Self Portrait I

I was 19, in college, and free to explore my looks and in particular, my hair. What was once a high-top fade, was now a 13-inch twist-out afro that threatened to spread past my shoulders. Emotionally, I had a lot going on with my faith, and my thoughts on society. Ya know, normal Bible Belt kid goes to Liberal Humanist Arts College stuff.

I pulled out my sketchbook one day, and began doodling a self-portrait; starting with my hair. As my pen swirled and curled across the upper third of the page, it represented these complicated thoughts and feelings, the noise of the day-to-day stress, along with my exploration of my blackness and learning to fully appreciate my hair.

In the end, I capped things off with a peaceful look on my portrait’s face, symbolizing that at the time, these feelings of loneliness and isolation were things I couldn't fully verbalize, but could express through my artwork.

Medium: Pilot V5 on Sketch Paper