One of the goals of my art practice is to discuss the realities  about being an artist and to dispel myths. One of the biggest ones that I  encounter and one of the ones that I find the most frustrating is when  people question why I'm not a a full-time artist (i.e., why I am not  making a living as an artist). As if it were that easy.

For  those few who are able to make a living off of their work are truly  blessed but that isn't true for most artists, as this article written in 2017 points out. Even though it is from 2017, not much  has changed in two years.
I have a bread  and butter job because I need to pay bills, keep a roof over my head and  eat. I often invest my own money in my projects. I've been told that I  shouldn't tell people that I have a day job because galleries or other  art world entities would look down on me for devoting all of my time to  making art. I think this is ridiculous when we live in a country that  doesn't support or advocate for artists or we live in a culture where  people mock the importance of what we do. While I would love to  exclusively create for a living, it's not possible. How I can be  creative when I have to worry about surviving? This is a reality for so  many artists and I think it's silly to dismiss those who work and still  come after their day job to create. That's dedication.
Please  keep this in mind the next time you are skeptical at how much an artist  charges for their work, their prints, and their labor. Please keep this  in mind when supporting women artists, especially Black women artists  who have it the toughest out of anyone when it comes to recognition and  support for their work.
I am grateful for  the support that I get from other artists and patrons who support by  purchasing prints or donating to my Patreon/Ko-fi accounts. I am  thankful to have people who cheer me on and share what I do with others  so that they know about what I do. It means more than you could ever  know.

Today I woke up with a craving to see some artwork. After searching around for possible spots to visit on the internet, a family friend send me a suggestion about this small gallery in Sugar Hill, Harlem called Essie Green. Even though it was a bit of a trek from my neighborhood in Queens, I was eager for adventure and a change of scenery and hopped the train into uptown Manhattan.

The gallery is nestled inside a beautiful brownstown on Convent Avenue and I happened to get there when the gallery administrator was arriving with an armful of paintings. The space was intimate and friendly and I found myself in face to face with originals by the likes of Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden and Henry Ossawa Tanner.

In addition to the incredible collection of artwork by the Black Masters, I think one of the greatest assets of the gallery is the owner and the staff. Just as I was getting ready to head out, I got a chance to meet the owner Sherman Edmiston, who's late wife bears the name of the space. At first I was just expected a brief exchange but he insisted I sit down and talk with him to ask me about my background and my art practice. In that quiet and patient conversation with him, I got my an unexpected art education.

After looking at my work on Instagram, Mr. Edmiston asked me what it is that I wanted to do and asked if I considered going to art school. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought (assuming he was talking about a degree program) and told him how the thought of returning to school and paying for another degree just didn't make me want to consider it. That's when he pointed out that I shouldn't think about it as having to go back to school but rather what I could gain from going to a program. I think my cynicism about higher education programs kept me from seeing it as an opportunity to gain guidance and as a chance of developing one's voice. I had taken a few art classes at the Art Students league (before that, it had been through some community college classes in Michigan) and witnessed teachers delivering blistering and withering critiques of students works, some of them seeming more personal than constructive. A lot of it reminded me of law school, which wasn't one of my happier personal experiences and wouldn't be eager to repeat. But just like law school, apparently having that degree will determine how well you will do in the art world. According to Mr. Edmiston, having that Yale MFA (or from another prestigious program) is a big factor as to whether you'll get the big art sales and shows at the museums. I've heard this before but it was still disappointing because I can't help but think of this as a form of elitism. While he agreed with me that these programs allow you to buy your way into a "special club", it's also an opportunity to get exposure to a good art program and guidance from a mentor that can draw out the uniqueness one brings to their work.

He also went on to say that being "self taught" is a real art-career killer.

Yikes.

But at the end of the day, it's about how you define success. As he also said, it's about what success looks for you and what you want out of your life as an artist.

What stayed with me from our talk was how he described his time with Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, both of whom he knew personally. He described how they had these intense hunger, obsession with their work. When it came down to pursuing this obsession, nothing else mattered. He told me how both of them it wasn't until they got to the end of their lives that they felt like they were "getting it".He couldn't describe what it was but it just seem like everything was just coming together at this stage of their lives. There was never a fear of getting bored or burnt out.

