Article by Cora Mertens
Wichita local, Hunter Gromala, is setting the stage for successful women in the artistic world. At 23, she has decided to pursue a full-time passion as a freelance creative with a social message.
Growing up in the Bible Belt, Gromala was raised with conservative beliefs, but admits to always feel like she was “playing a role” and that the beliefs didn’t feel “quite right” to her.
Gromala’s creativity bloomed from a young age. As a child, she sang for her church band and found herself memorizing lines of movies.
As she got older, she found herself identifying as a feminist and member of the LGBT+ community. Gromala saw controversial art pieces that made her laugh, then think deeper, something that she presents in her art today.
“I call my style ‘feminism with a smirk,’” Gromala said, using playful language to reflect the laugh-then-think art style.
“I don’t really find myself claiming a badge for all these communities, I just want everyone to have the same rights as a person,” Gromala said.
Into adulthood, Gromala heavily pursued the modeling industry. She had success locally but was often denied due to height requirements and her short hair when it came to bigger opportunities.
“When I got into modeling, it was before this wave of equality in the fashion world,” Gromala says.
Though roadblocks were put in her way when it came to modeling worldwide, at least at that time, she persisted. She exploded into the Wichita photography scene. Not only was she in front of the lens, but also the stylist and photographer for others. Many of these photo shoots feature women breaking social norms when it comes to style.
“I’m really into men’s streetwear on women at the moment,” Gromala said.
“If I couldn’t do it professionally, I wanted to share my knowledge with someone that could.”
Gromala takes a different approach than other artists. She’s noticed they can refuse to share their experience to young, blooming creatives in fear of being copied.
When it comes to mentoring others, Gromala is a huge advocate of seeking out what you love even if you’re not capable of doing that in a college setting. All of her creative skills are self-taught and self-inspired. From a young age, Gromala rose to the challenge when someone told her she wasn’t capable of x, y and z, proving them wrong every time. She wants to share this confidence with others.
Recently, Gromala has found herself exploring more mediums, specifically sketching and acrylic painting. She has unveiled several unique concepts, nearly all of them reflecting her girl positive message.
“I just want people to laugh, then think further into my message,” Gromala said.
Her art often depicts women, sometimes naked, with satirical messages about the patriarchy and social norms of today.
Gromala has also found success in mural painting. This last week, she was commissioned by Il Primo, Wichita’s oldest coffee shop, to refresh their interior. She designed and completed a mural, but also worked on hanging other photos and a fresh paint job. She feels proud to be trusted to take over a space like that.
“He sought me out and wanted my help with everything, not just with the mural, I feel like I’m able to fully explore my creative side,” Gromala said.
She is still working closely with the local business owner as Il Primo revamps its look.
On social media, Gromala displays a girl boss attitude. This is inspiring to young women, especially in creative world that is mainly dominated by males. However, she wants everyone to know it’s okay to have weak moments.
She talked about her struggles with finding a balance as a self-employed artist. Often, she finds herself starting a project around 9 p.m. and not finishing until 6 a.m. Contradictory to the societal stereotype that making your own work schedule could be ideal, she finds herself overworking more than anything.
Rest and self-care are her big tips to newly established artists. She explained that being able to recuperate after hitting a burnout period in inspiration often leads to a refreshed perspective.
Gromala plans to continue to be active in the ICT art scene, delving herself into every medium that interests her.
Find Hunter at her instagram instagram.com/@HunterGromala .
