“Most of the characters are not airbrush perfect or standard but the color palette makes you feel that they are perfect, so any dark circles under the eyes or intense expressions do not feel negative,” she further explains.

Both personal and impersonal, her paintings are the products of dreams, personal experiences and personality conflicts between the authentic self, taught mannerism, and projected morality. It’s the kind of artwork that, though intimate and personal, touches on universal experiences. As such, her work, admits Johanna, strikes a chord with most viewers.

“Whatever the viewer feels I feel is completely up to them,” she says. “A lot of people feel a connection to these paintings and see something of themselves in them. And it is women and men that feel that connection.”

Born and raised in Gelderland, the Netherlands, Johanna has received both her Bachelor’s degree and her Master’s degree from ArtEZ, the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem; and her work has been exhibited in multiple solo shows in the Netherlands, Europe, and the United States.

The post Martine Johanna’s Portraits Strike a Chord appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Spearheading the so-called big-nose movement, Sanghani shared her empowering stance in a now-iconic piece she wrote for the Evening Standard, in which she opened up about her struggles with body acceptance. “Getting a nose job is something I have debated since I realized it was possible, aged 11,” she admitted, but added that she couldn’t bear the thought of having a new nose and then realizing the problem wasn’t her nose, but rather – her.

“And then suddenly, this year, everything changed,” she wrote, candidly. “It hit me that this one insecurity had been ruling my life for 27 years. […] I knew I had to face my fears. So, after weeks of anxiety, I took my first-ever side profile selfie and posted it on social media with the hashtag #sideprofileselfie. ‘I’m breaking the big-nose taboo,’ I wrote. ‘Join me.”’ 

Her photo turned viral in almost an instant, and other big-nosed people followed up with a profile picture of their own. A couple of years later, the movement still isn’t showing signs of slowing down. “It has now reached millions, and more than 10,000 men and women have sent me their selfies, all with messages I completely relate to,” writes Sanghani. “It showed them an alternative view: that big noses could be beautiful and not something to be hidden or fixed by surgery.”

Own your big noses with pride!

The post This Journalist Began a Big-Nose Movement With One Viral Post appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Inspired by her powerful (if cheeky) words, lawyer and activist, Meena Harris, launched the “Phenomenal Woman” t-shirt – a simple idea but with a powerful twist. Sported by celebrities like Alicia Keys and Jane Fonda, the proceeds from the t-shirt support non-profit organizations.

“I thought I was going to create 20 or so shirts and send them off with my friends,” remarked Harris in an interview with Shape. But after the Women’s March, the t-shirt became something of a best seller. “Instead of saying ‘ok, we hit our goal, let me go back to my regular life,’ I thought ‘holy cow, I have to keep growing this, right? We’re really onto something here,’” she recalled thinking. “Saying that women are resilient and phenomenal in their own individual ways and, together, we can get through this—that’s really what inspired me to commit to this long-term.”

And so, what started off as an idea inspired by a poem, turned into a full-blown movement. A couple of years later, and the t-shirt turned into The Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign – a female-powered organization that brings awareness to social causes, supporting a wide range of initiatives. “And here I am now, over two and a half years later, talking about it,” says Harris. “I never thought that it would be anything bigger than one month.”

The post The Trendy T-Shirt Inspired By a Maya Angelou Poem appeared first on MobiSpirit.

But her art isn’t necessarily restricted to canvas, utilizing print media, collage, and performance. Drawing from her personal background – which includes her origins on a cranberry farm in New England – as well as literature, mythology, dance, and costume, her subject matter derives from a large archive of images which she collects and also creates from her own performances.

“My work involves my identity directly, especially since I often use my own body as a model,” she shared with Girl Trip. “A lot of artists don’t call themselves feminists or don’t want to be classified as ‘women artists’ and I get that; we should be considered across the whole broad sphere of art discourse, not just as a representation of our gender. Men don’t face that same prescription. However, because we ARE less represented in the art world (in terms of who is being shown at galleries and museums, who is selling, etc), I think shouting out that identity, as a female artist, serves the call for more female representation in the art world.”

Rich with symbolism and meaning, Carter’s art is a far cry from minimalism. “Abstract and minimal work never seemed to be an option for me, I needed more to hold onto, I needed to feel engaged,” she says. “I think it’s necessary to investigate the stories we grew up with, and other stories that have been told throughout history, and how those have shaped us – not just how they morally shaped us, but how they conjure certain images in our brain.”

Follow her thought process as it solidifies, turning into art.

The post The Stained, Delibritally Unpolished, Art of Alexandra Carter appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Developing a sketch and then choosing the right color scheme takes time and practice, with Ignatiadou’s tools including both analog and digital helpers (anything from acrylic and watercolors to oil paints and Photoshop).