So what started out as being a simple excursion to a small gallery ended up being an unexpected education.Talking with Mr. Edmiston left me a lot to think about, especially when it comes to my motivations behind why I make this work. I don't see my lack of a formal art degree as a disadvantage or a setback. I've had more opportunities that I could have expected that have included solo shows at galleries and universities or showing my work at the Schomburg Center. I may never sell work for six figures but I don't let that define me.

I do this work because it sustains me and has done so since I first picked up a pencil and crayons as a little girl. I do this work because I'm curious about the world and people and I have something to say. The mediums in which I work may shift but the desire to create is always there. I define my success by my continuing passion to create and how what I do is enough to move people. I may never sell my work for six figures or mingle with art-elite and that's okay.

I'm grateful to Mr. Edmiston for his kindness and patience and for the lesson.

I'm embarking on a new dimension of my Inkscape portraits. A few weeks ago I was inspired by this exhibit at the @posterhouse featuring the beautiful work of Alphonse Mucha. I loved the way his posters centered women and made them look beautiful and powerful against ornate backdrops and graceful #typography. His work inspired me to revisit old #Ebony magazines and from the 70s and to study the ads for #haircare and products geared towards women. The hair care ads stood out to me the mostly because it talked about hair relaxers and how they were supposed to transform a woman's life. I thought it would be interesting to address that notion in a time when Black women are not solely relying on straightened hairstyles to express and celebrate themselves. We continue to experiment with shape, color and textures and I wanted to extend that conversation through the #BelleNoir series that I've been developing.

This is the first image in this new project. The slogan was taken from an ad for Curl Out Relaxer. It's somewhat ironic that the messaging was to suggest that putting harsh chemicals in Black hair was a form of liberation. In response, I decided to use my own model and have her hair take the form of a black and gold #Inkscape defying gravity in the same way that natural, unrelaxed Black hair does.

This past week marked a lot of firsts for me in my art career that have been some of the most gratifying moments of  my life.

On Tuesday, the National Black Theatre presented their production In Perpetual Flight: The Black Body in Motion at the Schomburg Center. Their event was part of the New York City wide festival theme on migration which was developed by Carnegie Hall. NBT had commissioned me to create artworks that marked the four critical stages of Black migration within the United States: The Transatlantic and Domestic Slave Trade & Runaway Journeys, The First Northerm MIgration, Back to Africa: Colonization and Emigration and The Great Migration: Redefining Cities. Each era was celebrated through dance, spoken word and song with the works I created serving as an introductory backdrop for each performance. It felt incredible to be part of something that was bigger than myself and that celebrated the migratory experiences of Black people in such a powerful way.

After the program ended, I was invited onstage to join in the panel discussion that featured all the commissioned artists for the production. This was the first time in a very long while since I’ve been on a stage for a live show so leading up to it, I was kind of nervous but once I got out there, it felt good. The energy of the audience was so positive (replete with finger-snaps and affirming “mmm-hmmms”), and the camaraderie among my fellow artists was so strong, that it felt like I was having a conversation with people I had known for a long time.

You can watch the livestream entire program here.

Then the next day I traveled to Newark to hold my artist talk for my exhibition Fluid Resistance: Heroism in Two Acts. The best part of the talk was getting a chance to answer questions and explain my process to the students in an introductory photography class. For many of them, it was the first time they had gone to an artist talk so it was refreshing to see my presentation and the art world through new eyes. After answering questions about my process, inspiration and my thoughts on current social issues, we all walked over to the exhibition to view the works in person. One of the greatest parts of this experience with Rutgers was getting to see how committed Paul Robeson Galleries to the grassroots art community, which is a refreshing change from New York’s art scene, which at times can be too elitist and competitive.  In addition to hosting exhibitions and artist talks, they also run workshops and classes so I’m hoping to work with them in the future about possible workshops regarding legal issues for artists.

So that was my week! It feels so good to see flowers blooming where I’ve been planting seeds for all the years. It gives a whole new meaning to the rebirth of spring.

