On Thursday nights, the streets of downtown Palm Springs are lit up by VillageFest, which features a variety of entertainment, including art, food and live music. It is an opportunity for small businesses to reach a target audience while helping visitors discover new local businesses to support.
While vendors of all kinds participate, the artists at VillageFest each have a story.
Diana Levin is a full-time artist who grew up in Los Angeles. As a child, she enjoyed drawing and later realized in college that art was what she wanted to pursue as a career. She began living out her childhood dream by working events, farmers markets, conventions and oddity shows.
Although becoming a full-time artist came relatively easily, she still faced challenges. She questioned how her art would pay the bills, how she would find her target audience and why people would like her work.
“Why would someone buy this?” Levin said.
She said she overcame those obstacles by participating in events that reached her target audience and by accepting that people genuinely connect with her art.
Nate Fakes, a full-time syndicated cartoonist, grew up in Ohio. He interned at MAD Magazine, had his art featured in The New York Times and wrote for Red Bull commercials.
He said that in school he was “always drawing instead of paying attention in class,” which reflected his early passion for art. When he won $5 for having the best art in his fifth-grade yearbook, he realized he might be able to turn his hobby into a career.
“Just when you’re a kid and you make $5 off drawing, you think, ‘I have something here, maybe,’” Fakes said. “Cartoonists can get paid to do this? Like, wow.”
He took his interest further by becoming a staff cartoonist for his college newspaper. He said his current comics are still inspired by the humorous illustrations he created for the paper.
Fakes said it was not always easy to turn his passion into a full-time job. He worked several day jobs, including waiting tables and selling cars. Eventually, he accepted the uncertainty that comes with a creative career and continued pursuing his work.
Raul Jimenez is a full-time stone artist who has also designed restaurants, women’s clothing stores and salons. He has worked with a variety of materials, including metal, rivets, airplane parts and, of course, stone.
His art is distinctive, he said. “When I let my imagination go and use materials that Mother Nature has provided, about 60% to 70% of my pieces contain all-natural materials.”
Jimenez said creating art brings him relaxation and fulfillment. He has expressed his artistic imagination through projects since he was 5 years old. He has worked specifically with stone for 15 years and has been creating art in various forms for about 50 years.
“I enjoy the challenge,” he said. “Coming up with new ideas and creative methods to enhance my art pieces.”
The appeal of VillageFest goes beyond the lights and palm trees to the people who operate the small businesses. Each artist has a story that shaped their work and helped them become the creators they are today. As a community, residents can support local artists by seeking out their work rather than larger corporations.
Learn more at VillageFest.
