TWMBABW: Dorcas Creates
"I'm an artist and illustrator, I make greeting cards, stationery, art prints, pins, badges and totes featuring illustrations of black girls." her introduction to her products and herself may sound simple, but they are anything but.
DorcasCreates immediately caught my attention when I was on a scrolling run on Instagram. And I have been in love with her products ever since. She captures the radiance and power of the Black Woman in her pieces and combines it with joy and even a bit of whimsey that you don't typically see in Black Art. Her pieces are modern, yet vintage; elaborate, yet simple; elegant and at the same time very raw and full of emotion. I would dare say that that Dorcas' pins are some of the most artistic I have seen to date.
I think you will agree with me.
Today's This Was Made By A Black Woman: Dorcas Magbadelo and her brand, DorcasCreates.
"I've always wanted to own my own business and make money on my terms but never really knew how I'd do it."Dorcas says when asked about why she chose the entrepreneurial path."I studied Art and Fashion for 2 years after Secondary School but switched to a degree in Investment and Finance."
But finding working finance was easier said than done for Dorcas. "When I graduated I struggled to find work within Finance and truthfully my heart was never in it. I started working in School Administration but the pull to create was still too strong so I started drawing in my spare time and it just grew from there. For about 18 months I was working part-time whilst building my brand and in January of this year I officially went full-time with DorcasCreates."
Before launching this year, Dorcas allowed herself to explore her creative passions. "I started illustrating again in 2015, prior to this I hadn't really drawn anything for years although I'd experimented with clothes making and making skincare. I just really enjoy getting my ideas out onto paper and seeing them come to life either through ink or linoprint. Also at the time I started drawing again I was following a lot of other designer makers on Instagram and I just felt that there was a gap and need for illustrated products that showed the magic and beauty of black women. There's definitely a lot more of us now; black female designer makers especially."
Despite this proliferation of Black creatives, there still remains a gap between creativity and commerce. "When you walk into a store and see the products on offer, it's still very much a whitewash." says Dorcas. "I should be able to walk into a department store here in London or anywhere in the US|Europe and find greeting cards, wrapping paper; printed products that reflect and appeal to everyone. I'm just trying to address that imbalance now through my work."
When asked about which of her pieces she loves the most, Dorcas says "My favorite products are definitely my enamel pins. Having my work come to life in a 3D product is just amazing; I can't really put into words the feeling of seeing an idea I had in my head come into being in real life. I want them to be heirloom pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation which is why they're all either gold, black and white or rose-gold, black and white. If I'm allowed to add another product I also love my Pledge print as it's a very personal illustration and the words that accompany the illustration were written out of frustration and sadness but I wanted to manifest a sense of hopefulness and love of self."
"Black Owned/Woman Owned is important to me because we're so underestimated;" Dorcas says." All the business traits that held in high regard are usually attributed to white men, but black women especially sacrifice and juggle so many responsibilities whilst chasing their dreams and that's so admirable to me."
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