We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Arial Robinson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Arial below.

Hi Arial, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I’ve come to learn that I feel more empowered to take risk when I implement physical activity into my daily routine. Whether it be taking a dance or spin class, lifting weights or just taking a walk. In my experience moving my body has helped me to better understand what decisions to make for myself on my creative journey. With physical activity comes a heightened awareness of your body. When it’s tight or loose, when it stressed or worn out, or when it needs rest and recovery. Recognizing what my physically body needs is important for my mental because so much of my creative process is in the mind. When I am feeling stressed about an idea, or scared to take a risk I can feel it in my body. Because of the level of attention and care from the physical activity I am able to make better informed decisions about what feels good for me and what doesn’t. Taking risk like moving your body is about trusting the vessel you inhabit and being open to constantly learning that changes that are occur within and around you. No one has lived your life before, and thought we can look to others for guidance the best way to center yourself when taking a risk is trust. Trusting your body and all that it can do for you. I encourage every person without physical disabilities to make movement an intentional non-negotiable in their life.

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.

Arial Robinson is a multidisciplinary artist working in medium such as photography, creative writing art direction, music and dance, from Charlotte, NC currently based in Brooklyn, NY. She has always been an artist from her earliest memories. A 2023 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in Multimedia Journalism, she is currently a Full-Time Artist. Formerly Wieden + Kennedy, Spotify & Beats by Dre, Arial has worked professionally in the advertising and marketing space. Arial has had the opportunity to work with companies like Nike, Google, Heinz, Converse, Adobe, and Instagram on various marketing projects.

Outside of her professional work, Arial is the Owner of Soular Lab, a digital creative laboratory. She is also the author of The Modern Day Black Alphabet Book & Black Hair Care In Color. The designer of the NC A&T Nike Dunks she is open to any kind of canvas that will help bring her stories to life. Arial was also a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Scholar and 2021 HBCU Creative of The Year. Arial’s passion for visual storytelling paired with her black southern feminine Gen-z perspective has given her the opportunity to work on large projects that have been seen by millions.

Her journey began singing at church and then attending an arts school for dance and musical theatre, before taking a hiatus to play sports and go to college. She began seriously pursing her creative journey in 2020 with her Fake Nike campaigns and the release of her first book. Since then she has learned so much about her black womanhood and hopes that her future work will invite audiences to explore the black feminine creative and psych with love and care.

Arial aspires to continue creating powerful artistic bodies of work that tell niche stories.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn is that there is one right way to do something when it comes to creativity. What works for someone may not work for me & that is okay. Sharing our experiences and techniques should feel like an invitation to explore them, make them our own or feel empowered to make the decision that they are not for us. We don’t live linear lives and I don’t wish to create linear work. My story is so complex that even I can’t comprehend the trajectory of it & I don’t wish to. I seek advice and teachings from others from others for it’s uniqueness to inspire me to get closer to the world and create work that challenges it, not to control it. I am unlearning this by centering myself in my world and honoring the value that I bring to the spaces I inhabit.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I don’t believe in non-creatives. People who don’t make art are still creative, and many times people find that hard to believe. We all have to be creative to make our lives work for us and contribute to the lives around us. We have to be creative to provide solutions to problems and as long as we exist there will always be a problem to fix. I think that if we all move with a creative mindset we will be able to interact each other with more compassion and empathy. I believe that we will be more accepting to the fact that solutions require a balance of logicality and empathy for the people that they impact. These solutions can be anything from science based on fact to artistic solutions that welcome conversation and evoke feelings.

Contact Info:

• Website: arialrobinson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/im.arial/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arial-robinson/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/honestari
• Other: thesoularlab.com

Image Credits
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