Think BIG.

At the age of 4, I was introduced to the world of art when my preschool teacher assigned each child to draw a symbol that correlated with the first letter of their name. For some reason, I remember that moment vividly—and when I think back, I remember drawing a hat and being praised by my teacher for how good it looked.

From that moment onward, drawing became my partner in crime.

I was in the seventh grade when I realized this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. It was also during this time, I began to experience the true gravity of something so special as it intersected with my social life.

I remember having a teacher who mocked my dreams, others who couldn’t have cared less, and at one point, adults who saw my gift as something they could benefit from—without realizing how devastating it felt to have my energy extracted.

These early memories shaped the way I viewed the future.

When I began high school, I was fortunate enough to be selected for a performing arts school where I was able to study art and refine my skills. But now much older, the reality settled in that painting would not pay the bills.

I had to find something that would allow me to expand and express, but still provide stability.

So when I entered college, I chose architecture, and it shattered my heart when I soon found out it wasn’t the place for me.

My mother had stressed the importance of thinking about my future my entire life, so as a child, it’s all I ever thought about. In addition to growing up in a place where I always felt like an outcast because being an athlete wasn’t my calling, I banked on architecture being “the one.”

It was supposed to be my way out—and when I started those classes and began to fail, it felt as if my inner world began to crumble.

Architecture and I didn’t get along because my spirit is free, but it always felt as if architecture was trying to contain me.

The only time I ever made an A or B on an assignment was when I was allowed to fully express myself artistically—and that’s when I realized I shouldn’t try to put myself in a box and pursue art through a career, but allow myself to stretch out, because living a life encompasses more than work.

And as I've gotten older and the closer I inch towards the real world—without the security of my parents or the comfortability of the academic system—the more I realize that having the privilege to pursue a career, means I have the opportunity to fund my livelihood.

The experiences I had in architecture redefined what art meant to me and only deepened my passion. I could leave architecture behind, but I would never leave art behind.

And though it took some time, eventually, I settled down when I walked into the College of Business.

When I told people my ultimate dream was to be an artist, many inquired why I hadn’t chosen to study art, but I’ve always been a calculated risk-taker, and buying an art degree was never worth the risk to me.

Studying business not only confirmed my prior beliefs but also expanded my worldview further.

So I hope sharing a bit of my story helps you understand my perspective a bit more.

Think Long-Term.

As technology advances, the wealth gap grows, the cost of living gets higher, and the job market gets more cutthroat, I find fine art degrees increasingly pointless.

There isn't anything wrong with an art degree, but there are finite opportunities for all of us to reach the upper echelon or at least to have a comfortable, livable wage.

And to pay for something that is statistically unlikely to provide a good return-on-investment, given the high expense of college these days and turbulent economy, it makes paying for something that truly comes from the soul, worthless in my opinion.

The complexity of art manifests itself in many ways—fashion, music, writing, film, and beyond. And though artists can be compensated monetarily, real art cannot be commodified.

Have you ever wondered why so much art today feels soulless? It's because so many people have watered down true passion to mass-produce it for mindless audiences.

How ironic that I’m a business major talking like this, but studying the behind-the-scenes has allowed me to see that as an artist myself, I can still move like a mogul without compromising my artistic integrity.

The work we do to sustain ourselves often dominate our lives. But if dollars matter to you, it's important to find avenues that'll work in your favor and provide you with the life you dream of.

No matter how much we critique the economic systems we live in, and express our disdain for how unfair the world is, it'll never change anything.

This world revolves around money, and you either figure out a legitimate way to get it and keep it, or you'll get left behind.

And that doesn't mean striving for exorbitant wealth, or sacrificing yourself to obtain riches, but it does mean uncovering what a comfortable life would look like for you.

Success is subjective.

I once read in a book titled Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, that you should never bargain with Life because you'll more than likely get exactly what you asked for, and the realities we live in are directly linked to our mindsets.

Excluding of course, if we lived within a repressive regime, for example. But even still, regardless of our circumstances, on a psycho-spiritual level, everyone still has the power to control their narrative by constructing an efficient perspective of the world.

Many of us think our dreams are unattainable, but the truth is that we often accept whatever we've been given because it takes hard work and effort to achieve great things.

That's not to negate the setbacks and struggles many people face, because when Life wants to beat you down, she doesn't like to let up.

But this is to say, the agonies of Life won't reign supreme if you don't allow it.

We each have the ability to be and do whatever it is we want.

Success is much like failure, in the sense that it doesn't happen overnight.

