Maturing as an Artist

When I retired from my 9-5 in 2018, I had a few goals and a five year plan. I wanted to grow my body of work, explore exhibition opportunities and become better known as an artist than a librarian in my community and beyond, and plan and develop a storefront called Gift-It. It has been four years and I can happily say that some of my goals are coming to fruition.

I have worked fairly diligently in producing what I believe is quality work. I have participated in the South Carolina Biennial, ArtFields, Open Studios and shown in multiple Columbia City Hall exhibits and online via my webpage. I was also slated to participate in the Cottontown Art Crawl but bowed out due to the weather. I will have a photography exhibit at Sound Bites Eatery in September. I will also be exploring possibilities for a major one man show this year. Special thanks to Cindi Boiter and Jasper Project in recognizing my efforts and helping me meet my goals. I will always be a librarian but I decided to make my mature years all about my creativity.

Due to Covid, I have pivoted in my desire to open a storefront. I wanted to showcase the work of other African American creatives including doll makers, photographers, painters, authors, musicians, etc., along with my own works. However, I have seen to many niche stores falter during the epidemic. I also didn’t have much luck with my online store and eventually lost interest in it and removed it from my site. I’ve come to really enjoy producing new work and would like to see where my efforts take me. I now realize how important it is in telling my story and in doing so telling our story.

Thanks to all who have supported my efforts in the last few years. I hope to continue working as an artist as long as I can pick up a brush.