In all the years I have considered myself a developing person, I have come to reconcile with the role and influence I play in the world I live in. I am an artist who is coming to know what exactly being an artist means. Fundamentally, art is an action founded by intention: it is dynamic. Art is the creative manifestation of multidimensional conversation, a kaleidoscopic display of emotions, an invitation, a statement, and so on. It is ethereal and transcendent! With that conviction, I am motivated to develop my means of adding to a never-ending narrative. I can say that I am an artist, as inherently, we all are in different ways. We are the stories shared with us and those that we eventually pioneer.
My life’s mission is to exalt that purpose and ignite newfound enthusiasm for creative endeavors. I strive to add more color, vibrancy, and vitality in my life, to this canvas (as I consider myself) and by extension to everyone else that I meet. Through art, I assure this little Black girl (still growing up) that she has the right and privilege to a voice and the space she takes up. I know that visual art is an opportunity not just for my own sake but also for the confidence of a generation of others.
I am unsure what I want to do (occupation-wise). It is less of the idea of not knowing at all, but that I have many pathways in mind. I simply have the drive to be most creative wherever I may eventually stand. When I was younger, my primary ambition was to become an animator, as I felt strongly that such was the best avenue to present my creativity. Now I do not have a defined position in mind and am enjoying the journey to discovering it. I have also contemplated becoming an educator because I enjoy the idea of imparting wisdom and knowledge to others. It broadens the horizon, allowing more to uniquely contribute their own stories and enrich each other.
The artist in my life that has immediately influenced me the most is my older sister. The times we shared drawings, trying to (and trying not to) trace from ‘Drago art.com‘ in elementary school, and sharing with friends. I found a love for sharing my voice in abstract ways. Art was always a communal situation, and my sister encouraged me to keep at it. As I grew up, a particular artist I came to admire was acclaimed animator Richard Williams. His perseverance and ambition inspired me to dare conceive the seemingly ‘impossible’ and difficult aspects of artmaking. I hope to become an inspiration to others and help produce more avenues for others to share their voices.
Brooklyn College
Cornelia T. Bailey Scholarship-2023
Ghanaian/Jamaican (African American)
