My Artist Story
To all the people I haven’t met yet and those whom I know, HELLO :)
My name is Chloe’. I grew up in the US, in New Jersey. I always grew up loving art but both of my parents are from Jamaica and as a first generation american citizen that wasn’t exactly the future role that they saw for their daughter. It was never a career option as far as I was concerned. I didn’t know any artist growing up and I was going to be a doctor. So as much I loved art & crafts, and excelled in all my art classes. It just wasn’t what I saw as a reality.
Fast forward, I’m in college studying biology and realize this doctor thing isn’t it. So I applied to architecture programs in other schools and started my second year of college as an architecture student. That was a long year with a heavy course load, which is fine but at the end of that year I took a scope into the future of what I would be doing if I stuck with this program and just thought this isn’t. I took a full year off of school to try and figure it out. I knew I always wanted to work for myself at some point. So I figured that business was what I would get a degree in. Honestly at this point there was such an expectation set from my family, peers and myself to graduate that I just did it. I just wanted to be done with school.
During my last semester of my senior year, I bought my first semi-professional camera. I have always loved taking pictures of friends and family while we were together. So I figured that I’d just upgrade from the cameras I’ve had in the past. That semester alongside school, I started teaching myself how to use my camera through the great school of youtube and this online photography website that would send me emails every week and had so many new lessons for me to learn. I found it all so fascinating and exciting, I couldn’t learn enough.
The second day after graduating college I had already started working at a tech start up. It was cool because the team was small but it just wasn’t the place for me. And this is a start up, like it’s the chillest business space ever. All this time I’m still studying photography. And I remember seeing this lady walk by me in chelsea. Automatically the thought came “you need to photograph her”. I stopped for like 30seconds and then turned around she was already almost two blocks away. This is NYC, a person’s casual walk is a light jog for every other place in the world. So I ran after her, asked to photograph her and we had a photoshoot together outside in TriBeCa. And after that shoot I knew I wanted to be a photographer.
Brooke Shaden was one of the first fine art photographers that gave me a look into the world of art photography. I followed her art, her lessons, how she worked and that really helped me craft the way I think about my art. Earlier on though I remember two of my art teachers growing up were amazing (two were assholes, it happens). The first was my second grade art teacher. She always gave me confidence that my work was so great even when I couldn’t see it. And the one of my high school art teachers, Mrs.Gencarelli (i believe her name was) was always so encouraging and confident instilling about my art work. When it came to my art work, I was a bit over analytical about it, I guess because it meant so much to me and I wanted it to be really good. I wanted to love it. So I always thought the work wasn't ready. I remember there was an art competition at a college nearby where thousands of students were participating and she wanted me to submit a piece that I was working on during class. It was an oil pastel drawing but I kept telling her I wasn’t done with it. ANd I wouldnt be done with it in time for the deadline of the competition. But you know what, she submitted my work anyway and I got third place. It was a really beautiful realization to know that she was able to see my work and believe in it even when I couldn’t see what she saw. I’m always thankful for her for doing that. Then there is my mom. Growing up so differently then I did, I know now it was very hard for her to understand my idea of wanting to be a photographer, and then an art photographer. However, she was always very positive about my art throughout my entire life. The oil pastel drawing is hanging in her home now.
I have always said that if I could have chosen my artistic skill I would have been a hyper-realistic painter. But it’s one of those things where in hindsight you look back and I don’t think I would have ever had the deep curiosity to dive into photography if I was a painter. So thank you universe or my lack of getting into painting, I thank them both.
The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome would be the thinking that I needed to have a “Stable job”. That art wasn’t stable, that it wouldn’t be able to support me. And these weren’t necessarily my innate feeling but the mindsets and framework of the other people that were in my life (parents, people I knew). For a while I was trying to juggle both having a stable job and living my passion. During this time I also went through a massive spiritual journey where I dived into the teaching of spiritual leaders from around the world: Osho, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Ekhart Tolle, Abraham Hicks, literally everyone. I was raised very christian but there were a lot of practices that I was raised up to withhold that didn’t resonate with. Through my journey as a student learning the philosophies and teachings from different spiritualities I found myself on the other side in an awareness and knowing that what I knew to be true for me was the only reassurance I would ever need to make a choice that was right for me. It sealed the gap between me and my intuition which was truly the dark night of my soul. I had so many questions, but instead of staying stuck in my not knowing I chose to find the answers continuously. I know now that I don’t always have to have the answers to everything but I can trust myself to be guided to where I need to go.
My ideas behind my work are majorly based on the materials that I read coupled with my active imagination. I grew up reading a LOT of fiction stories. Stories of all genres but whatever it was I could read it all day! And I believe this really helped expand my imagination because I believe that anything is possible. As I have gotten older, I mostly read non-fiction. I could probably say that I only read non-fiction, the last fiction book I read was American Psycho and that was 3-4 years ago. The books that I have read in the past years have been a journey of self study. My favorite genres being psychology, philosophy and spirituality have really inspired and reshaped the way I think about everything. They have helped to open me up to looking at my world and what happens from my internal value system. It’s interesting to me to pause and reflect in moments or on outcomes and situations. Reflecting on the mindsets, values, personal philosophies, and actions of the parts involved and how that shapes people. Examining disconnects like who we are being vs who we have the potential of being, and why that gap is there. I believe that through self reflection and taking action, we are able to achieve anything and come closer to being our greatest potential. Asking myself questions that are reflective of me examining my own life and teachings that I have come across have been a major influence to the photographs that I create.
As an artist I have learned that self-expression is vitally important to my health:, my soul health, my mental health, physical health and spiritual health because it’s all connected. The art has been the place where I can connect all the parts of myself, the lessons I have learned in my life and connect with other people. It’s a reminder that we are not alone on our journey through life. I have learned the importance of sharing that connection with other people through my art because I believe that art has the power to heal. Art has the power to start conversations that lead to people reflecting inwards and growing into their best selves. That’s why I create art, to remind people of the connectedness of all of life and how important it is for them to be the best them they can. That’s what I want to share with everyone who views my work.
In creating photographs that are art pieces, the themes behind the work can be viewed/shared/relocated world wide allowing people that own them, come across them to be able to dive into the themes of the works for themselves. And by diving within themselves, they resurface even more refined, a step closer to being their greatest potential.
Sincerely,
Chloe’