We were lucky to catch up with Khafre Linwood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Khafre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I realized that this could be something I could pursue as a professional path when I did my first commissioned art piece. I knew I had a gift as a kid, because I was always drawing, but the moment I was able to capitalize off of this gift financially, then that’s when the light went off in my head, and I knew at that moment I could do this.

Khafre, 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 started drawing at a very young age! I found a deep love, and a certain level of happiness, just picking up the pencil to draw. I didn’t start my painting journey until 5 years ago. I’d never thought, or had a desire to paint, I was more of an illustrator. Losing my Grandmother was very hard for me, but rather than rely on a negative vice as a coping mechanism, I found peace in trying to paint. Black and white are my signature art pieces, because they are my happy colors. Black and white is calm, it is smooth, it’s sexy. Colors are loud, chaotic, and have a lot going on! So that’s my signature style that people have grown to know my work by. What sets me apart from other artist is, I haven’t mastered shading techniques, so the shading is never blended, just ran into each other, and for some strange reason people rock with my work! I provide happiness, and joy whenever I do a piece. The reaction I get, you’d think I handed them silver, and gold! I want people to understand that we all have a talent, you may not know what yours is at the moment, so I encourage you all to dig deep, find what makes you happy, because your gift makes room for more, and we all need Good energy.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to create, the ability to showcase, the ability to freely express ourselves thoroughly through this particular art form.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn was to never get too comfortable in any situation! I remember being in a situation where I got way too comfortable, and thought that I could put my life in cruise control, when in reality I was headed straight into a brick wall! I could’ve really lost it all from being that comfortable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @frebotheblackartist
• Facebook: Khafre Linwood