How does your work transcend cultural / physical boarders? How you identify self.

For as long as I could remember, I’ve always tried to draw my subjects as mixed individuals. I never wanted to draw one particular culture over the other. I remember entering poster contest as a kid and drawing my characters as anything but Haitian. I wanted the viewer to relate to the drawings as someone they could see themselves as. When we were assigned projects that focused on our own cultures were the only time I did a Haitian drawing. It wasn’t shame or anything that drove me to do this but just that since art was my outlet, art helped me understand things well maybe if i drew other cultures, I would understand them and myself.

The problem with that came when I wanted to draw people of African Decent, it became hard for me to do. Almost discouraging but it was something i did to myself that i had to now change. I remember my High school history teacher called me out on it. He said that i’m drawing other cultures but they all still look European. “They are all light skinned” so he told me to look through all my sketchbooks and to see how many of them actually resembled me.

I say all that to say this, I am more aware now of what I’m doing and why i do it. so i try to have my work pull from who I am as a Haitian -American. I try to show that i love diversity, unity, and a sense of tradition and respect for others. I try to keep my subjects relate able to a viewer weather its my culture or not. I NEED for them to feel like they can be part of my culture as well/ as their own and visa versa!