In Her Element: “You know what? I didn’t do that, WE did that.”
Alumnee mentee Marita Amour Itela (Photo: Nicole M. Gomes)
In Her Element is an editorial series of portraits – written and shot by Nicole M. Gomes – spotlighting women from our community.
This is the first portrait of former mentee Marita Amour Itela who developed a connection with her mentor from The Soulfuls Mentorship Program, Laura Nørgaard, Creative Director of Koné, which has continued past the end of the program. Read more and get behind-the-scenes view of what it looks like to be a French Digital Artist living and working in Copenhagen.
As I enter the loft space in the heart of Copenhagen’s city centre, my eye is immediately drawn to a wall sprawled with drawings, polaroids of friends, and posters that all nod to who the woman before me is - 29y/o French Digital Artist, Marita Amour Itela. The three largest pieces include Marita’s own illustration of Copenhagen’s infamous harbour Nyhavn, a graphic poster of the word ‘BONJOUR’, and an illustration of a black woman in a traditional African headdress with the caption “Khari - Queenly, born to bring joy”.
Growing up in Paris, cultural diversity wasn’t something Marita consciously thought about. All her friends came from different cultures, countries, and backgrounds. Naturally they looked different too—different skin tones, different hair textures, different body shapes.
“I couldn’t find illustrations that really looked like me or my friends, so I started to draw it.”
However around 2015 at a time when presenting yourself on social media had become the thing to do, she noted “I couldn’t find illustrations that really looked like me or my friends, so I started to draw it.” She confesses she didn’t think she was even particularly good at drawing - “I just started and with time it became something very important to me to make a lot of portraits of women that were unique."
“Sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader, but when you also have a cheerleader that is someone that is talented, successful, and has a recognition of their past, it’s so great.”
Fast forward ten years, Marita exhibited her “Portraits of Women” series at the Little Africa Gallery in Paris, highlighting beauty across a diverse selection of women. Whilst her work began to be recognised as something worth celebrating, others criticised her focus on women of colour. Thankfully those comments never made her doubt herself. Her mindset is straightforward: not everyone has to understand your work. “Sometimes people don’t know anything about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, or how you’re doing it—and they will dismiss you. But you don’t have to make everyone understand you.” Instead, she focuses on staying consistent and honest in what she creates. “The people who need to understand you will see you.” she assures with confidence, “Your audience will find you.”
Marita moved to Copenhagen without really knowing anyone. As a result, she was looking for more than just a job—she was looking for community. She joined The Soulfuls as their Social Media Coordinator - “it was my first big adventure in Copenhagen. We held so many events and did so many things. The Soulfuls became really big so fast, because a lot of people really resonated with it.” Seeing the impact firsthand was deeply rewarding - “When you work so hard on something because you truly believe in it, and then you get to see the fruit of that work and all the people happy because of it—it nourishes you so much.”
Alumnee mentee Marita Amour Itela (Photo: Nicole M. Gomes)
Today she works as a Content Creator at Kayak and Momondo, while continuing to build her creative practice through freelance illustration and animation. “My daily tasks can be scouting new talent, discussing with agencies, editing, posting, community management etc.”. When her day job finishes, she begins to work on her own creative projects; whether that means drawing, reaching out to brands or posting on her own channels. Marita tells me how she actually loves the duality. I laugh in admiration of her confidence, as she recounts the story of when she was interviewing for the office job. The HR guy had complimented her profile and she responded, “great because I love the job, it’s mine! How can I get it?” Marita credits her drive and determination to her upbringing, “Mum really raised us in the idea of ‘I don’t raise mediocre kids, you have to be exceptional’.” When she was younger, she lacked role models in the creative industry, so whilst she doesn’t have issues with confidence, she recognised how valuable it would be to have a mentor. She decided to join the Soulfuls Dreamers & Doers program as a mentee. “Sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader, but when you also have a cheerleader that is someone that is talented, successful, and has a recognition of their past, it’s so great.”
“She taught me how to slow down and focus on myself and my goals.”
She speaks highly of her experience being mentored by Laura Nørgaard, Creative Director of Koné, and how their relationship has continued past the end of the program (in fact, they are meeting up next week!) She had the opportunity to collaborate with Laura, drawing for the store’s comms and decorations. Yet, her main takeaway from the programme was learning to slow down. Marita’s drive, although impressive, often found herself overextended as she gave way to the pressure of FOMO - “while doing everything you can’t do anything properly. So Laura taught me how to slow down and focus on myself and my goals. It was really necessary for me to understand that slowing down is also a task. Resting is also a task. Thinking is more important than you can imagine.”
Alumnee mentee Marita Amour Itela (Photo: Nicole M. Gomes)
Now she prioritises her mental and physical health by going to the gym in the mornings before work. She describes it as an important part of her process - “I plan my day and as I do my cardio, I get answers to my creative prayers.” On one of her morning walks she decided to reach out to Vogue Scandinavia and successfully pitched a collaboration for Copenhagen Fashion Week. She beams over how refreshing it feels to work with brands and media that share her values - “when you reach the people who are aligned in what you are doing, everything goes very smoothly.” Of course it’s not always this way and so her advice for others pursuing a creative career is to “stay consistent. Keep doing the work. Sometimes you might get a ‘no’ or a ‘not right now’ or we’re not interested because it’s just not the right time and that’s ok. It’s all about timing, consistency and work.”
I intuitively skip over my question about imposter syndrome and ask Marita if she feels that she has succeeded in her career. She answers yes but clarifies, “I am beyond happy, I have a great life and I really love it but I still have to keep building it. Career is not just reaching one place or one position or one company, I think it’s the long run.” Thinking back to her biggest role model she tells me, “My mum really dedicated her life for us to make sure that she will provide everything that we need. So starting a career and a life was a great way for me to dedicate it to her.” She smiles and corrects herself. “You know what? I didn’t do that,” she says. “WE did that.”