Finding Self-Discovery & Self-Confidence Through Art
Studio Stories—Indigo Moore
The first thing you might notice about Indigo Moore, a self-taught artist, is their humbleness.
They struggle with imposter syndrome, a feeling when you doubt your skills, talents or accomplishments and have a fear of being exposed as a fraud.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m not going anywhere with my art or it’s not being noticed,” shared Indigo.
But Indigo is anything but a fraud and certainly is being noticed.
In the past year, Indigo partnered with Jill Wells, another artist at Mainframe Studios, to design and create a sensory wall mural at King Elementary. The mural gives students a place to be inspired and feel at peace.
“Jill Wells especially has been a big inspiration, along with many artists I’ve met along the way since having a studio at Mainframe,” said Indigo. “It’s great to see other women of color do what you’re doing, paving the way. Jill has definitely become a guide for me.”
The mural received attention from the Des Moines metro, so much so that other schools are now asking for a similar mural in their buildings.
Nine months ago, Indigo had never completed a mural. Since completing the one in May, they’ve completed two more murals, one of which can be spotted in Highland Park.
Next year, Indigo’s goal is to add a mural in the East Village to represent the LGBTQ+ community.
“I want something really colorful to mirror the people of the East Village.”
How Indigo got to this point in their artistic career is a bit of an anomaly, coming from a family where nobody was artistic. They weren’t very social as a child, so art was the perfect outlet.
They never saw a lot of representation in the art community of people who looked like them. So Indigo’s art focuses on culture and empowering women of all body types to be self-confident. They especially want to make the skin tones and color rich and vibrant to reflect culture and natural beauty.
While their work focuses on empowering others, it also can be a reflection of how Indigo works to overcome imposter syndrome.
“I just realized recently that a lot of the women I draw are all looking upward,” Indigo said. “So subconsciously, I think it’s something internally of holding your head high and feeling empowerment in yourself, in your own skin, and just the richness and beauty of what our skin tone represents in our culture and society.”
Indigo Moore
Studio 221
indigomoore.art@gmail.com