Always resonating truth.

I first heard this walking down the eccentric streets of Berkeley. An artist by the name Tony B was standing at a street corner selling his art while rapping to an audience made up of football players, and students. His customized raps were quick to capture my attention, but it was his art work that kept me lingering. Once the crowd dispersed, I spotted the masterpiece that now hangs in my bedroom. A graffiti painting of Marilyn Monroe with the quote "if you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best" displayed across the canvas. I am as in love with this painting today, as I was the day I came across it. The raw emotion, the candidness, this is what I love about this painting. Toni captured the essence of the quote with the uttermost accuracy. His emotions, and his energy, are evident in this piece as well as all his work.

On the back of the canvas, Toni left me a little note thanking for supporting his dream. He concluded the note with the words that will forever ring in my ear, "always resonating truth." ART, the acronym that changed my outlook on the realm of art.

I come from a long line of artists, I was taught how to hold a paintbrush before I was taught to speak. Art itself is a language, unfortunately, I only came to this realization after meeting Toni. I never looked too hard at a painting, or gave the meaning of it enough thought. Art seemed trivial to me, I only partook in it to pass time.

Now I understand, art is a way for people to communicate, a way to display emotion, a way to express ones deepest fears. Always resonating truth.

When I am in the process of making an artwork I do not think about the decisions I am making. My art is candid, unedited, raw. My art represents my true self because it is created through my uncontrolled feelings.

My opinion of art has changed drastically since the day I met Toni, I now see art as the language of truth. When I create, I feel as though I am telling my story through my work; when I see others creations I am intrigued by the person being displayed in the piece.

As human beings we readily lie, often by omission, about who we are and how we feel. Art, however, is blunt and that is what makes it so incredibly beautiful. It is hard to distinguish what an artist is eluding to in their work, but art is meant to be perceived uniquely by each person while still revealing something about the artist. Toni shined a light on me back in 2014 that has forever changed the course of my life because I now see the truth in my art and therefore in myself.