creatHER: constructing the Black Woman

The genesis of this seven-piece collection was a reckoning—a personal exploration of a Blackness that, for years, I felt compelled to question. My years included being told I needed to be "twice as good" in the military, a harmful rhetoric that instilled a sense of perpetual deficit. This collection is the beautiful, audacious rejection of that scrutiny. It is a vibrant declaration that I am enough, and that all Black Women are unique and powerful.

This work, titled creatHER: constructing the Black Woman, is a tapestry woven in strength, adorned with tears, tasseled with the history of racism and sexism, and ultimately, drenched in Black radiant feminine energy. This is my first collective body of work and also my first exploration of larger canvases. I opted to challenge myself to go bigger while also reminding myself that this conversation is bigger than me.

The Architecture of Light and Color

The power of this collection lies not just in who I chose, but how I chose them. Each portrait is meticulously placed within the conceptual framework of the seven chakras—the energy centers of the body. The seven subjects are a chorus of undeniable achievement, living proof that the intersection is where true power resides.

Judge Shannon Frison, 

Issa Rae, 

Leymah Gbowee, 

The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, 

Chaka Khan, 

Viola Davis, 

and Pearl Cleage 

were selected because I was unafraid to see myself in their greatness. Their light reflected back onto me, amplifying my own truth.

I chose women whose lives pushed the boundaries of my own self-acceptance. I wanted to project my own uniqueness, my intersectionality, my audacity, and my liberation onto the canvas. By embracing the power of their light, I found myself empowered to master my own craft and believe in my own authenticity.

The Reckoning: Affirmation and Audacity

The impetus for this work was a study in polarizing pushes. My reality was shaped by two competing narratives that forced me to define myself outside of external expectations.

The Shadow of Oppressive Rhetoric

My time in the military introduced me to the notion of the "double minority" and the demand to be "twice as good." This conditioning is a rhetoric rooted in the failures of white supremacy and the fear of natural talent. I came to understand that the notion of competition in this context is bullshit oppressive rhetoric. It is designed only to threaten the natural talents that exist in people of other cultures. We are naturally born with the drive to do well and succeed. Greatness is our birthright. This rhetoric demonizes your natura; gifts and talents. I never had to be twice as good as anything else, I am, already. The lesson learned was clarifying: my only competition is myself.

The Affirmation of Legacy

In direct contrast to that shadow, a professor in art school provided a pivotal moment of pure affirmation. By consistently comparing my work to other Black female fine artists, he was exposing me to a legacy of greatness, showing me what he saw was possible in me. This act was life-changing, providing a context for my talent that was the direct antithesis to the restrictive narrative I had rejected. I created this collection to explore the deep significance of a Black Woman doing anything—it was born from a desire to push my acceptance of my own greatness further. I found so much radiance and eloquence in the Black Woman's approach and identified that same grace in myself.

The Intersections That Matter

The structure of this collection, and the intentional choice of bright, vibrant color for every piece, was inspired solely by the seven chakras—the spiritual energy centers of the body. This is the sacred map of the collection, where color and subject define a path to wholeness.

The inquiry into my own identity quickly expanded beyond Black and Woman—those were only the starting points of my intersectionality. True existence unfolds in the vast, nuanced space where my roles as Mother, Wife, Daughter, Veteran, and Artist all collide. These titles are often about how I serve someone else, but they do not define the core of my being. The ultimate liberation was learning to uncover the self that remains when no one is around. I learned to claim my true self: a being who is tangible and ethereal—authentic, worried, surprised, experienced, ready, and afraid. These intersections matter most because they reveal that authentic self—the one who simply is.

Black Women press against the borders and exist fiercely within the intersections. This work is my offering to that conversation of elegance, and a confirmation that when you stop questioning your own worth, your own light, and your own Blackness, you become an unstoppable force.

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