Ep. 216: Staying Grounded in Authenticity with Mayanthi Jayawardena

Written By Level Up

In this episode we interview multidisciplinary artist and founder of Serendib Creative LLC, Mayanthi Jayawardena. We talk about recognizing burnout, pivoting healing into a source of income, staying grounded in authenticity, the power of showing up, the benefit of engaging others with a project, and the launch of her new community art consulting services.

Mayanthi Jayawardena

Founder, Owner - Serendib Creative LLC | Durham


Artist Bio:

Mayanthi Jayawardena is the multidisciplinary artist behind Serendib Creative LLC. Mayanthi is a muralist, fine arts painter, children’s book illustrator and designer. Her award winning art is internationally recognized and has been featured from North Carolina to Australia. She describes her art as an expressive blend of her Sri Lankan culture and life experiences. Mayanthi recognizes the power of art and its ability to spread important community messages and bring people together. Her 9+ years as a public health professional has seamlessly blended into her art advocacy to increase her community impact. Furthermore, art in any form has always been a form of healing for Mayanthi and that healing is reflected in her art. Mayanthi plays with the alchemy of art and healing to create new ways of depicting the complexities of the human experience, mental health, community, and empowerment. She is eager for more opportunities to create unique, powerful, and eye catching murals to bring vibrancy and positivity to more communities.

Prior to becoming a full-time artist, Mayanthi graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Masters in Public Health. Mayanthi worked in the field of sexual violence prevention & advocacy for over 9 years in higher education and with national leaders such as Tarana Burke. During her career she began using art as a form of healing. Through these experiences, she decided to take the leap to invest in herself and her art full time. Mayanthi has blended her art and her advocacy to continue to impact the communities she serves.

Mayanthi’s artwork is vibrant, moving, flowing and expressive. Her murals span from elevating branding for businesses (ie. logo’s, brand designs, etc.), digital murals, public health and environmental awareness campaigns, community initiatives, and so much more. A key component of Mayanthi’s process, which draws many clients to work with her, is her emphasis on community engagement. Mayanthi believes that the best and most powerful part of murals is the ability to bring people together and represent them through art. Furthermore, engaging the represented communities in the creation of the murals increases a sense of togetherness and sustainable investment in the mural and the organization.

Much of Mayanthi’s art incorporates plants, flowers, and other natural elements. She also enjoys painting her signature Serendib flowing shapes that add color to any space. Mayanthi loves creating a sense of community through her art so she also enjoys painting people using the other elements of nature and color to enhance the message. Mayanthi’s artwork adorns many small businesses in the Triangle, she has been hand-picked by numerous community arts organizations for local initiatives and her artistic footprint is continually expanding each year. If you work with Mayanthi, you will be adding vibrance, culture, color, and community to your walls.

Podcast Music By Corey Claxton:

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Ep. 215: Evolving Sketchbook Practice