Success is a culmination of small wins built up over time, and failure is a culmination of mistakes built up overtime.

In either scenario, you don't randomly wake up a failure or a success.

So that logic alone, ensures that who we become tomorrow, is predicated on what we did today.

I once heard a young woman say, "Money isn't even real. So why should we spend our lives chasing it?", in regards to living in poverty and her own journey of walking away from capitalism.

But on the contrary, I immediately thought, "If money isn't real, that's more of a reason to chase it. Because that means it's accessible to anyone."

Money is just an illusion of resources, and if there wasn't enough to go around, food wouldn't be wasted so easily, housing accomodations wouldn't constantly be built, and billionaires wouldn't even exist.

While it's true the allocation of money has been poorly distributed, that doesn't mean the sort of future you desire—whether simple or elaborate—is completely out of reach.

Our world spends money everyday.

We are eager to buy a new product or get an experience everyday.

Top paying jobs are constantly seeking new talent to help their businesses grow, and if you make yourself valuable, eventually you'll be able to set the price.

So if a simple piece of paper, that's constantly circulating, can obtain value based on what people think of it—that must mean it can land in the hands of anyone focused enough to receive it and believes they can have it.

If you're driven by passions that don't typically reap high monetary returns, I hope by reading this essay, your mind begins to expand and you walk away from this with a fresh perspective that puts you on the path of making those dreams come true.

Stepping Outside the Matrix

As a visual artist, I will primarily speak in terms of this industry, but my words apply across the board.

The types of people who primarily dominate the art space are typically pretentious, self-important conformists who all think the same. And most interesting of all, many of them believe they see the world differently.

But if that were true, why do so many artists produce work containing the same recycled imagery? Why do the gatekeepers only spotlight work that could pass for something you’ve already seen?

As a Black artist, I've noticed that much of the work that gets seen usually has ‘urban’ and ‘street’ representation—narratives that have already been told and made visible many times before.

But as someone who shies away from creating art like that, this often leaves me questioning both the systems that incentivize artists through exposure to create such work, and the Black artists who go along with making it.

While these stories may be true for some and deserve to be heard, I often question: Why are other themes rarely explored?

I wonder: Does it not interest anyone to look deeper? To analyze themselves and others as human beings first, and recognize that we are more than our environmental circumstances?

If we have the goal to shift damaging narratives, why then do we hesitate to shed light on the stories that don’t go mainstream—the ones that defy the image of who “they” think we are?

If we know Black people experience a range of emotions and live many different lives, why then do we focus on only a select few?

Why then, do we constantly visualize caricatures of ourselves that further push stereotypes, and forego the deeper implications or imprints these scenarios can leave on our souls?

And as a female artist, my mind still ventures down similar avenues.

Lately, I've found myself wondering: At what point do we get tired of seeing naked women as the pinnacle of “femininity”?

Why is it that nudity is the default expression of pride or admiration?

Why can’t we scream from the rooftops that real femininity goes deeper than the surface? Why must we expose the most sacred parts of ourselves?

Is “being” not enough?

And in both scenarios, it is very logical to blame the system because it plays a definite role, but we must be careful to not completely absolve ourselves from taking responsibility because we all participate in the system to a certain extent.

Regardless of preexisting rules and institutions we function in, we ultimately still have choices, and choosing to create art that doesn't defy the unexpected is a personal choice.

And that alone, leads me to question all artists in general.

We all have our niche, and to each their own, but when you look closely at the art that captivates our screens or become of high esteem, again I find myself asking:What happened to creativity?

More often than not, the same images are constantly produced, pushed, and repackaged for audiences to consume.

But as artists, aren’t we supposed to have minds of our own?

Aren’t we supposed to be the ones who challenge the status quo, visualize the things people wouldn't dare to say, and start new conversations?

Can’t you see that by regurgitating the ideas of others—creating work you think will generate a quick audience, quick cash, or quick fame—you’re feeding into a system that only wants to market a particular image at your expense?

I wish we took the time to examine ourselves deeper. Because when you look within, you slowly began to realize that operating on autopilot or creating what you think the masses will enjoy, patrons will champion, and by sacrificing your artistic voice, you become complicit in your own silence.

And that is why I’m against paying for formal art training.

We live in the digital era.

Any technique you wish to learn, any painting you wish to study—you can look it up for free.

That art degree will not solely get you through the door.

And unless you've come to terms with the reality that you may face more cold nights than warm, and work grueling hours, trying to reach the top, without a strong financial backing—I hope you’ve asked yourself: Is this truly worth it?

