Baker Artist Portfolios

Life is art. Art is my life, and creating my art saved my life. Growing up in South Carolina was not easy or for the faint of heart. I was raised by my great aunt and uncle because my father was in prison, and my mother suffers from mental illness. There are many stigmas about the South, and many of them impacted my development. I am a 26-year-old black queer woman and am engaged to another black queer woman as well. Navigating my sexuality was definitely confusing and isolating. I had no one to talk to or even tell. I remember a service where the preacher said being gay was a sin and that all gay people were going to burn in hell. This debilitated my soul and made me feel like I was wrong for being me. I tried so hard to deny my identity. Not only was I gay, but I was also a ‘nerd’ into anime, manga, astrology, and art. See, a ‘normal’ black girl in the South was supposed to be into doing hair, playing with dolls, jump roping, and playing sports. Everyone made fun of me, and I had no friends. Every day I would go to my room and draw. I would draw my emotions, my feelings, my pain and anguish. I would also draw my dreams, what I wish my life could be like. Drawing was my refuge. My art saved me.

My work is heavily influenced by my childhood. I learned to use art to process my emotions and express who I am at my core. I am a mixed media artist. I paint and use various materials such as clay, beads, glass, etc. I'm also a graphic designer, creating digital works using Procreate. I have never really been good with my words. I actually have a slight speech impediment, but I have always been great with my visuals. When times get rough for me and the world goes dark, I grab my canvas and start painting, giving my emotions a home outside my body. Creating my art is my therapy, aside from actual therapy. My art is for my mental health as well as for those who experience it.