We had the good fortune of connecting with Mohamed Fofana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mohamed, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my art business because I wanted to create beautiful pieces for my apartment. That turned into wanting to create art on clothing so that I could take my art would me outside my apartment. Friends and strangers started to compliment my style and wanted the items I made for myself and so I thought it would be neat to create unique items to make people feel good and special. That’s how The Brand came about, to make people feel good and feel like walking art pieces.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I consider myself an eclectic artivist. I use my art to discuss issues that are important to me and I also like to create pieces that make people feel beautiful and happy. There’s always a message in my artwork whether hidden or up front. It hasn’t always been easy because like many artists I dealt with imposter syndrome but I just kept creating and focused on making the best work with each piece and that helped me find confidence in myself and my art. My biggest lesson is to consistently put the work in because greatness doesn’t happen overnight. I study the craft so I can create my best pieces with each art I release.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m not a big going out to eat person but one spot I truly enjoyed when I last visited was international smoke house in San Francisco. It was amazing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my inner circle, my family and friends that constantly remind me of how amazing my work is and to continue inspiring through the messages in my artwork. At times, I didn’t think my work was good enough to call myself an artist and they were there to tell me otherwise and lift me up. I appreciate them.

Website: mfthebrand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mfthebrand/

Twitter: @mfthebrand

Facebook: MFTheBrand

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.