Ivana Taylor was born in Belgrade, Serbia and grew up in Chicago, following a short detour in Australia. She spent summers in Serbia and Croatia and traveled widely with her wander-lusting grandmother. She inherited a love of adventure early, so much so that friends describe it as “immigrant-gypsy” — a core of family values but with serious traveling tendencies. Ivana's imagery captures her love of new places.

 

She grew up with immigrant ideals. Her parents came to America with nothing but suitcases and that famous dream. Her writing often includes perspectives on the immigrant experience.

 

Although visual art — drawing, painting, sketching — was her first love, she “sensibly/immigrantly” studied finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and then some more at the University of Chicago for her MBA.

 

Ivana is also a consultant and entrepreneur. For years, she traveled all over to places like Des Moines, Iowa, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and White Castle, Louisiana. Intellectually fascinating work but not too much imagery from that era — not because there wasn't beauty there (there is plenty) but because she wasn't paying attention back then.

 

She lived and worked in New York City for many years, which still feels like her second home and immigrant-happy-gypsy place.  She dream-writes fiction there but lives real life in Chicago.