Happy New Year. Happy New You. I approach each year with permission to grow. To redefine who I want to be in this world –a world that is always changing. I think it is important for us to take stock in what served us and our communities in 2019, and then release the rest. This year is already coming to the table with a palpable energy and I want us, together, to move into who we are meant to be each day. Visualize us holding hands as we put one foot in front of another to own our truth and live from our most authentic selves. I did this when I was shooting my book. With each portrait I took, each city I traveled to, and each word I wrote, I visualized that I had a collective force of strong women beside me, supporting me. I had you next to me, and the words I wrote are for you. My newsletter is going to be an organic flow of thoughts, inspiration, and passion, and will incorporate courageous individuals who are challenging us to grow and think a little deeper. Today, as you read the words that follow, I want you to know you are seen, you are loved, and I am beyond grateful for you and your support. Happy New Year, Sweet Souls. Xx - AR
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Amy Sherald
People producing new work that challenges us to unite and grow #TheNewSouthern
Headshot by ©Jordan Geiger, courtesy of Amy Sherald and Hauser & Wirth.
Artwork: First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald, oil on linen. Photo ©National Portrait Gallery.
Born in Columbus, GA, and based in Baltimore, MD, Amy Sherald is an artist whose work radiates the spirit of The New Southern movement. By now, you probably know her for her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama, which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
But even before the 2018 unveiling of the portrait, Sherald spent decades diligently chasing her light and creating an authentic, powerful body of work out of the spotlight, all despite a heart transplant, caring for ill family members, and waiting tables to make ends meet.
Her work, contemporary portraiture exploring black identity through nuanced portraits, provides an important perspective and the chance for young artists to see themselves represented in a powerful way. Since being hurled into the spotlight, Sherald has emphasized that for her, the highlight of mainstream recognition has been the opportunity to inspire and empower young people. In a 2018 interview with Hyperallergic she said:
“. . . just having the power to expand the minds of our youth is really the best part about all of this. . .We’re not growing up in West Baltimore saying ‘I want to be an artist,’ and if they are, it’s squashed by the time they’re in the 11th grade. It’s not a reality. I’m hoping that with my presence as a Black woman in the art world that those kinds of things can change, too.”
Sherald’s work, her dedication, and her voice are inspiring a new generation of creatives, particularly women, to be fearless, pioneering, bold, and authentic. She stands as a reminder that when we chase our own light, it illuminates the path for others as well.
NEW LENS: eco-conscious
An opportunity for us to think outside the box with curiosity and questions
Speaking of inspiring youth: Greta Thunberg, a fearless 16-year-old and TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year, has brought the climate conversation to the forefront this year with her mighty efforts to remind those in power that a younger generation has to live with the decisions we make today. Start here to read more about Greta, then push your climate curiosity further by digging in to resources like this piece from the New York Times to see how your day-to-day creates lasting impacts. You can even use this calculator from The Nature Conservancy to measure your own carbon footprint.
What’s next? What can you do now, not just as an individual but as a small business? Look to examples like The Better Packaging Co., which has created a sustainable alternative to shipping materials for e-commerce businesses. Innovative companies like this are paving the way for modern brands to prove they’re true players in what The Better Packaging Co. calls “The New Eco-nomy.” A few ways to create small change as a small business next year: swapping out your packaging, switching to more sustainably sourced materials, and minimizing or balancing business air travel with carbon offsets.
Bottom Photo: ©A Better Packaging Co