Most of her work centers around themes of femininity and nature. Stirred by female beauty, plants, and eastern cultures, Ignatiadou treats the world around her as an endless pool of inspiration. “Inspiration literally accompanies me everywhere,” she admits. “I love my work so much that it’s enough for me to wake up early in the morning, to make coffee, to turn on the music and off you go… There are no special attributes of my inspiration, ideas are born from what I see around me, in nature, in books, on TV, in magazines.”

All this boils down to a simple, yet striking, piece of art.

The post This Illustrator is Inspired by Eastern Cultures and Feminine Beauty appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I think the vibrant, colorful palette stems from me,” she told Māgoa Magazine. “I’m really energetic and lively, and that’s exactly how I feel, when I look at these shapes, figures, and colors. They are all full of life!”

“The backgrounds of my designs connect with the main subject portrayed, explaining their story and feelings. The figures are just like book covers: you need to read the entire story in order to experience them,” she explained.

Inspired by nature and museums, and a big fan of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, her work has a timeless feel to it. She mainly illustrates on her computer, but she also loves traditional painting with gouache and acrylics.

Working and studying in Slovenia, Horvat has started drawing from an early age. And her hard work has clearly paid off, with clients including Urban Outfitters, and features on Cosmopolitan and Goop.

Check her out on Instagram.

The post Alja Horvat’s Illustrations Are a Breath of Fresh Air appeared first on MobiSpirit.

With raw lines, organic shapes, and a limited color palette, Araki uses her minimalist style for commercial commissions as well as for her personal work which is influenced by spirituality, slow living, visual anthropology, and her multicultural experiences.

“Minimalism and simplicity are at the core of how I choose to live my life and therefore transpire into my work,” she shared with Creative Boom. “Moving a lot led me to minimalism. Whenever I had to move across countries with one or two suitcases, I had to decide what was worth bringing along.”

Most of her work focuses on women, explaining that “drawing women is natural for me as this is the subject I know best. I also love drawing men, places, and objects but I am most known for my women, so this is what I get the most commissioned for.”

Check out some of her minimalist illustrations in the gallery below.

The post Nomad Illustrator Creates Minimalist Drawings of Women appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Based in the Midlands, she has a small studio space at backlit in Nottingham, UK. “This is where the magic (doodling/printing/bad singing) happens,” she writes.

“I’m inspired by the weird and wonderful, clashing colors, the natural world, history, fashion, and folklore. I paint, print and draw and have done (to varying levels of success) since day one,” she adds.

With a feminist agenda in mind, her work focuses mostly on strong female personas that are painted in a range of styles. “My style’s usually very bright and bold, playful, curvaceous,” she told Creative Boom. “Quite simple and tidy. I like mixing it up though and trying out new things.”

Check out some of her creations in the gallery below.

The post Amy Blackwell’s Illustrations Are All About Girl Power appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I’m using my experience and journey of self love to help all women on their own journey of feeling empowered, celebrated, uplifted, and supported on a daily basis,” writes Reel on her correlating website. “As self love is not a destination, but an everyday practice.”

The collective, now an online community and philanthropic organization, aims to empower women and promote self love. It also now has a clothing line, where feminist mantras are printed on T-shirts.

Talking about the reason behind creating her feminist Instagram page, Reel said in a chat with Create & Cultivate: “I was at a really low point in my life and I needed something to motivate myself to the next step on my life journey. I didn’t know what that would be, but I knew that I needed to create something from my lack of inspiration. That’s when I decided to create an Instagram account where I would post inspiring and motivating content to help get my life together.”

According to her, “it’s not always easy to create when you’re not feeling inspired, but it’s definitely what you need to do. It’s important to get how you feel out in your writing, art, or in whatever type of content you create. This release will help you move forward to where you need to go in life.”

The post This Instagram Page Encourages You to Fight Like a Girl appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“Women are inspiring for me, maybe because I grew up with 3 sisters,” she told Berlin & Coconuts Blog. “Most of the women I paint are inspired by my sisters.” And indeed, her work is filled with feminine beauty.

Currently based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Roeqiya is a Dutch-Egyptian illustrator who’s traveled the world. “I grew up in the Netherlands, but when I was a child I went a few times to Cairo with my parents, that was wonderful,” she told Berlin & Coconuts Blog. “My mother is from Egypt and my father from the Netherlands.”

Graduating from the Willem de Kooning Academy of Visual Arts in 2005, she has worked as a fine art teacher, ran a creative workshop company called, and recently focuses on creating her own illustrations.

Prepare to fall in love.

