About Me:

My name is Amber, I am African American, I was born on September 29, 1990 in the Bronx and I am based in New York. I have lived in the Bronx for 30 years. I am also a Christian who believes in Christ, and I have dedicated my life to the Lord, using my talents and responsibilities to glorify God. I am a graduate of Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy High School and a graduate of the New York Academy of Art. I am an urban street artist who uses abstraction, realism and urbanism when creating my work. Using my real experiences and feelings while painting, I learned to express my happiness and excitement or to let go of stress and anxiety. Every piece of art I create has a story and God has given me this opportunity to share my story with others using my talent for drawing.

The Mission:

The mission that I want my art to achieve, is to bring awareness to mental health. We all have experienced traumatic situations in our lives that leave us broken, afraid, paranoid, and toxic. I use my art to express all of these toxic emotions, but happiness, joy, and freedom are also included in my work. My art is for everyone! All are welcomed! I want people to know that it's not their fault for the pain and tragic events that may have taken place in their lives. Life is hard and there are a lot of things that we cannot control, nor change. The one thing that we can do is to get help with being able release the toxic residue of the internal emotions in a healthy way, so that it doesn't ruin our lives or make us bitter. Hurt people hurt people, but it doesn't have to continue this way. With the right support we can go through traumatic events and still come out as pure gold in the end. I also hope that when people purchase my artwork, merchandise, and accessories that it gives them a relaxing peace of mind. The colors, techniques, patterns, stories in my work is to allow people to feel understood and to acknowledge that they are not alone.

One person can make a difference, but multiple people together can change the world!

My Story:

The desire to be an influential black African-American artist crossed my mind very early. When I was little, what I liked most was painting and drawing. Drawing and creativity are like the peace of my soul and I loved to express gratitude through my art. When I entered college, I knew I had a talent for drawing. I would get into trouble for drawing on the back of the notebook while the teacher was giving lecturing. The teacher told me to stop drawing and to pay attention to the lectures. I could care less about those boring lectures. Doodling was like an addiction, and I couldn't stop doodling. The teacher called my mother to complain that I was drawing in my notebook during her class, instead of paying attention to what she was teaching us. Imagine getting into trouble just for drawing.

When I reached adolescence, my life was very difficult for me. I had a natural will to work for what I want. I received my first real government job when I was 12 and I have been working ever since. I went from job to job, and I was living check to check. I was very unsatisfied with the way I was living. Then life became more and more stressful. I began to struggle with anxiety, depression, and paranoia. The obstacles that were dealing with were extremely overwhelming and so painful that I just wanted to end my life. Darkness surrounded me, and I didn't even know why. I was no saint, but I did my best to stay out of trouble. I had good attendance at school and only stayed around friends that I knew were good kids. For some reason that wasn't enough to keep the storms from raging in my life. I hated myself and the way I looked. All I thought about was how to become rich, wearing the latest high-end brands, and keeping up with the new gadgets that were being released.

I thought that I knew God because I was raised in a Christian home. Even though I grew up in a Christian household I did not have a personal relationship with God. From a young age, I was told that the Lord loved me, and that meant that He would protect me from all danger and wanted to give me an abundant life if obeyed His word in the Bible. The people who spoke to me about God only mentioned the good things that come from living for God. I was never told about the wilderness and dry seasons that I would still have to face as a believer in Christ. When I was a teenager I suffered from depression and anxiety, I used to think that everything I was told about God was a lie. I didn't want to live in this world anymore. I had no one to come to the rescue to deliver me from the internal darkness I was facing. On top of dealing with depression, I also was having financial difficulties. It was a never-ending battle.

I was invited to my neighbor's church. I honestly just went to church because I was bored at home, not because I wanted to know anything about God. The God I heard about didn't seem to care about me or the struggles I was going through on my own. Trusting someone that I couldn't see was awkward. My friends continued to lecture me that God was good and would never fail me. I've heard it all before, and my circumstances were getting worse by the day. I decided to give God another try. I needed to be delivered by God. I began to pray, read my Bible, and continued to attend my friend's church. I started believing in myself again. I was an overcomer. I knew God was proud of my efforts of being more Christ-like, and before I knew it my life began to improve.

The Bible taught me that life was not about materialistic things. Happiness isn't dependent on your financial status. My new goal of living in this world was to glorify God with my gifts and talents. God can only help us if we accept His help. God does not force Himself into our lives because we have "free will". Free will allows us to choose what is right. We either choose to believe in God or we choose not to believe in God, but we cannot blame God for the outcome of our unbelief. I know that without God my life will fall apart.

Thank You!, for listening to my journey, there is so much more to come.