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

Tiffany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

As far back as I can remember, the arts were present in my home. Literature, music and art were ways we spent time together. I grew up on the Southside of Columbus, Ohio, across the street from my house was a church where my Mother ran an arts program for the neighborhood. The program would convene on Saturdays in the basement of the church. Local artists were invited to do workshops, there was also an artist in residence who became my mentor as a teenager. I believe my Mother recognized my affinity for creativity after discovering masterpieces drawn behind the couch and inside sidetable drawers, I thought I had hidden. My Father realized my talent after asking me to make a sign for a car he was selling. The sign was over-the-top in comparison to regular “For Sale” signs. He credits that to how quickly the car sold. My parents acknowledged and cultivated my creativity and like a seed, watered it. They fed it voraciously, which is reflective of how I approach my art. I still gain inspiration from the same roots; literature, music and art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a professional, multidisciplinary Artist, and sometimes poet. I create multimedia works, such as collage and assemblage. My art is created from items and images that are at hand and previous drawings collected over time. The practice of collecting and rearranging material acts as an archival process that recovers the past, secures the present and expects the future. Anchored in my spirituality, culture, and womanhood as mechanisms to create my work. Utilizing multiple disciplines, I create collages and assemblages that explore form and color, unified by the spirit of Black life. The use of collage symbolizes the Black experience and involves and demands the ability to “use what you got”. The spirit of Black life adapts to the most brutal conditions, making beauty, holding sacred and celebrating resilience. I create value-based work: love, joy, peace, comfort, grace, and mercy, with heavy doses of resistance and empowerment. I am most proud of the discipline I have developed in my process. My hope is a legacy of creativity and innovation.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Recently, I finished a series called BLUE SHEETS. Fifty(50) in total, 8×10 inch collages on blue toned paper. This series is a discipline of originality intended to harness the power of imagination and creation. As a mechanism, each piece was created under a self-imposed rule of completing the composition in 1 studio session. Using an accumulation of curated medias, colored pencil, acrylic and ink I was able to explore freedom in Black visions and world-building. I did not task myself to compose a BLUE SHEET for fifty days straight, only to complete it within a single studio session. The series took a year to complete. To honor the integrity of the series, each composition was framed upon completion and stored face down. I had to approach each composition with an openness to allow creativity to arrive fresh and freely. The dedication to complete the series in such a controlled way unlocked a commonality most artists have when it comes to finishing. In some instances, I had be patient with myself and the work knowing I could not revisit the work again.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Making art that asks the viewer to explore themselves and the art. Also keeping history and making a new story. To me, an Artist has the ability/honor of holding the mirror, documenting, memorializing and representing society/humanity as it is, should be and can be. I love that for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://100martstudio.com
• Instagram: 100m_art_studio
• Facebook: Tiffany Lawson

Image Credits

Jason Wood