My art is overseas!  My Inkscape photograph, A Balm, has made it all the way to Kigali, Rwanda! My work was chosen by the editors of Mfon to be included  in a group exhibition that will be on display at the United States ambassador's residence in Kigali for the duration of his term. I've always dreamed of displaying my work internationally so this definitely an exciting milestone for me. I am, however, kind of jealous that my artwork made it to the continent before I did but I will get there eventually.

Big thanks to Mfon editors Layla Amatallah Barryn and Delphine Adama Fawundu for this incredible opportunity!

I decided to submit one of my Inkscape portraits for this year's annual Postcards From the Edge art show. I remember when I first started submitting for those shows; it wasn't such a big deal back then. You could go without getting overwhelmed by a crowd and go late enough in the day that you could still see plenty of unsold postcards. Nowadays, it's swelled into something huge and there are actually stampedes to get into the event when it opens. This is probably because word got out that you can end up buying a postcard from a famous artist for only $85. The postcards are displayed anonymously, so you never know who you end up with until you purchase it. What's cool about it is that someone who is just starting art gets to display their artwork alongside someone who is world famous but both of their works sell for the exact same price. Given how elitist the art market can be, I can't entirely blame people for bumrushing the galleries. It's also a win-win for Visual Aids because the sale proceeds from the show help support AIDS awareness and outreach programs.

I usually submit something every year but I stopped going to the shows because they got to be so crowded, and I really hate crowds. That’s one thing I don't like about art openings in New York; they get to be so crowded because everyone wants to see and be seen that you really can’t even get a good look at the work. They have a preview party for participating artists but I wasn’t able to make it last night because of another event I had to go to. But since I decided to be better at getting out and going to more art events this year, I promised myself that I would suck it up and brave the crowds. I almost changed my mind when I saw on the Visual Aids’ Instagram feed that the line was down the street just before the doors opened but my resolve strengthened when I promised myself to eat first before going. Afterall, no one likes a hungry homicidal maniac during an art opening.

By the time I did make it down there at around 1:30, I was shocked to see that the crowds were gone. It was almost like people had stormed the gallery, grabbed the art they wanted and then ran out. There was still a lot of work up for sell but a lot of pieces, including mine, were gone. I was somewhat bummed that  I didn’t get a chance to see my work up on the wall but I was happy to know that someone connected with it enough to take it home with them. I was always wonder about the buyer when this happens; who are they, what do they do, what did they seem in my work that made them want to take it home with them?

At any rate, it was great to stick around take in the works that were still there in a calmer atmosphere. There were a lot of great postcards still around, including some pretty impressive 3-D works that looked like a lot of thought and effort were put into them. I’m sharing a few that I really liked and I wish that I could tell you who made them, but you know…it’s all anonymous.

If you're an artist interested in participating in next year's show, you can find out more information about it by going to their webpage.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the much anticipated Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I'm so happy to have the time off so I could absorb  the show because there was so much care put into showing the many facets of her life. I wish I could share pictures but out of respect for the Museum's no photo policy, all I can say is be sure to see it as soon as you can!

Like most people, I had read and seen movies and documentaries about Frida's life but it felt so different to see the parts of her life that she lived with in person,  which even included the medicine bottles that she used for her chronic illnesses.

It took me a while in the last several years to really appreciate her paintings. At first, they seemed too surreal, so full of pain and even gruesome at times. Over time I came to appreciate the raw honesty of her work and her willingness to speak of her hopes, pain and disappointments through her work. I imagine that had to be like journaling for her.

I  was so inspired by what I saw that I created this quick Inkscape portrait of her. I I thought it apropos to have her kind of softly disintegrating (or integrating, depending on how you look at it) considering her painful and complicated relationship with her body. She spent most of her life in pain but I wanted to show that even when it seemed like she couldn't come together physically, there was still fluidity...some softness to it.

Anyway, don't waste another minute and get your ticket to see Frida in Brooklyn.

Hey all! I finally have the date for my artist talk at Rutgers. On Wednesday, April 17, 10 am, I will be holding a discussion with one of the university professors. In addition to talking about the current exhibition, we’ll also discuss how my work in relation to Audre Lorde’s book, Sister Outsider. I’ll be following up with more details as we get closer to the artist talk date!