During my experience with TEDx Charleston at the beginning of 2023 I had an opportunity to meet the featured artist Okeeba Jubalo who designed the branding artwork that set the tone for the entire event.
After the event was over he introduced me to 3 young people and gave me a brief moment of opportunity to sow seeds into them. It was a beautiful ending to the event for me and it also allowed for the beginning of an amazing collaboration between Okeeba’s company “NobleSol Art Group and the non-profit founded by my husband and I, Responsible ARTistry, Inc.
Fast-forward to this past weekend where we partnered with Okeeba to host our first “Carolina Gold: The Lowcountry Renaissance in the amazing Okeeba Jubalo Art Gallery in North Charleston. It is the only black owned gallery featuring black artists in the entire region of Charleston, South Carolina.
I’ve always been a visionary and I dreamed of being an Interior Designer before wanting to share my story on stage since I was a little girl and as we were preparing and transforming the space for the evening I took a moment of gratitude in realizing my dreams had become reality in an entirely new way for this season of my life by my very own hands. I didn’t know what it would look like back then but what I do know is that it’s more than I ever dreamed of. 
Becoming a Visual Artist is not something I’d seen in my dreams, but what I’ve realized is I’ve always been a visual artist through my personal fashion statements, the way I’ve painted visuals with my music lyrics and my poetry. Through my interior design I’ve always transformed spaces into safe havens. I’ve painted my world in my mind.
We must give ourselves permission to be all that is within us. We must cultivate ourselves which gives others the permission to be their best selves at all times. We Must Remember that We the People are The Carolina Gold.
Take a moment and listen to the sound I’ve curated for this post.
Produced by my husband “Mr. BounceBack”
Photos by NobleSol Art Group and Responsible ARTistry, Inc. 