The post Feast on Roeqiya Fris’s Richly Colored Illustrations appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“Most of the characters are not airbrush perfect or standard but the color palette makes you feel that they are perfect, so any dark circles under the eyes or intense expressions do not feel negative,” she further explains.

Both personal and impersonal, her paintings are the products of dreams, personal experiences and personality conflicts between the authentic self, taught mannerism, and projected morality. It’s the kind of artwork that, though intimate and personal, touches on universal experiences. As such, her work, admits Johanna, strikes a chord with most viewers.

“Whatever the viewer feels I feel is completely up to them,” she says. “A lot of people feel a connection to these paintings and see something of themselves in them. And it is women and men that feel that connection.”

Born and raised in Gelderland, the Netherlands, Johanna has received both her Bachelor’s degree and her Master’s degree from ArtEZ, the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem; and her work has been exhibited in multiple solo shows in the Netherlands, Europe, and the United States.

The post Martine Johanna’s Portraits Strike a Chord appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Spearheading the so-called big-nose movement, Sanghani shared her empowering stance in a now-iconic piece she wrote for the Evening Standard, in which she opened up about her struggles with body acceptance. “Getting a nose job is something I have debated since I realized it was possible, aged 11,” she admitted, but added that she couldn’t bear the thought of having a new nose and then realizing the problem wasn’t her nose, but rather – her.

“And then suddenly, this year, everything changed,” she wrote, candidly. “It hit me that this one insecurity had been ruling my life for 27 years. […] I knew I had to face my fears. So, after weeks of anxiety, I took my first-ever side profile selfie and posted it on social media with the hashtag #sideprofileselfie. ‘I’m breaking the big-nose taboo,’ I wrote. ‘Join me.”’ 

Her photo turned viral in almost an instant, and other big-nosed people followed up with a profile picture of their own. A couple of years later, the movement still isn’t showing signs of slowing down. “It has now reached millions, and more than 10,000 men and women have sent me their selfies, all with messages I completely relate to,” writes Sanghani. “It showed them an alternative view: that big noses could be beautiful and not something to be hidden or fixed by surgery.”

Own your big noses with pride!

The post This Journalist Began a Big-Nose Movement With One Viral Post appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Inspired by her powerful (if cheeky) words, lawyer and activist, Meena Harris, launched the “Phenomenal Woman” t-shirt – a simple idea but with a powerful twist. Sported by celebrities like Alicia Keys and Jane Fonda, the proceeds from the t-shirt support non-profit organizations.

“I thought I was going to create 20 or so shirts and send them off with my friends,” remarked Harris in an interview with Shape. But after the Women’s March, the t-shirt became something of a best seller. “Instead of saying ‘ok, we hit our goal, let me go back to my regular life,’ I thought ‘holy cow, I have to keep growing this, right? We’re really onto something here,’” she recalled thinking. “Saying that women are resilient and phenomenal in their own individual ways and, together, we can get through this—that’s really what inspired me to commit to this long-term.”

And so, what started off as an idea inspired by a poem, turned into a full-blown movement. A couple of years later, and the t-shirt turned into The Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign – a female-powered organization that brings awareness to social causes, supporting a wide range of initiatives. “And here I am now, over two and a half years later, talking about it,” says Harris. “I never thought that it would be anything bigger than one month.”

The post The Trendy T-Shirt Inspired By a Maya Angelou Poem appeared first on MobiSpirit.

But her art isn’t necessarily restricted to canvas, utilizing print media, collage, and performance. Drawing from her personal background – which includes her origins on a cranberry farm in New England – as well as literature, mythology, dance, and costume, her subject matter derives from a large archive of images which she collects and also creates from her own performances.

“My work involves my identity directly, especially since I often use my own body as a model,” she shared with Girl Trip. “A lot of artists don’t call themselves feminists or don’t want to be classified as ‘women artists’ and I get that; we should be considered across the whole broad sphere of art discourse, not just as a representation of our gender. Men don’t face that same prescription. However, because we ARE less represented in the art world (in terms of who is being shown at galleries and museums, who is selling, etc), I think shouting out that identity, as a female artist, serves the call for more female representation in the art world.”

Rich with symbolism and meaning, Carter’s art is a far cry from minimalism. “Abstract and minimal work never seemed to be an option for me, I needed more to hold onto, I needed to feel engaged,” she says. “I think it’s necessary to investigate the stories we grew up with, and other stories that have been told throughout history, and how those have shaped us – not just how they morally shaped us, but how they conjure certain images in our brain.”

Follow her thought process as it solidifies, turning into art.

The post The Stained, Delibritally Unpolished, Art of Alexandra Carter appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Developing a sketch and then choosing the right color scheme takes time and practice, with Ignatiadou’s tools including both analog and digital helpers (anything from acrylic and watercolors to oil paints and Photoshop).

