We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cherri Ledbetter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cherri, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One of the many many things my parents did right is exposing myself and my siblings to lots of different things. We were encouraged to be exchanged students and live abroad for a year in high school. We were also encouraged to do a lot of volunteerism. The great thing about volunteering young is that you learn early what your personal limits are and what you do well. Volunteerism also gave me a feeling of pride and ownership as a child. I had a wonderful childhood and I owe it all to my parents.

Cherri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Cherri Ledbetter and I’m a sculptor and I also paint. I have been drawing and creating art as young as I can remember. I heard that you know you are an artist when you have to make art and can not stop, and so I know I have always been an artist. I focus on images of women of color particularly black women. I love traveling, and when I am in areas that are predominantly black I get inspiration from seeing black women and the way we decorate ourselves and style ourselves. There is a striking juxtaposition between our adornment and the low social economic conditions of the surrounding areas. For me it is as if the black women are the art work and I enjoy documenting that!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I don’t know about society as a whole , because depending where you live there is either a lot of support or none at all. But I will say that I am always an advocate for more funding for the arts. I feel that art students will greatly benefit from learning business principles. Art schools should focus on creating working artists by incorporating practical business skills in the curriculum .

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew the power of mentorship. It’s important to find other working artists to help create and build a strategy for success. After art school it can be challenging to form a creative career because there isn’t a set road map. It is also important to be around creatives to have an incubator to stay creative and having good mentors can help with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: Cherriledbetterart.com
• Instagram: Cherriledbetter
• Facebook: Cherriledbetterart

Image Credits
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