portrait of the artist - debra

im always inspired by the artist

the one who was born to create

whose passion ignites souls

my friend debra

an illustrator and graphic designer

has got undeniable and effortless

we got together on what finally felt like a proper spring day

sunny skies and a cool breeze

the air was light

her apartment filled with music

(corinne bailey rae, drake, kendrick)

and with great conversation

snacks

and some spontaneous dancing

i was able to capture her creative process

her mind

her heart

and from her hands

flow art in its purest form.

she's got the sort of free spirit that breeds creativity.

each conversation i have with her leaves me inspired

keeps my soul excited about my own passions

her work is honest

she creates what truly inspires her

with the goal of opening minds about the standards of beauty

her paintings are mostly of natural haired black women

who like her

let their manes flow wild and freely

"art is a lasting impression of the society we live in
we can look back to the twenties and see what were the major topics of discussion through art. 
it's like a visual time stamp. 
unfortunately minority voices aren't usually part of the maintained archives
but as the saying goes 
the hunter tells the story, not the lion. 
those who make art are telling our stories, from where we are sitting
here and now, how we look at the world. 
that page in history is important. "

in the past few months

she's been sharing her art with the world
and growing a steady flow of fans

her illustrations have gone viral

opened up amazing opportunities

"my fears are that I'm not good enough

i think every piece I put up isn't good enough

[and] honestly feel like i take a chance everyday by [sharing]. 

my followers have gotten me this far

i really appreciate their feedback. 

i try to make them the voice in my head; silence that other one. 

its about doing what you love

fearlessly and straight from the soul.

this artist is going places

and i'm so excited to watch her journey

. . .

had a blast shooting debra

hair and styling by me

jewels by respect the chief & decollete

makeup by tanica davis

check out more on my site

and see debra's work at debracartwright.com

the prettiest thing

i'm dreaming again

like i've always been

. . .

door #50

" you must knock on door number 25 or 50 or 100

as enthusiastically as you did on the first door that was closed in your face

you need to be prepared for a lot of rejection and never give up enthusiasm

it'll get you eventually to a successful area"

. . . 

- john paul dejoria (co-founder of paul mitchell hair and patron spirits)

read this powerful quote 

and it resonated with me

knocking on door #50 

without loosing enthusiasm

takes a great deal of faith

we tend to expect what we are used to

50 doors slammed in our faces

we expect door #51 to produce the same result

almost a defense mechanism

preparing for the worst

the challenge is to prepare for the best

keeping a glimmer of hope

never loosing enthusiasm

that maybe the next door just might be it

. . . 

found this image while cleaning out my computer

shot last year while i was in barcelona

i spent a day solo

traveling to a small town i had heard of

scary experience getting lost in a foreign country with limited phone/internet access

but well worth it

. . . 

be bold

be enthusiastic

prepare for the best

part II

you've always moved to the beat of your own drum

beautiful and terrifying

at the same time

i tried to catch up

tried to hold on

knowing eventually

i'd need to stand still

and watch you walk

. . . 

love is

love is patient

love is kind

it does not envy

it does not boast

it is not proud

it does not dishonor others

it is not self-seeking

it is not easily angered

it keeps no record of wrongs

love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth

it always protects

always trusts

always hopes

always perseveres

love never fails

. . . 

love gives us freedom from our past

gives us peace

and hope for the future

so everyday i meditate on what love really is

and the perfect unconditional love that comes from God

the goal is to love the right way

because after-all

love is

the only thing that really matters

. . . 

marina abromovic

artist inspiration - marina abromovic

i've been so inspired by this incredible artist

known as the grandmother of performance art

she is absolutely limitless

her philosophy

and the way she puts her all into her art

is beyond incredible

'i think one of the main question is if someone is an artist at all 

because you can proclaim you are an artist

maybe you are not

maybe you are better doing something else

to know if you are an artist or not is breathing

you don't question breathing

you have to breathe otherwise you just die

 so you breathe

so if you wake up in the morning 

and you have some ideas 

and you have to make them 

and this becomes like a a kind of almost obsession 

and you have this urge to create 

then you are definitely an artist

but you're not a great artist

'the great artists have to be ready to fail

which not too many do

because when you have success in a certain way

and the public accepts you in a certain way

you start somehow involuntary reproducing the same images

the same types of work

and you are not risking

the real artists go to the lengths they've never been

and there is unknown territory

and you can fail

ready to fail

that makes great artists'

'if you want to be famous and rich

forget the idea of being an artist

money and success is not [the] aim

just a side effect

sometimes it happens in your life time

sometimes not'

'you need the courage

when you become routine

that is the end of everything

i do the work i'm afraid of

if i'm really afraid of an idea

this is exactly where i need to go. . .'

her documentary is currently on netflix

a must watch for all artists

absolutely mesmerizing

. . .

(all images found on the web)

trust

image source

exile

if we must

both

be right.

we will

lose

each other.

- exile

nayyirah waheed. salt

do it afraid

at times
i've let fear cloud my judgement
i've held back on what's in my heart
its the fear of being judged
fear of failure

turns out

as human beings

we will always experience fear to an extent

it's how we navigate them

that makes all the difference

'do it afraid'
it's walking in faith
regardless of the doubts and fears that come in the way
it's going ahead and setting those high goals
it's not waiting for the fear to disinigrate
its taking that leap anyway
trusting that you'll grow the wings
. . .

"may your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears"
- Nelson Mandela