Meet Rochelle Irons | Creative and Founder of Green Papaya Palace, Inc

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

Hi Rochelle, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’m often asked about my choice to pursue art as a career. I remember knowing that I was an artist at the age of 7. It wasn’t really something that I did, it was something that I was. I didn’t want to be a ballerina or go to space….I knew I would create things. Colors, patterns, and the feelings I could absorb from the world around me made me see the world differently from as early as I can remember. The world tries to force us into a box. We’re given these different structures to contain us that feel suffocating to a creative. the work and school week, this set structure of blocking out time into something to be used in a certain way is stifling. I fell into the trap along the way and spent many years undoing that. In 2010 my life changed drastically and in these changes I found the catalyst to hope for better, to dream of a more fluid use of time, where my creativity could thrive. The changes were sometimes agonizingly slow. But even baby steps take you someplace new.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of my biggest struggles has been time. As a single parent of 2 small children, finding the time not only to create, but to market my work was definitely a challenge, and continues to be a challenge even though my children are older now. A professional art career is built not just on creative talent. It also requires persistence, you’re going to be told no over and over again. People skills, this can be really hard if like me, your brain demands time away from people to recharge. Technical skills, and navigating social media and websites is a totally different monster. The list goes on. One of the things that has helped me to keep going and to get this far is to break everything down into smaller steps. I might not be able to move as fast, to jump those hoops as fast as some others that maybe have more skill in some of those areas or less responsibilities asked of them in other areas of their life. But I can KEEP GOING…one baby step at a time, and that progress counts, and still moves you forward.

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 LOVE where I live! To start the day, we’d be getting coffee and breakfast sandwiches at Papa Kwan’s in Juno Beach. We’d probably take that coffee down to Juno Pier where we could watch people fish, kite surf, maybe pet some dogs at the dog beach and grab some perfect shells while we dip our toes in the surf.
I’m a big fan of sustainable fashion, so maybe some thrifting at Wear Luv and Junkin’Jypsys for some gorgeous high-end fashion finds for a steal of a price. Some lunch and drinks in the jungle setting of Guanabanas while we listen to live music and watch the paddleboarders. Maybe a private snorkeling tour with Nelly of EbbNflow Adventures. And back to watch that sunset over at Love Street to end the day…..

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Aside from my family, that are incredibly supportive, I have to give a shoutout to one of my very best friends, biggest cheerleader, and collector of my artwork, a truly gifted stylist and designer, Patricia Burlington.

The super trusting visionaries and owners of 2 local restaurants, Guanabanas and the TideHouse helped to catapult my art career. They were willing to trust my intuition and gave me such freedom to create unique art for some of the coolest waterfront dining spots in the area.

Website: www.greenpapayapalace.com

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Image Credits
Image credits to : Photographer Jillian Nicholson Dress credits to: Designer Patricia Burlington