My journey as an artist
Christmas morning with my art table and sister Delois.
A self taught artist are artists who did not receive formal training in the visual arts. So I guess you can say I am a self taught artist until I got to middle school to receive formal training. I remember getting my first art desk for Christmas when we lived in Detroit and my second “real” art desk in high school. My first one was a little tikes art desk with tracing light and lamp. I won a lot of awards participating in art competitions in elementary and middle school. I had my art on display at the children’s museum of Indianapolis in elementary was my first accomplishment as a child, for me anyway. I remember receiving different assignments in art class than everyone else. I did portraits, worked with pastels and other mediums. Think the teacher really enjoyed having me as a student since I took the class very seriously. Eventually my mom signed me up for a performance arts middle school thanks to the art teacher encouraging it.
I remember walking in this school building and going to the third floor and seeing a still life set up in the middle of the art studio/classroom and desks lined up around it and kids drawing to prove their skills to be in the magnet program. The teacher was really impressed by my work and how quickly I was done before those who started way before me.
As I got older my love for the art never changed (accept maybe that you have to be dead to receive any recognition as an artist). I didn’t see how I could make money as an artist at that time and I did not want to become an art teacher or a starving artist. Especially where I come from where people think $50 is too expensive for a portrait drawn in pencil. I ultimately decided to not go to college for art. Do I regret my decision, not entirely. Everything happens for a reason and the path I took still benefited me in the long run.
In college I minored in art it had absolutely nothing to do with my major which was Public Health. I basically did that to keep drawing and it was sort of like self care for me and never realized it. The art professors were also trying to get me to switch my major to art over the years. After grad school (extremely depressed during those two years) and moving to Atlanta I was getting in the art community and finally drawing after not doing so for two years. Seeing these artists making a living or simply extra cash and doing what they love I felt like I belong. My first art show I participated in I sold a painting of an elephant on plywood I repurposed from an old dresser. The buyer didn’t question my price or try to negotiate it. I was so ecstatic about it. Simply just being in a room full of creative people selling their work for thousands of dollars was the inspiration I needed to take my love for drawing, painting, and creating seriously. If I would have been exposed to this earlier in life, yes I probably would have went to an art college.
Now I consider myself to be a successful artist. I may not make a lot of money selling art right now. But I am getting invited and asked to be part of events, asked to do tattoos (even though I don’t promote/do them right now), do live paintings, co-host events, do photo shoots, do sip and paint parties, and collaborate with projects. I see myself living a life where I do what I love for a living and seeing my art being purchased for thousands. I can finally say that I am proud of myself and my personal journey as an artist.