I believe that if you ever want a seat at the table, you have to invest in yourself first.

And to circle back to my original point, that is why I’m doing this by majoring in business.

A field of study as wide and deep as the ocean.

One that extends her arms of opportunity, ready to embrace anyone seeking stability, purpose, and leadership.

Business is the fuel that drives and sustains every man-made link and node.

It is the lifeline of our world—without its influence coursing through society’s veins, everything would collapse.

Business is a universal language, and I intend to be fluent in it.

So you should chase your dreams.

You should follow your heart.

You should live for your passions.

But there are ways to do this without selling yourself short.

The greatest artists we know all carved their own paths, and many of them weren’t popular at first.

My biggest inspiration—and the most dazzling artist of all—was Jesus Christ.

A profound orator, yet He doesn’t get much credit for His incredible storytelling.

His parables were filled with captivating symbolism, clever metaphors, and similes that could run for miles.

Great art stands the test of time, and His words have yet to be forgotten.

But Jesus was also a carpenter—a logical, valuable, and relevant trade.

Do you catch my drift now?

He was passionate about saving the world, but He also understood He needed a practical trade to make ends meet.

Remember when I mentioned the art industry was full of pretentious, self-important conformists who all think the same? Well, that’s exactly who the Pharisees were—they operated out of both self-importance and self-righteousness. And had Jesus modified His message to appease them, you and I would've never had the chance to receive salvation.

They were the ultimate gatekeepers of the synagogue and Jesus’s biggest opposers, yet He still found a way to reach the people.

If the most perfect being to ever walk this earth didn’t seek formal training from the Scribes to become who He is, and still managed to touch the world, what more do you need to understand?

Another great example I find important to use is everyone’s favorite artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat.

The one with a line of copycats behind him.

He never got formal training.

He was counted out many times.

But today, he is known around the world for his talent and unique voice.

He is known around the world today for never changing who he was, regardless of how many times his work was ridiculed and undermined.

So why do you need to pay someone to teach what’s already in you?

Talent cannot be taught.

Experience is the best professor you’ll ever have.

Confidence and resilience are the only guidebooks you need. And God should be your greatest source of inspiration because He is the reason anything even exists!

The Bible is one of the most poetic pieces of literature to this day.

The Creator’s works, which we see every day, are proof of His divine creativity.

The leaves that dangle from the trees and blow in the wind.

The plants that sprout and the flowers that bloom.

The birds that soar.

The fish that populate the sea.

The beasts that roam the earth.

All are testaments to His divinity.

And we, too, are evidence of the same truth: we were all created in His image.

Yet we allow a social construct called race to divide us, when in reality, every human being simply exists on a spectrum of melanin and features.

Race is a manmade concept—designed to separate and control.

We are conditioned to fear and hate the “other.”

When in reality, the only race that exists is the human race.

On the sixth day, after creating all the animals of the earth, God made the first man—Adam.

But no other species was compatible with him.

We are not social creatures because we "evolved" from sub-human pack animals that came before us, but because God Himself declared it was not good for man to be alone.

Genesis 2:18 (NIV): The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

So God created Eve—the first woman—from Adam’s rib, and presented her to him to love and be loved, and to populate the earth.

Genesis 2:22-25 (NIV): Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Each human being, to this day and beyond, carries a unique yet interconnected combination of genes—tracing back to the first man and woman God created.

Human anatomy features some of the coolest designs in biology because we were created in perfect condition, not because we evolved from something else.

Evolution implies imperfection and points toward more evolution in the future.

But our bodies were designed to adapt to our environment.

We never evolved to this point biologically, nor will we ever have to evolve past it.

Humans dominate the earth and have superior intelligence compared to everything else, because the Lord created us this way. And we are social beings because it was instilled in our framework from the very beginning.

Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV): And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

While nearly every living being bleeds, only humans can share blood—across nations, ethnicities, and so-called “races”—because we are all of one kind.

One species.

One family.

Though I consider this to be reality, I understand my words may be categorized as “theology.”

And if theology feels too heavy to digest, just know: the same science often used to divide us has contradicted itself—and confirms my claims more than it denies them.

All things considered, I believe the diversity in our appearance is one of the most beautiful aspects of life itself.

So if you can’t look around and find inspiration in what already exists naturally, why even give yourself the responsibility of being an artist anyway?

If you want a seat at the table, you must build your own.

If you want a silver spoon to feed you, you must create your own silverware and prepare your own food.

If you have money to throw away, by all means, go for it.

But if you’re like the rest of us, it’s time to start thinking bigger.