Inside ART150 at 150 Bay Street in Jersey City, artists work across every imaginable medium. Painters, sculptors, designers, photographers, and creators occupy one of the region’s most active artist communities.
Among them is artist, designer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Heloise.
In this episode of Tarik Talk, I sat down with my fellow ART150 neighbor to discuss creativity, discipline, artistic growth, and how having a dedicated studio space has transformed her practice.
From Classical Music to Visual Art
Before becoming known for her watercolor paintings and design work, Heloise’s creative foundation was built through music.
Growing up with piano lessons, performances, competitions, and voice training, creativity became a constant presence in her life. While many artists discover visual art first, Heloise arrived there through a different path—one rooted in discipline, repetition, and performance.
That background continues to influence how she approaches her work today.
For Heloise, creativity is not simply inspiration. It is a practice.
A commitment.
Something that requires showing up consistently.
Inspiration and Execution
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation centered on the relationship between inspiration and execution.
Heloise described creativity as a two-part process: finding inspiration and then transforming that inspiration into finished work. Sometimes those moments happen together. Sometimes they are separated by days, weeks, or even months.
A color, a shape, a movement, a landscape, a conversation, or even a memory can become the starting point for a new piece.
What matters is remaining open enough to recognize it.
The Power of Working Across Multiple Mediums
In addition to painting, Heloise writes songs, studies ballet, designs products, and operates a greeting card business.
Rather than viewing these interests as competing disciplines, she sees them as forms of creative cross-training. Each medium teaches something different while strengthening the others.
Music informs rhythm.
Dance informs movement.
Design informs composition.
Painting brings everything together.
The result is a creative practice that refuses to be confined to a single category.
Why Studio Space Matters
A recurring theme throughout our conversation was the importance of dedicated workspace.
Like many artists, Heloise spent years creating in apartments, shared living spaces, and makeshift work environments. She recalled experiences of working at kitchen tables and constantly having to move supplies to accommodate daily life.
Having a studio at Art150 changed that.
Located at 150 Bay Street in Jersey City, ART150 provides artists with dedicated spaces where work can remain in progress, ideas can develop naturally, and creative momentum can be maintained.
For Heloise, that space became essential.
She described artist studios as sacred environments where creators can control distractions, develop their work, and build sustainable practices over time.
Art150: More Than a Building
What makes ART150 special is not only the individual studios.
It’s the community.
Artists encounter each other in hallways, exhibitions, open studios, and shared conversations.
Ideas are exchanged.
Projects evolve.
Collaborations emerge.
As artists working in the same building, our conversation naturally returned to how important these creative communities can be—not only for producing work, but for sustaining careers over the long term.
Creating Work That Lasts
One of the most memorable stories Heloise shared involved meeting people who connected deeply with her artwork because it reminded them of their mothers, who had also been artists.
Many of those women created remarkable work that was never fully seen or appreciated outside their immediate circles.
Those experiences changed her perspective.
They reinforced her desire to create work that people would keep, value, and pass on. Work that survives beyond the moment it was created.
Not simply artwork.
The Artist’s Challenge
Throughout our conversation, Heloise spoke honestly about the realities artists face today.
The challenge isn’t only making the work.
It’s creating the conditions that allow the work to exist.
Time.
Space.
Financial stability.
Mental clarity.
Creative freedom.
All are essential parts of the artistic process, yet they are often overlooked when people focus only on finished artworks.
Behind every painting hanging on a gallery wall are countless unseen hours of preparation, experimentation, failure, revision, and persistence.
Looking Forward
Today, Heloise continues to expand her artistic practice through painting, songwriting, design projects, greeting cards, commissions, and creative collaborations.
Working from her studio at Art150 in Jersey City, she represents the kind of multidisciplinary artist increasingly shaping contemporary creative culture—someone unafraid to move between mediums while remaining grounded in a strong artistic vision.
And perhaps that is the biggest lesson from our conversation:
Creativity isn’t one thing.
It’s a lifelong practice of curiosity, exploration, and continuous growth.
About Tarik Talk
Tarik Talk is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by artist Tarik Mendes. With 200+ episodes across 50+ seasons, recorded live in over 10 countries, the podcast features conversations with artists, designers, curators, museum professionals, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders exploring creativity, contemporary art, and the ideas shaping today’s cultural landscape.