Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Honeychild Coleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Honeychild , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve had the good fortune of working with the youth. In my day job for non-profit street dance company It’s Showtime NYC. And In my creative work with The Underground Producers Alliance (UPA). In addition, I am committed to mentoring younger artists and bands coming up in the scene and keeping them in the conversation. When I was in art school the snide running joke was “those who can’t (create) teach” – like god forbid you end up “just” becoming a teacher or a professor – as if that made all of your creativity suddenly invalid – you could never be a Real Artist AND teach (sigh). I could not disagree more for many reasons. We (Gen X) grew up with creative elders who inadvertently and often purposefully showed us innovative ways to keep learning and to live our lives. I feel it’s our duty to hold the door open for the younger artists who are coming in right behind us. Not only as educators, but also to collaborate when possible. I find this work both meaningful and inspiring.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born into a low key musical family though obsessed with record collecting from an early age. My dad played drums in high school and when I was a kid he managed bands. My grandfather played banjo and mandolin (my dad conveniently told me only a few years ago, ha ha). And my grandmother and aunts sang and played piano in church -classic Southern upbringing. But I did not embrace music as my destiny until my late 20s after a stint living in the Bay Area (Oakland and Berkeley, CA).

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

On a local level, I feel it’s so vital to inform people about art and creativity in their community. Raleigh, much like my hometown of Louisville, KY, has a long legacy of upholding and supporting local talent. The U.S. has a long way to go with respecting the arts as a vital and necessary part of culture but things are slowly getting better. Social media helps. But showing up for people in real life and attending shows – and bringing people with you – that’s the real power in supporting the art and music you love.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I made a major pivot in my career from fashion design to music while still living in California. It felt terrifying at the time, but was one of the best decisions I could have made. After reaching a point where I was playing guitar and writing songs much more than designing hats – I knew it was my calling. In 2013 I found my way back to illustration after touring Europe and the UK for a few months and would love to do more illustrated portraits. Currently, I work part time for a non-profit street dance company in NYC. Artistically music and fiction writing are my main areas of focus. In 2022 I was invited to submit a long poem/short story for issue #134 of Razorcake ‘zine. In 2023 my first published short story, “My Echelon Summer” appeared in the “Black Punk Now” anthology (Softskull Press / Penguin Books) edited by Afropunk (film) director & artist James Spooner and Chris L.Terry. This story is an excerpt from my novel-in-progress, “Black Girl:Blue Hair”. This year my long time post-punk/psych rock band Bachslider began recording our first full length album. We came to Raleigh as a duo to perform the at the Chavis Brothers (The Veldt) I HAVE A DREAMPOP Festival 2023 . Speaking of The Veldt, I released a few solo singles produced by good friend (and former fellow Apollo Heights bandmate) Kelsey Warren AKA Blak Emoji. My blues-punk band The 1865 has plans to release a live album soon recorded at Applehead Studios. My band GKA (electro-punk duo with Crito Thornton of 2MAD / CT3) is recording new material and Crito has also been helping me record various projects. Heavenesbee mates Roger and Marco started a new rocksteady/skinhead reggae project called The Phensic and I have joined them on vocals. In my spare time I still enjoy collaborating with activist and community groups and causes. And DJing (as DJ SugarfreeBK) – most recently with The Human Impacts Institute at an event for climate change. In January 2024 I will DJ at Lincoln Center with Burnt Sugar for a 2-day event.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://honeychildcoleman.supertape.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hccoleman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeyhoneyhoneychild/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/honeychild-coleman/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sugarfreebk
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HoneychildColemanMusic/videos

Image Credits
All illustrations by Honeychild Coleman All photos by Honeychild Coleman All Rights Reserved 2023