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Camilla Engström makes being joyful look easy. The Los Angeles-based artist and newly minted Semaine collaborator was actively practicing positivity for years before the pandemic hit and put her dedication to happiness to the test. To some, her commitment to remaining optimistic might be readily dismissed as callow or simplistic, but in reality, positivity as a discipline is no mean feat. Despite her rosy appearances, Engström has battled many of the same issues as the rest of us due to the world being on hold: She hasn’t hugged her parents for months or been back to her childhood home in Sweden, and she remains fearful of the anti-Asian rhetoric (Engström’s mother is Chinese), that is building to a crescendo in the United States, thanks in no small part to Donald Trump using the slur ‘China Virus’ as interchangeable for COVID-19.

Semaine speaks to Engström at her home in Silver Lake, where she typically starts her day early, before driving to her studio in Downtown LA. “I come in around 8am, I put on some music, and I dance,” she says, adding that if she’s in the mood she’ll record herself and post it on her Instagram account as “a way to get out of my head and into my body.” After that, it’s time to drink smoothies and paint—until it’s not. Engström, unlike many of her peers, doesn’t romanticize being stressed, or overworking: “I don’t push myself to work when I don’t feel like it, so I paint when I want to paint, and after that it’s time to go home or spend some time in nature,” she says without diffidence.

Engström’s paintings are big. They’re also colorful, witty, and infused with warmth. She favors oils over acrylics, stretches and preps her own canvases, and typically works on three pieces in tandem to avoid feeling too precious about any one thing. “It gives me a sense of confidence, because if I fuck one up, I’ve got two others to fall back on,” she says with prototypical levity.

Her purpose is to create art “that makes someone feel good,” which is why she’s not afraid to take a mid-week hiatus if she’s drained, or simply not feeling it. “I want to share the best side of myself through my work, so if I’m not calm and peaceful, and ideally happy, I just rest for a few days instead. I don’t want to agitate anyone with my art, it’s meant to be a positive experience for me as an artist and for those who view it.

“For Engström, social media has been a blessing. Her breakout moment came via Instagram after dropping out of fashion school at FIT in New York and opting out of modeling gigs for big box brands like Calvin Klein and J.Crew. She was broke, but surrounded (and dating) creatives, and decided to try her hand at “this whole being an artist thing.” She came up with a close to millennial-pink recurring character called Husa, (which means housemaid in Swedish), who quickly became an internet sensation and catapulted Engström to fame. “Before my painting career took off, I was posting Husa every day,” she reflects.’