image shot by @cont4ct

Who Are You?
I AM a lover. I AM a healer. I AM a friend. I AM a sister. I AM a fighter. I AM a believer. I AM the universe. I AM an artist. I AM a photographer. I AM a mixed media artist. I AM Something Orange.

What Do You Do?
I create dialogue and space through my imagery as well as my art pieces.

Why Do You Do It?
I do it for my younger self. Growing up, I was bullied for the way I looked, dressed, and how much I weighed. I started creating art in order to create space for myself. In creating these spaces, I was then able to be vulnerable and share pieces of myself with the world. I wanted to try something new outside of poetry. I did it for my sanity. All the bottled up emotions weren't going to serve me any good. I picked up a pen and it lived out its purpose, but then I picked up a camera and now I can't put it down.

What inspires you?
My experiences, family, friends, and most importantly I inspire me. Just being on my spiritual path and seeing how the universe has been working with me and not against me is all the inspiration I need in the morning.

Why Orange?
Funny enough the orange hair was kind of a mistake three plus years ago. I went into the salon to get an ombre of orange & purple—Kid Cudi man on the moon vibe ( I love him that much), and I came out a ginger. A few days later, I got some orange dye & did it myself. I fell in love. Orange is my favorite color. Orange is the color of joy & creativity.

Advice for young creatives?
Keep swimming—you'll reach many days where you're going to feel discouraged and won't even like your own work. I now understand it's normal. We become uncomfortable with the work we produce and that only means growth is about to come from that. DO NOT compare your "level 2" to someone else's "level 10." Finally, equipment DOES NOT matter. Its all about the vision.

Biggest obstacles you face creating right now?
Disciplining myself to do my work/create and finding balance when it comes to supporting my peers. Understanding that I don't need to be everywhere and not everything is meant for me.

Biggest rewards?
The lessons and people the universe has surrounded me with and The ability to wake up every day with a creative mind.

Instagram: @NYCGoblin
Website: www.nycgoblin.com