an introduction
hey folks, it’s been a while & your girl has been in her head. i’ve decided to climb out and put my thoughts to substack.
much of what’s been renting space in my head has been focused on foster the studio, what exactly is it? why does it need to exist? and what makes me the right person to bring it to life?
i saw this video on TikTok that described ideas as these things that come knocking at your door, the ideas themselves are sentient, in a search for the right vehicles, aka us humans, to transform from spirit to the physical. with this being said, i’ve decided to treat this lil idea of foster the studio, as a being of its own, and build a relationship with it. and like any relationship, somedays it drives me crazy, somedays i’m crazy in love, but most days its just me and foster the studio, sitting in silence, observing each other, figuring out each other’s quirks, its like a slow burn, continuously making more room for each other, revealing ourselves layer by layer.
for the sake of word play, lets call this revealing an experiment in faith. but in order to participate you must be vulnerable, you must walk in uncertainty, delight in the play, you must allow yourself to be surprised, disappointed — it is a portal to the full understanding of the self, you as that translator of spirit to form.
in this thinking, foster the studio becomes an unavoidable byproduct of life. it is the experiment of understanding oneself; its an ode to childhood, where, i found play in my mother’s craft supplies, creating without rules, and with any materials that spoke to me. it is a promise to the future, morphing the creative industry back into on that is in conversation with audience & community. it is that act of building, because only i can see what parts of my spirit are not being served in the physical realm. it is the place where spirit and physical align, and where there is no choice but to act and make possible.
i am find myself engaged with foster the studio, because a part of my spirit, called its rapping at my door. and as a poet first, I can’t help but expand on Edgar Allen Poe’s the Raven.
be prompt to open the door to the gentle tapping, but do not be afraid of the darkness —remember you are the light.
with all this being said, i’ve decided to let foster the studio reveal itself to me. grounded in a language of visual poetics, i let the practice be both sanctuary and laboratory, for this experiment in faith, will take a lifetime.
going forward, i will be including updates on the latest from the studio. below, find some details on the projects i’ve been working on.
newly on display (6/7- 6/30)
experiments in faith, a pop-up art installation is now on display at Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena. this installation is very special to me —
parable of the sower was one of the first books i read when i moved to LA. literally started the book the day the book actually started (july 20, 2024) on accident :0
octavia bulter was the first Black women authors i read. shout out to my ninth grade English teacher for having us read Kindred. the book (& the teacher) undoubtedly changed my life.
octavia butler is literally from Pasadena, so having this installation in a store named after her & in her hometown is so so special.
something that is super important to my practice with foster the studio, is making sure my projects are interdisciplinary, reflective of the world, & experienced in community.
this installation is the prefect representation of the kind of projects that make me expand as a human & artist. they embody the ethos of foster the studio. given the devastation of the wildfires in Altadena/Pasadena, this show is a testament to the faith of the people. additionally, Octavia’s Bookshelf is positioning itself as a pillar of the Pasadena community, exposing its community the creativity of Black\BIPOC writers, they are helping to expand human consciousness. this show also includes some poetry accompaniment, that helps to add description and depth to the work. as a poet first, and an artist second, it was a breath of fresh air to create original words for the installation. simultaneously, it helped to make the show more interactive, requiring both literary and visual engagement… more opportunities for spiritual expansion :)
poetry accompaniment:
\hypothesis
God is change.
\experiment 1
artifact: nubian nose
method: gaze into the mirror
conclusion: the self is a mirror to the future.
it is clear:
the acceptance of self,
is the truest compass to the future.
\experiment 2
artifact: the problem we all still deal with
variable: generational memory
conclusion: grief is the architecture of becoming.
these wounds are not new.
but we are.
to survive is to inherit,
and then transmute.
\experiment 3
artifact: Black starry night
method: surrender
conclusion: we are among the stars.
to surrender is a sacred act,
and there is ritual in remembering.
we are not beneath the stars,
we are among them.
\experiment 4
artifact: purple afros & celestial bodies
tool: pattern making
conclusion: we listen must listen for the frequencies of our ancestors.
the cosmos speaks in patterns,
we are both listener and signal,
let us become master translators.
\experiment 5
artifact: ms. grace jones
method: shape shifting
conclusion: imagination is a technology of faith.
grace expanded shape & form.
she imagined,
treating transformation,
as a portal to the divine.
\results:
from this collection
of experiments in faith,
we find evidence of alchemization:
the transformation of the unseen into the seen.
we conclude that faith
is a living
expansive force,
an active site of experimentation,
a translation of spirt into form.
pieces included:
God is Change
2025
Mixed Media on Canvas
16 x 24 inches
2.
nubian nose
2023
Acrylic on Canvas
18 x 18 inches
the problem we all still deal with
2020
Acrylic on Canvas
16 x 20 inches
Black starry night
2020
Acrylic on Canvas
10 x 20 inches
5.
purple afros & celestial bodies
2021
Acrylic on Canvas
12 x 16 inches
6.
ms. grace jones
2024
Acrylic on Canvas
16 x 20 inches
below are some photos from the installation:
if you find yourself in Pasadena, check it out & grab a handmade bookmark (painted by yours truly)! lastly, i am still experimenting with styles for this newsletter, so any feedback would be super helpful. as always, thank you reading <3.