Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Black.
Ebony, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a visual artist and mental health therapist from St. Louis, Missouri, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. My story is very fluid. I have lived in 4 different cities in my lifetime, and moving to Atlanta is when I fully tapped into painting as one of my loves. Every city taught me more about myself which has informed my practice, I started off creating jewelry out of Vinyl Records and slowly my creativity evolved to canvas. Because I have an extensive educational background, I have decided to place both of my passions together, which include Mental Health and the arts. As a mental health therapist and self-taught visual artist, I am now disrupting both worlds by presenting abstract pieces of work that inspire and influence individuals to get out of their comfort zones.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe that life is like a wave, so I have had moments of intense goodness and then I have also had moments that have challenged me. Most of my struggles came from the difficulty balancing the educational system in comparison with my art lifestyle. That was one thing I struggled with so much during undergrad and graduate school because there is a big expectation on you as a student. And most of the time it took my focus away from my art and I had to develop a new story where I redefined what I was doing and why. From that, I was able to see that my calling was to place art and therapy together and all of this schooling was worth my time even though sometimes it didn’t feel like it. I also learned the difference between feeling like you wanted to do something versus needing to do something. It was very easy to dismiss my art practice while in school because I didn’t feel like it, but I quickly learned it doesn’t always work like that, because if so nothing will get accomplished.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ebony Black – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
To be honest, I am my business, I am the Brand that goes by “Ebony Black The Artist”. I am a self-taught artist who creates abstract and mixed media painting. I create jewelry from Vinyl Records and I connect with people as a profession (mental therapist).
One thing that sets me apart from others is the intention and story behind my abstract paintings, I am adding to the mental health field conversation by removing the stigmas often associated with seeking therapy services. My desire is to inspire humans to feel emotions authentically and safely, I think this society forces us in strategic ways to push down emotion or run away from them because they are “scary”; especially the challenging ones like disappointment, anger, sadness or irritation. I want emotional intelligence to be more celebrated and not condemned in different communities.
I am adamantly working to serve as a resource, guide, and inspiration to other young artists seeking to forge their own paths as artists with meaningful messages to share with society.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This is a great question that I ponder on so much right now, since being back from Art Basel in Miami as one of Tila Studios Inaugural Fellows this has been the big question.
Most of my plans have to do with continuing to create a body of work that has a strong, clear message and feeling. As I do that I will be continuing my journey as a mental health therapist, and will soon be going on a four-city tour with a fellow therapist where we will be creating safe spaces, I will be releasing cities and details soon for that.
One of my biggest future plans will be to create a foundation that will provide funds for families and individuals from all backgrounds who do not have the financial resources to pay. This is something that I am very passionate about and through my art, I will push this message.
Contact Info:
- Website: Ebonyblacktheartist.com
- Email: forebonyblack@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ebonyb1ack
- Facebook: @EbonyBlacktheartist
Image Credits:
@luoptic for the photography
@heartinhandgraphics for the graphic of my face
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