In the Mind of the Artist
Essay · September 2026
WAIT...I gotta be deep too?!
"I’ll tell you a little secret - sometimes it’s the very people who can’t tear their eyes from one of your works who create the story. Sometimes their perspective makes you appreciate your own work in a way you wouldn’t have seen until THEY expressed it."
— The SculptressI don’t normally present a riveting tale or life epiphany about the inspiration behind most of my pieces, folks. That’s because there usually is none. No experiences to share about my time during my artist’s residency - hasn’t happened. There are no anecdotes to share about a particular creative master I studied under. There are not usually labyrinthian depths I’m able (and, it seems, expected) to describe to make you connect to my work beyond the obvious aesthetic.
How it usually goes down: A vision pops into my head while I’m on my way to get takeout.
I think to myself, “Gotta hurry home, scarf this food down and try to manifest this random vision before it gets skewed and distorted by my self diagnosed ADHD (translation: forgetfulness exacerbated by old age)
The piece that inspired this essay
Afro Beats
Twice-fired stoneware. Original one-of-a-kind sculpture. TM Sculptures & Clayworks collection.
“Create because you must…and don’t trick yourself into trying to concoct a story to convince anyone that your creation is worthy of admiration. Create because you MUST.” That’s enough.
I scarf down the food, grab up the amount of clay I’m going to need and get to work.
I don’t question the origin of the vision, I don’t attempt to “speak” to the clay and expect it to explain to me the significance of what I’m about to turn it into. None of that. I ask Alexa to play a particular vibe of R&B and/or Hip Hop for accompaniment and I continue working until the work is complete.
On rare occasions, when it’s just me and the musical selections and I’m absentmindedly considering each step of creation, my imagination kicks in and I’m able to identify a deeper meaning. This meaning RARELY presents itself at the onset. That is how the majority of my “legacy” series are created.
Ancestral Waters started as a wheel-thrown vase with a hand-sculpted woman as the complementary extension of the piece. She was supposed to be wearing an off the shoulder blouse with a ruffled top. I was failing miserably at creating a realistic “ruffle”. Frustrated, I gave up and ripped away a portion of the ruffle, all set to go in a different, as-yet-to-be-determined, direction. As soon as I ripped that portion away and looked at the part of the failed blouse that was still attached to the vase I thought, “That looks like an ocean wave.” That jarred a previously unmanifested intention to pay tribute to our ancestors who chose the ocean/sea over enslavement. That’s it, that is the original story for my legacy collection, Ancestral Waters. I will continue to create new pieces in this series until I can’t create any longer.
I’m told that your collectors are purchasing “your story” more than they are purchasing your art. Well then, what of creatives - like me, who don’t have a compelling story but still manage to create works that speak to souls on a surface level initially - because they are attractive and/or intriguing. I say to us “Create because you must…and don’t trick yourself into trying to concoct a story to convince anyone that your creation is worthy of admiration. Create because you MUST.” That’s enough. If/When you discover a deeper meaning behind your initial thought, then you will tell that story. If there is no story to tell, you will stand proudly to present the gradients you created masterfully using charcoal; you will regard every compliment about the fluidity of your brush strokes as a blessing; you will graciously consider a viewer’s interpretations of your art as an opportunity to see your work’s beauty from a new and unique perspective.
I’ll tell you a little secret - sometimes it’s the very people who can’t tear their eyes from one of your works who create the story. Sometimes their perspective makes you appreciate your own work in a way you wouldn’t have seen until THEY expressed it.
So, story…no story…whatever. Create because you are compelled, create because it brings peace. Everything ain’t gonna be deep - keep creating on a whim.