Meet Asante Cureton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asante Cureton.

Hi Asante, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Coming from a small town like Monroe, NC, my road hasn’t always been mapped out for me, but I’m thankful for a very supportive family that helps keep me encouraged and motivated to aim high. They’ve also taught me how to be resourceful through my journey, which as allowed me to do so much within limited windows of opportunity. I started my art career salvaging along the street on my way home from work for scrap wood from old furniture and office desks to paint on. Eventually, I saved enough funds to upgrade to slabs of wood from Lowes, where I learned how to build my own wooden canvas frames with the help of my uncle, Ryan Cureton (owner of Amun Ra Arts Foundation). From there, I entered into local Art Walks and other art events to gain exposure and was surprised by the positive feedback I received while being able to sell a couple of pieces in the process.

Something that has always been there for me is Art. It was literally my therapy when I tore my ACL playing D-1 football for the Wolfpack (NC State) – ending my career as a collegiate athlete. I was able to express myself through art when I no longer had sports as an outlet, and I learned it was a tool that helped me work through grief/loss, express when I did not have the words, and experience peace. From runner-up in elementary school for the Griffin Motors calendar contest, to winning Artist of the Year in 7th grade, to now providing therapeutic art services, I have always been connected to Art in some way or fashion.

In 2020, I became a Certified Therapeutic Art Coach and Creative Art is a Language and a tool I now share with my family and others through: partnering with companies, restaurants, and non-profits to offer paint parties; public therapeutic art in the park events; and individual and group therapeutic art coaching sessions as a prosocial therapeutic addition to traditional mental health counseling or alternative for families and adolescents ages 6+.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve taken a lot of paths where the footprints were faint and most times unrecognizable – teaching to trust in myself and my visions, building upon my internal connection with my confidence. Not having a business mentor added stress and anxiety of potential failures – Distracting me from clearly seeing my end goals. I’ve been blessed to have people now in my network to help me focus in on actionable items to overcome those challenges from taking notes from their experiences and advice.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Fine Art Creator and Certified Therapeutic Art Coach, partnering with mental health agencies and non-profit organizations to offer therapeutic art coaching sessions to the community. I use art as a tool to help families and individuals ages 6 & up who may struggle with anger issues, difficulty focusing, anxiety, hyperactivity, or difficulty with expressing emotions. These art tools are properly exercised by a trained professional to help my clients process feelings with intentional art exercises to support what they are going through or have experienced. My therapeutic art services allow for a supportive and peaceful environment for self-discovery while building creative coping skills.

To me, my art is not just a form of self-expression but also a way for me to connect with others – sharing thoughts to a wider audience and even bringing about social change in how others view themselves. Much like my therapeutic art coaching sessions, the act of creating and sharing art has great therapeutic benefits for both myself and the audience. I believe in the power of art to heal, and my therapeutic art coaching sessions are designed to help others explore emotions and work through them. Just like any language, art has its own vocabulary and grammar – I use different mediums, such as painting, sculpture/modeling, and photography to convey my message to viewers. As a person who naturally wants to help and heal others who are going through difficult times, art has allowed me to communicate my vision to others in a way that words cannot while teaching others who struggle with expression on how to communicate their visions.

While I enjoy the creative process of painting realistic artwork, I also enjoy the randomness and spontaneous actions of creating abstract artwork as I sometimes feel I am able to produce more concept thought once the process is finished – As if I am getting all of the noise in the form of colors, shapes, images, hues and tones out of my head and onto something I can see, feel and experience along the artistic journey.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I feel the mental health industry will continue to grow over the next 5-10 years as more individuals are discovering self and family habits that may attribute to certain negative conditions, and they want to get out in front of these situations and prevent or resolve them. I am also noticing more younger individuals wanting to try therapeutic art coaching with me (CCure Arts, LLC) as they tend to want a different alternative to traditional talk therapy that they may have experienced in the past. And for me, it’s easy to relate to the youth through art, as most just want to be creative and take pride in their creations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://asantercureton.wixsite.com/ccure-arts
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccurearts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecarolinacure
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asantercureton/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/thecarolinacure

Image Credits
Asante Cureton Ashley Cureton Melinda Harkley