BLACK ARTISTS

I would like to start this discussion about defining myself as an artist. I do not consider myself a so-called "black" artist because I believe that this is limiting, just as I do not floow any particular style because I also consider it limiting. My work is therefore not steeped in cultural icon per se.

I will probably never become wealthy from my work, because I don’t particular approach it with an intention of achieving commercial success; except in a very marginal way. I write what “comes to me”; sometimes at the most unopportune times, while asleep, taking a bath, or out walking etc. So the very first draft I write, or the very first image I create is compiled in my mind, and it is usually just a germ of an idea,; like essence, I smell it, taste it, and then manufacture it. It’s never complete, but I hold it there til I am ready, and sometimes I forget and lose it, never to be rediscovered. The actual physical creation is the fluff which makes the idea readable, or in the case of an image, visually understandable.
My images are sincere and honest. There is no effort on my part to be gimmicky. I believe that I wrote in an earlier journal entry that As most artists, I am my worst critic, and approach each project as honestly as possible; with an open mind so that the essence may flow freely. Sometimes I am successful, and other times, not. But it is my process.
To me, creativity occurs in very small flashes of inspiration, which you must understand and capture immediately, or lose it forever. That fleeting thought is only present for so long, so I am always in a listenning mode. Some may say, I hear voices, (lol), and maybe I do, but those voices lead me.
To be a successful artist, you must be able to clearly read “between the lines”, or read the “negative space” around the object. If you cannot do these things, then you will likely fail in most of your efforts. I know that I do.