Conversations with Ashshahid Muhammad

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashshahid Muhammad.

Hi Ashshahid, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Memphis, Tennessee. As a little boy, I always liked to draw. Watching my uncle sketch and make amazing art. I wanted to be like him. But my life took a turn for the worse when crack cocaine flooded the Memphis streets. Crack hit my family hard. As I watched my uncle chase crack cocaine, I continued to draw. By the age of 10, I won an art contest at my school.
In that moment, I knew I was gifted with my hands. Due to my rebellious behaviors in and out of school, we lost our housing.
Moving to another area of Memphis, known as Whitehaven, things got bad. Instead of using my hands to draw, I turned to the streets. I began to steal, rob, burglarize, etc… In and out of group homes and juvenile detention centers became the norm. The only time I would draw in this area of my life was when I was incarcerated. So many years, I spent away from society doing time. By age 21, I was the neighborhood drug dealer. That era of my life changed my life forever. Spring of 97, I was shot in my head and arm. Losing my right eye and nerve damage to my right arm, I went into a deep depression. By age 22, I was smoking crack and doing heroin, homeless in the streets of Atlanta, GA. In my addiction and homelessness, my gift of art helped me cope with life. After years of suffering living on the streets of Atlanta, I went back to school and got my G.E.D. Enrolled in college, became an illustrator, author, and mentor. I moved to New York City. Now I use my art to educate our youth communities through my art.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My struggle along the way in my career is taking my failures and turning them into positives. In the world of art, there are a lot of obstacles. Learning how to make good-quality art to satisfy every customer is a journey in itself. As a rookie in the art world I learned the hard way about people not liking my art. I had to learn that not everyone is gonna like my art. So in that era of my career, I took that moment to add to my art career. Now my art is highly valued.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an artist who paints art and tells stories of my life through art. I specialize in different areas of art. Like canvas, books, and videos. I am known for my comic books based on my life story. I have written, designed, illustrated, and published several books. They are all available of Lulu.com and Amazon.com. I am mostly proud of myself for changing my life through art and helping others change theirs through art. What sets me apart from others is my life story.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next few years, I see myself and art moving more into animation and movies. Using my art to get into prison systems, rehabs, treatment centers, and colleges. The ways I use my art to cope with life and to educate others need to be studied. Far as changes, continue to learn and study art.

Contact Info:

• Website: amazon.com / lulu.com
• Instagram: @_g.u.c.b / @northparkcomicbooks
• Facebook: @graffitiuniversitycomics/ @oneeyetelevision
• Youtube: @graffitiuniversitycomics