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

Arianna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Absolutely. I tend to make reference to my culture and my own real life experiences in my work. I believe that’s what makes each artist’s work unique; bringing pieces of yourself, your experiences, your thoughts, your feelings to life in your art. As a kid I didn’t grow up seeing many black girls on television, in magazines, on runways- and when I did, it motivated me. For me, it was confirmation that I could someday do the same things and inhabit the same spaces. Because I had recognized the lack of representation of black people and black culture since such a young age, I grew up knowing that I wanted to use my art and my own skills to change that.

There was one time during my freshman year at NYU when my choice to constantly reference black culture in my work was questioned. Freshman year I took a playwriting class. Each week we were given a prompt or a few minor guidelines and instructed to write a short play to be shared with the class the following week. I remember sharing my play with the class one week and being told by my professor, who was a young white man, “You know you don’t always have to write black stories.”

I calmly replied, “But I want to.”

In the moment I wasn’t upset or discouraged by my professors comment. In fact, I understood what he was trying to say. He meant that as a black artist I shouldn’t feel obligated to write black stories 100 percent of the time. As a black artist I have the same freedom to write whatever stories I want, whenever I want, just as any other artist does. But this was something I already knew and something I was already doing.

It’s great to receive feedback, seek advice, and work creatively with other artists. Pieces created with more than one artistic viewpoint tend to be more relatable and intriguing to a larger audience. However, as an artist you should never allow another person to define, for you, what is right and what is wrong. There is no right. There is no wrong. There’s only art. The only way for you to make your art the “right” way is to create what you want to create, how and when you want to create it.

Arianna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an actress, a writer, and a producer. I also dance, create visual art, and I do a lot of activism and philanthropy. I started acting professionally at age 16. Before then I had only done a few school plays and performances at my church. The first time I was ever on a professional movie set was when I filmed Goosebumps 2 in 2017. I instantly fell in love with the atmosphere- the feeling of being on set and in front of the camera. I knew that I wanted to do this forever. At age 18 I auditioned and got into the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and I graduated three years later with a BFA and a double-minor in psychology and sociology.

Being a young black girl from the south I was always intrigued by black history and my heritage. For one thing, my ancestors were brought to Virginia as slaves years ago. A lot of my family history has been erased. I’m not even sure what country my ancestors came from, for example. And aside from that, black history isn’t always taught as thoroughly as it should be in our schools here in the US. I love learning about, celebrating, and working to protect black culture and black people, as well as other minority groups, and my work as an artist really reflects that. Shortly after graduating from NYU I joined the NAACP.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I remember watching television as a kid and wondering why almost everyone I saw was white. In all of the commercials, shows, movies, it always seemed to be a predominantly white cast with one or two people of color here and there. As time goes on we start to see more and more diversity and representation on screen and in the media but I still believe that there could and should be more. My ultimate goal as an artist is to shine a light on the people who have, for so long, been in the shadows.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I would say the key to building a solid fanbase is just to be yourself. I know everyone gives that advice in just about every situation but it’s true! A lot of people who don’t know me well think that I’m always very put-together, professional, serious- believe it or not I’m actually very silly and goofy. I love to make people laugh. I realized that my followers enjoy seeing me be funny just as much as they enjoy seeing me share my opinion on serious topics. You should never put yourself in a box or try to fit into the image you think others want to see you as. Your followers want to see all of the many layers of who you are. The more authentic you are and the more you show your true personality, the more people you will attract.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ariannajones.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ok.ari