Keep it real (Paint what you know)

My sister is a singer. And when she started looking for songs to sing my mom gave her some good advice. She said “sing what you know.” What my mom meant by this was for my sister to sings songs that were testimonies from her own life. I am not a singer. However, I apply that same advice to my art. When I paint, I paint what I know. Experience is a good teacher. It is hard for me to paint what I haven’t lived. I am not an actor. I admire actors because it must be difficult to become someone you are not. I am LaShonda to the tenth power. I can’t be anyone else nor do I want to be anyone else. I am content painting my truth.

Disappointments, lust, love, anger, depression, shame; these are feelings I have possessed in my life. I am not proud of some of these things however, it is my truth. When I paint, I don’t play myself. I tell it like it is. My goal as an artist is to stay true to myself. In doing so, I believe I will connect to others and help them find their truth.

Truth is a powerful thing. Most people hate it. However, I find it liberating. When I empty my emotions onto a canvas, I feel free. Freedom is a precious gift many of use deny ourselves. Who wants to be locked in a cell of denial? Keep it real... and free yourself.