Most of her work centers around themes of femininity and nature. Stirred by female beauty, plants, and eastern cultures, Ignatiadou treats the world around her as an endless pool of inspiration. “Inspiration literally accompanies me everywhere,” she admits. “I love my work so much that it’s enough for me to wake up early in the morning, to make coffee, to turn on the music and off you go… There are no special attributes of my inspiration, ideas are born from what I see around me, in nature, in books, on TV, in magazines.”

All this boils down to a simple, yet striking, piece of art.

The post This Illustrator is Inspired by Eastern Cultures and Feminine Beauty appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I think the vibrant, colorful palette stems from me,” she told Māgoa Magazine. “I’m really energetic and lively, and that’s exactly how I feel, when I look at these shapes, figures, and colors. They are all full of life!”

“The backgrounds of my designs connect with the main subject portrayed, explaining their story and feelings. The figures are just like book covers: you need to read the entire story in order to experience them,” she explained.

Inspired by nature and museums, and a big fan of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, her work has a timeless feel to it. She mainly illustrates on her computer, but she also loves traditional painting with gouache and acrylics.

Working and studying in Slovenia, Horvat has started drawing from an early age. And her hard work has clearly paid off, with clients including Urban Outfitters, and features on Cosmopolitan and Goop.

Check her out on Instagram.

The post Alja Horvat’s Illustrations Are a Breath of Fresh Air appeared first on MobiSpirit.

With raw lines, organic shapes, and a limited color palette, Araki uses her minimalist style for commercial commissions as well as for her personal work which is influenced by spirituality, slow living, visual anthropology, and her multicultural experiences.

“Minimalism and simplicity are at the core of how I choose to live my life and therefore transpire into my work,” she shared with Creative Boom. “Moving a lot led me to minimalism. Whenever I had to move across countries with one or two suitcases, I had to decide what was worth bringing along.”

Most of her work focuses on women, explaining that “drawing women is natural for me as this is the subject I know best. I also love drawing men, places, and objects but I am most known for my women, so this is what I get the most commissioned for.”

Check out some of her minimalist illustrations in the gallery below.

The post Nomad Illustrator Creates Minimalist Drawings of Women appeared first on MobiSpirit.

Based in the Midlands, she has a small studio space at backlit in Nottingham, UK. “This is where the magic (doodling/printing/bad singing) happens,” she writes.

“I’m inspired by the weird and wonderful, clashing colors, the natural world, history, fashion, and folklore. I paint, print and draw and have done (to varying levels of success) since day one,” she adds.

With a feminist agenda in mind, her work focuses mostly on strong female personas that are painted in a range of styles. “My style’s usually very bright and bold, playful, curvaceous,” she told Creative Boom. “Quite simple and tidy. I like mixing it up though and trying out new things.”

Check out some of her creations in the gallery below.

The post Amy Blackwell’s Illustrations Are All About Girl Power appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“I’m using my experience and journey of self love to help all women on their own journey of feeling empowered, celebrated, uplifted, and supported on a daily basis,” writes Reel on her correlating website. “As self love is not a destination, but an everyday practice.”

The collective, now an online community and philanthropic organization, aims to empower women and promote self love. It also now has a clothing line, where feminist mantras are printed on T-shirts.

Talking about the reason behind creating her feminist Instagram page, Reel said in a chat with Create & Cultivate: “I was at a really low point in my life and I needed something to motivate myself to the next step on my life journey. I didn’t know what that would be, but I knew that I needed to create something from my lack of inspiration. That’s when I decided to create an Instagram account where I would post inspiring and motivating content to help get my life together.”

According to her, “it’s not always easy to create when you’re not feeling inspired, but it’s definitely what you need to do. It’s important to get how you feel out in your writing, art, or in whatever type of content you create. This release will help you move forward to where you need to go in life.”

The post This Instagram Page Encourages You to Fight Like a Girl appeared first on MobiSpirit.

“Women are inspiring for me, maybe because I grew up with 3 sisters,” she told Berlin & Coconuts Blog. “Most of the women I paint are inspired by my sisters.” And indeed, her work is filled with feminine beauty.

Currently based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Roeqiya is a Dutch-Egyptian illustrator who’s traveled the world. “I grew up in the Netherlands, but when I was a child I went a few times to Cairo with my parents, that was wonderful,” she told Berlin & Coconuts Blog. “My mother is from Egypt and my father from the Netherlands.”

Graduating from the Willem de Kooning Academy of Visual Arts in 2005, she has worked as a fine art teacher, ran a creative workshop company called, and recently focuses on creating her own illustrations.

Prepare to fall in love.

The post Feast on Roeqiya Fris’s Richly Colored Illustrations appeared first on MobiSpirit.