Reflective #FBF - Mirrors, Foil, Acrylic Boards, and More!

  Reflecting at the end of the year seems routine and natural each winter, so I am normally still caught in assessments by the start of the new year. As a result, here is a blog post [after more than a year] all about a bunch of the new and old shiny things I got to work on and with last year! Those materials included poured acrylic paints, mirrors, poster and acrylic boards, adhesive foil, vinyls and metal (all somewhat pictured below).

A Small Recap... 2020-2021.

  Slowly stepping away from gigs to focus on full-time work while honing my craft and how I could be of service to others, I tried out hand-lettering digitally more in 2020. My job afforded me cool gadgets like a second-hand iPad from my younger brother, Clyde, and a Cricut machine. I was stoked to get to know how to use them as you might have noticed from posts in 2021. The year 2022 was all about transition for me. It took over four years of living by myself in Raleigh, NC to finally feel at home in a space and place, but I was long into feeling like I was ready to relocate by then. BUT WHY and WHERE TO? 
  Almost two years had passed since the start of a scary pandemic and I had settled into routines I was bored with, work that felt unfulfilling. and a steadily increasing cost of living and rent for a one-bedroom apartment I was growing tired of being in alone. I honestly felt stuck and couldn't really figure out how to unstick. Everyone around me seemed to be adjusting well and making the best out of their new normals... baking and cooking in kitchens they loved, renovating and redecorating in their dream homes, families, and lives, etc. I tried so hard not to get too deep in my head. As often as I could in the first year of the pandemic, I decided to get away for short trips to see relatives and loved ones in attempt to escape and/or realign since my personal art-making and creative work had slowed. I stopped seeing my therapist because it started feeling like 'what's the point? I'm paying to see and talk to someone and I feel like I'm at a dead-end.' Whenever I would visit my Dad in Delaware while working my job remotely, I'd hear from his nursing aides how he needed someone living at his house with him, especially since Clyde had recently moved out, gotten engaged, and then married. I was now the only one of his kids who was unmarried. Those words about someone being at my Dad's house with him stayed with me for months as I pondered 'where to next.' As much as they did, I still wasn't sure where I'd be going and was not fully ready to make the big change and move back to Delaware.

  By the middle of 2021, I was well into fixing up a guest room for whenever I did visit his house. It was Clyde's old room so it was mostly empty; a blank canvas I was suddenly inspired and motivated to tackle. Truth is, before that project, I had hated my Dad's home with an unknowing passion. Visiting as an adult was always a short stay because I felt so out of place and overwhelmed whenever I did. Even though I can now see his house as an asset... growing up there, going through a divorcing family there, living through joint-custody battles and the restructured "home" dynamics of another marriage and divorce there made it hard to appreciate his house for what it was for a long while. That restoration project fueled a number of others to follow and kept my creativity alive. I painted, pulled carpets, cleared and cleaned, refinished furniture, decluttered and reorganized, polished hardwood floors, and shopped to create rooms that felt like spaces I desired to call home. A lot of this was documented in my Instagram account's reels and stories (Home Reno.), so feel free to check them out!
  Overall, 2021 ended with more personal time being taken to think about where I wanted to be, get current relationships in tact, and explore digital art again as I tried to learn more about animation and keep up with lettering. I even self-published my first coloring book, Afro Love, through Amazon using a lot of the illustrations created during my explorations. With so much flexibility with the idea of being able to work from anywhere, I was now considering my move to Delaware more and more.

---

Fast Forward to 2022!

  I kicked off 2022 in an interesting two-month long program called Momentum 360, a Durham-based and city-sponsored program for artists curious about the public art world. It was a busy time for me. During the fog of that time, I reconnected with a high-school classmate/love interest via Facebook. Just like that, our conversations went on and on and because he lived in Delaware, we ended up seeing each other the next time I visited my Dad. He visited me in Raleigh a few times after that and by then, whenever I'd go to see my Dad again, my mind was all the way opened up to the idea of actually making the move to Delaware which was crazy to me.
  Regardless, I wrapped up as many as my North Carolina-based projects that I could and began to dream of the Delaware and location-less ones to come. Finally, I was able to let my property manager know I wouldn't be renewing my lease that ended in June '22. Selling my large items, donating as much I could, and moving everything else... it was time to say, "See you later!" to North Carolina.

2022 Close Out!

  I'm working on moving on. Moving on from the ideas that hold me back of 'how things were supposed to be'. Carolina taught me how to embrace the feelings of loneliness and how to use it by becoming an artist- taking anything not so good  or nonexistent and creating something awesome. I had grown used to feeling alone, even when around other people and there was nothing more that I despised. Living solo for so many years helped me in ways I barely realized at the time. Opportunities then seemed so unique and plenty now that I make the comparison to The First State, but I'm still adjusting. It's taken some months to get settled back in the state that raised me and to find new rhythms and community, but it is all a work in progress; and instead of feeling regretful, I'm choosing to feel grateful and be present. I'm so glad to have a space and an already made system for my workflow that suits me. There was even a music festival held by a Boston-based organization, Farm Aid, in Raleigh that I got the magical chance to travel to for a September weekend to letter chalk signage for. A month before, I drove down as well for my grandma's birthday party that was hosted at my Mom's house in Winston-Salem and delivered a large, custom front-of-home welcome sign in Durham on the way. It was such a pleasure to come back to the area again on those occasions and have the opportunity to create, send time with family, and essentially kill many birds with a couple of stones! I'm just taking it one day at a time. There is so much more renovation needed to make my Dad's house feel like what I grew used to calling home in NC, but I can't wait to see the progress as it happens.
  Similar to the start of 2022, I finished the year in another program- this time the Twitter Voices mentorship with Larissa Marantz and OC Art Studios. This one helped me focus on developing my art portfolio for digital work and improve my skills. I also closed with a NYE eve wedding order for an old college colleague that put me back in my lettering bag flow... source materials, mock up signage, execute and deliver! It was a lot and definitely learned some new things along the way; I'm glad it's out of the way - 4 mirror signs, 80 place card tiles, 2 drink signs and a globe - and that I could offer my services. Congrats to the couple! I didn't get many photos for the finished items, but please see their mock ups in the gallery and slideshow below! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, send them my way. Until then, wishing you a happy 2023! I look forward to seeing what this year has for me and to the special moments that will make this year beautiful.