Interview with Jamila from “mostly…posts”
So can you tell us a little bit about your store on etsy?
My store is called mostly. . .posts©. I sell mostly postcards and occassion cards as Lula illustrations. I also make and sell bags, bows, and clip-ons. I do some customized work for my bags but they aren't really available for sale on the site yet.
What sparked your interest in art and the character Lula?
Art was just something that came naturally and I'm not sure I would have ever really pursued it had my brother not been so good at it. and as every younger sibling wants to be like their big bro or big sis, I stuck with it to be closer to him and more like him.
Lula seems to have been in the making for quite some time but she came to be a little while before my niece's birth. She is bi-racial and all brown. I thought of what life would be like for her growing up. I think then is when I realized more than ever the lack and sometimes absence of brown characters in animation and other well known forms of kid-centered entertainment. Seeing as i still often feel like this cute and awkward character I figured I'd give it a shot. I'd make my own.
Are you natural...if so, what's your natural hair story? : )
Yes, I have been for all but three years of my life and in July 2000 I started my locks just before going to live overseas. Though I wanted them for years, my mother made me wait until I was in college. we are Jamaican and locks or even naps sometimes are not really welcomed. However, I think her reasons were more to avoid the deed of baring the stigma that dreadlocks carried. But now she too is locked and loving it!
How long does it usually take for you to finish one of your pieces?
It takes me on average, about one to three days to finish a "post", as I like to call them. My Lula illustrations are different. Those can be an all in one day type thing. Conception for both is usually the random inspiration from a conversation or something and then I run with it. They are almost always crude sketches from my notebook I carry around like ID. These sketches are usually later polished, traced, scanned, and digitally doctored.
Where do you get the inspiration for your work?
I'd say a lot of my stuff is pretty random. They range from my silly take on colloquialisms to illustrations of popular song lyrics. but when it comes to Lula her clothes are usually something I'd love to rock but lack the confidence to pull off. So I live vicariously through her as she is a fairytale, browner version of myself. Her shape comes from a chubby kid's perspective. I've noticed that EVERYone wants stick-thin images in mainstream-anything but that's a pretty big misrepresentation of life. And though Lula's not perfectly thin she is groomed within an inch of her cartoon existence. This is another way I would like to be, and again I live vicariously. The scenarios just hit me along with whichever occasion she may be celebrating.
What are your overall goals for your work? Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
I would really like to keep making postcards I like the freedom of not having to stick to just one thing. For Lula I love for her to be a favored published fictional character, which could happen sooner than later so I'm praying on that.
In ten years, I see myself back home in MD/DC teaching art somewhere and finally have art be my number one bread-winning occupation.
Is your work available for sale? If so, where can one purchase your work?
Yes, I'm in the process of listing more items but for now they are available at
Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
When I'm not sketching/designing things I still tapped into the creative juices. I am an avid blogger (of mostly silly things), singer and dancer. My new love is contemporary dance. Cant get enough!!! Another love of mine is languages. I would love to learn Korean but for now I am fluent in Spanish, thanks to two fun-filled years in Spain. I've visited a lot since my first year. It's one of my favorite places in the world, good food, great friends, Ah! good times.
