We recently connected with Kenisha Warren and have shared our conversation below.

Kenisha, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I have always been a lover of art since I was young. I would incorporate art into school and any way that I could at home, and I could do so freely because of my parents. As soon as they saw that I had an artistic ability with drawing and arts and crafts they let me expand on it as much as I wanted to. I did so many things creatively as a child and having two younger siblings, it sparked me wanting to celebrate them visionarily and spend our quality time creating. I remember I was able to build a treasure chest out of some trinkets at home and created a treasure hunt activity for my little sister’s birthday with the help of my parents–something I will never forget because they never hindered my imaginative visions. I would have my siblings help me prepare art shows for our parents in our living room and our parents never hesitated to say yes. Ever. They made sure they sat through the ticket taking, the music playing, the paintings, the songs, the whole nine. That lack of hesitation transitioned into our actual lives outside of the home, where they would come to every one of our shows as children. Even now as an adult, my parents still come to my art shows and open mic performances even if it’s just to see me perform a 5-minute set. I’ll be hosting an open mic show with my dad in the future that I’m pretty ecstatic about. So all in all, the thing that my parents did right was not only showing support but also making sure they showed up and it’s had the biggest impact on my journey as an artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a woman on a mission to serve, support, and restore the community as a whole. Having a passion for all things artistic has gotten me where I am today. I never stopped myself from creating and I have learned from the people around me who I got a lot of my aspirations from. People that would always find ways to pour into me and now I am giving back and pouring into my community. I have always been a volunteer in the art world in different realms, helping children and peers over the past 5 years. I plan to expand into my own non-profit where I will be opening up an organization geared towards creative therapy for veterans with PTSD, artists in need of an outlet, and children who need an innovative way of expressing themselves. I am not only a visual artist but I am a poet as well, and have been for the past two years.

My artwork has been showcased around the DMV area at the Anacostia Arts Center, Art to Go-Go events, Porchfest events, comedy shows, a museum, jazz night shows, and other various art events, and I have led numerous sip and paint sessions. I have been on and off the poetry scene for about 2 years now and this second year is the first time I have been consistent. And because of the consistency, I have been a featured poet at multiple Bus Boys locations, DCity Smokehouse, and other numerous open mics. I now have the opportunity to co-host my own open mic show alongside another talented artist by the name of ‘Ifetheartist’, where they both provide a safe space for other individuals to come and find an oasis.

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

There are so many great resources for artists that I wish I had known about early on. There are classes that you can take to enhance your craft and learn how to hone in on it. That would’ve been helpful motivation because learning the ins and outs of artistry is very important. It is better to go in with some knowledge than to be completely blindsided in learning along the way. Another amazing resource I wish I knew about was grants! The opportunity to receive the funds you need to get supplies, materials, a studio/location to keep your work, funds for projects, and so much more, is so beneficial when everything in the art scene costs. Being that there are different grants for different applications is even better because you can apply to multiple grants at a time. The big thing about these resources is that they are free.99! I wish I had known this when I was younger, it would have placed me in so many different categories.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I observed how other artists built their following. They took their time and made sure to always let whoever they connected with, network with, or spoke in front of, know their socials. I watched those with a high following, and those with little following and tried to make sure I did what suited me. After watching, observing, and learning for about 6 months consistently I decided it was time to create a page dedicated to my artistry. I made sure to only follow what I wanted to see: creativity. Other people with businesses and passions that revolved around what they aspire to be and do. They say birds of a feather flock together and I knew that if I saw all of these beautiful individuals on my timeline, it would inspire me always. On days when I felt high and on days when I felt low. And that’s exactly what has happened. They have motivated me to post whatever my mind tries to say isn’t worth it or isn’t important, and winds up moving other people. And that’s what it’s about. To move the community. That is how I have been building my social media platform and hope to continue to do so. 

The advice I would give is to separate the passion from the pleasure. Make sure you create an account outside of the mundane and the main things. Create an account centered around what you want to see and be only. No distractions only motivations. You need to see what you want for yourself, it’s super important. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bleupepperpoet/

Image Credits

Headshot: Sonia Greenaway Mickle, @soniagreenawaymickle
Rah, @thestarmoxie
Kayla Ramos, @killakaymade