I don’t have enough time in the day to explore everything I wished to explore and it feels heavy to me, because with the 20 years of working digital and not being able to create the way I wanted, I feel more than anything that I am playing a 20 year catch up. I understand that I will never catch up and that is just life, I am where I am supposed to be, but I have to not think I missed out on so much based on my health struggles and limitations.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work?
Right at this very moment, I have never been happier. Even my husband says he has never seen me smile so much in years, and that really impacted me when he said that. I thought, my goodness, have I been that grumpy? I guess I was, I was not happy making the digital work, it felt pushed, it felt expected, and it did not feel like the creativity I had when I started out. The idea of exploring new territory and just being authentically you and willing to lose everything is the most freeing feeling, and I would do it again and again.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
I would love to be healthy, I do think being sick took a lot away from me. However, being sick has also given me a lot of really wonderful and important lessons on how life is short, and being willing to take calculated risks, being willing to be rejected over and over again, and having the ability to never give up. Over those 20 years I had very little support, doctors did not believe me, my family and friends after years started to not believe me, and I had only myself to believe in me, and that was very hard. But being tenacious is a great trait and it helps me with my art. So overall, yes I wish I was not sick and I wish I could wave a magic wand to change that, but since I can’t, I am thankful for the gifts of how I perceive and approach life.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
My greatest achievements are happening right now. I was offered a large solo exhibition, my first with my new body of work at Thinkspace Projects this January 2027, as well as numerous other gallery opportunities that I never thought I would attain. If someone told me a year ago I would be where I am now, I would not believe them. I am working with one of the largest publishers in the world on a book cover, and I am not trying to be elusive, but it is under an NDA, as well as a couple other projects, but just know I have so much awesome stuff coming up. Also, being featured on My Modern Met, Colossal, Booooom, and in Create! Magazine and Beautiful Bizarre all in the last few months has been really exciting. Again, all places I never thought would support my work. I also have a publishing deal with US Games for an oracle deck as well as I published 2 books this year on my own. It is all surreal.
Where would I most like to live?
I miss Michigan, I would love one day to make it home. It really is my heart and soul. I love the lakes, the landscape and the people.
What is my most treasured possession?
I can’t say one, but I can say my home and what is inside it, because Michael and I are art collectors as well, we collect special historical and antique things. We love to collect. I started to collect when I got sick all those years ago because being housebound is boring, and why not surround yourself with beautiful things that have soul. There are so many very special one of a kind items in our house. Although most of what we have are not valuable, meaning if someone broke into our home, stealing a computer would be the only real asset one could sell on the open market. It is not about the money value, it is about the heart and soul value. We don’t collect art and other things for financial gain or investment, we will buy artwork thrown away at a thrift store, we will buy artwork from unknown artists that have 3 followers on Facebook, we collect art because we just can’t stop loving it.
What is my most marked characteristic?
I think being blunt. I always tell people to please don’t ask me anything unless they want a very direct and honest opinion. I am not into sugar coating things. I mean I am not a jerk about it, that is why I always say that first, so if my answer is not what you want to hear, I told you beforehand that could happen. I think being direct and honest is important in life and friendships. We just can’t go around babying each other and shaking our heads and nodding because we don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I expect people to do the same for me. I want to be a better person, I want to know when I fail or if I hurt people, I think being honest and being able to talk about the hard things is important for growth, healthy people can work through conflict and different opinions. I also think with my bluntness comes something that goes hand in hand with it, diplomacy, I am extremely diplomatic, I like to see all sides of things, even if I don’t agree. I think seeing things from all perspectives, even if we deeply disagree at a soul level, is important for being emotionally intelligent. To think our personal opinion is the “right one or the only way” is one of the craziest things I have ever encountered.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city?
My home is the most inspirational place in my city. I have not been here long and don’t go out much.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?
I am allergic to 90% of food and can’t even be exposed to people cooking food, so don’t eat or drink anywhere.
What books influenced my life and how?
I don’t have one particular book, I love anything about neuroscience and neuroplasticity. Books by Joe Dispenza, especially “You Are the Placebo,” have influenced me, as well as “The Brain That Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge. I also love books on stoicism, like the writings of Marcus Aurelius and the work of Ryan Holiday.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?
The Dead Can Dance
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
I don’t really explore a lot of fiction, I am more a non fiction person.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
For me it is just everyday people doing good things. Helping someone to their car with heavy bags. Chasing a dog that got loose so it can get back to its owner. A neighbor helping with a yard because someone is sick or unable to keep their lawn up. It is the group of people who bring food to a family member that is struggling mentally. It is the person that stops to let the ducks cross a busy road. The heroes are those doing the most simple things, but the most important things in life. Those little things are everything.
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?
What Dreams May Come + Shawshank Redemption
What role play stories in my life and work?
I write with each of my paintings, so story has always been a part of my work. I have also produced a couple photography and poetry books because writing has always been so important to me. One of them is “Avalanche of White Reason”, the others are out of print. https://www.amazon.com/
What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me?
It has always been that way and just sounds like what I know. My artwork has always been a visual journal, so that rings true!
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
My husband Michael de Vena. We have been through so much together. We are inseparable. I would even go as far as extremely codependent and it is something I have no issue with. We are both artists and work from home and spend 24 hours a day with each other. We might get some time away (not in the next room) once a month at best. We can’t imagine not being together all the time. When he lost his job during Covid, we were nervous we might want to kill each other, but honestly it only made us closer.
Which people or companies would I like to work with?
I can’t think of anyone at this time, everything right now is so busy and I have so many opportunities that have me working until 2028. I don’t think I could add anything else.
What project am I looking forward to work on?
My solo exhibition at Thinkspace Projects – January 2027! It is coming up quick!
Where can you see me or my work?
https://auniakahn.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
To me it means, that if you have fire in you for something, the light rarely ever goes out!
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
Jennifer Weigel jennifer@
How can you contact me?