As an artist I would say that my identity is what drives me creatively. Since I can remember, the experience of being a black woman in this society has always been very overwhelming. The way I learned to deal with this was thought art, using it as a way to translate my vision, experiences and emotions. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why chose a path in arts, because I fell in love with how I could use it to express myself.

Being black drives me creatively for so many reasons, because blackness is so complex and there is so much that comes with it. From struggle, to pain, grace, talent or creativity, all these things drive me and inspire me creatively. The current project I’m working on is a photography project titled “Disrupt the Standards”. The aim is to highlight women of colour, through their photographs and their experience on not fitting the European standard of beauty.Usually when I am not creating, I feel that I am swimming against the current of a river, however lately I do not feel as motivated to create. The reasons range from feeling insecure when it comes to my artistic skills, to the current world situation.

With the protests happening because of the Black Lives Matter movement I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed and my creativity has been all over the place. There are days I want to turn to my creative side and express all the anger I feel constantly, but there’s also days I don’t want to create at all because I feel too overwhelm, anxious and hopeless. But I’ve been learning to breathe and to deal with all of it on my own terms, and that’s what I would advise to my fellow black people. Take your time and remember that the process of healing is not a race. And if you’re a black artist, use your art to cope with all this. Stay safe.

Ana