Celebrate Black Artistry

(Pictured: Shanae Edwards & Mario Charles at a creative artist meeting in Nashville, TN)

I just got off the road from an enlightening drive, and I’m realizing that there’s a lack of support for creative artists within the black community. I’m blessed. My mom is an opera singer, pianist, writer, and actress. My father is an incredible composer, pianist, actor, tap dancer, and vocalist. My sister is a terrific visual artist. I definitely come from a line of creative artists. The bug for artistry has always been apart of my bloodline. I never realized how blessed I was until now. Don’t take it the wrong way my fellow believers. I know I’m blessed, but in terms of the support I’ve received from my parents I’m definitely blessed. My mom and dad have been extremely supportive of my career in film. In 2013, I changed my entire major from Psychology to Film Production. I had to restart my entire program, and I was heading into my junior year of college. Instead of challenging my bold career decision, both of my parents supported me 100%. In fact, I think my dad was more excited about my chosen career in film than he was about psychology. Go figure! LOL! But I digress. My first Christmas home dad bought me a ton of books about filmmaking, and started calling me the next Spielberg-Wilder. Thank you for the nod father. My mom pushed me to pursue every opportunity possible. It didn’t matter if my career took me to Prague or Detroit. I knew my parents would be behind me 100% of the way.

It wasn’t until I had to relocate back to Nashville in 2015 that I realized how fortunate I was to have parents who supported the arts. I wrote, directed, and produced a short film entitled “3 Blind Boys on the Block.” We literally tore my mother’s house apart to shoot the film. She cooked for the entire cast and crew for 5 full days of shooting. She even opened her bedroom to the female cast members and utilized it as a dressing room. What struck the entire cast and crew was her joy…

One cast member said “my mother would never allow me to use her home to shoot a film.” My mom loved having the cast and crew at her humble home. As I began to dive into the industry in Nashville, I came across so many colleagues who constantly had to fight with their loved ones to prove their worth as creative artists. Really? I’ve heard things like “that’s just a hobby” or “you need to get a real job.” I wonder if these same critics ever stopped to think what life would be like without creative artists. No music. No television. No movie theaters. No books. No magazines. No internet. No musicians to play Sabbath or Sunday service. Nothing. zip. I mean the list could go on and on. Yet, we criticize and demean creative artists because they don’t have normal jobs like doctors and lawyers. I began to question this foolish belief and challenge it.

(Pictured: Mezzo-Sopranos, Shirley Verrett & Grace Bumbry)

My best friend “Alexandra” is a phenomenal singer. She could compete with the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Phyllis Hyman. She is badass. Yet, I’ve watched her suffer in silence over the years due to the lack of support she’s received for her artistry. It’s not to say that her loved ones are horrible people. It’s just they do not understand her artistry and how it makes her who she is. I have another dear friend “Michelle” who’s an amazing actress. I get goosebumps every single time I see her perform. We were working on an audition with a new actor, and she had me experiencing a slew of emotions throughout the different improvisational exercises she used during the audition. Girlfriend could give Meryl Streep a run for her money. Yes, she’s just that good. Yet, she’s known for singing. One person even said “I didn’t know Michelle could act. I figured she just sang alto in the choir at church.” While that person didn’t mean to degrade an artist’s work, he actually did by negating the talent that Michelle exudes when she performs onstage or on the big screen.

I’ve seen this occur repeatedly with friends and colleagues especially in the black community. We support future basketball and football players hoping they’ll make it to the big leagues. But we won’t support a future concert cellist or thespian actor. Not realizing how important artistry is to the black community. Think about the last 20th century: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Hattie McDaniel, Ethel Waters, James Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Bill Cosby, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Shirley Verrett, and the list continues. These artists were black, and made major transformational change in our community through their artistry. Where they perfect? No. But did they provide something pivotal to the progression of the African-American culture? Yes.

We have to stop placing black creative artists in a box. It’s unhealthy, and it isn’t natural. Another colleague of mine is an actor with potential. He doesn’t have a lot of training, but he truly has the skill to be a terrific actor in his own right. He’s one of the first black male actors to portray Medgar Evers in an original Broadway production. Yes, Medgar Evers. That’s AMAZING! But the industry isn’t utilizing him. The industry isn’t utilizing Michelle or Alexandra. We must change the industry for the better. We cannot expect White America to support our artists. We have to support our creative artists. We must celebrate them and their worth. We must teach them the business aspect to their craft, and encourage them to continue moving forward. No pun intended. LoL!

One thing that irritates me about the millennial generation, and yes I know I’m a millennial. I’m really an old soul, but that’s another story. Lol! What irritates me about my generation is we have no patience. We want something for nothing. Your artistry takes work. It takes years to develop. Your big break is not just going to hit you at the front door as soon as you step outside the frame. Life doesn’t work that way. Social media and the aspect of going viral says otherwise, but it provides a false sense of security. I encourage every struggling artist to take every opportunity they can and make it into something great. The money will come. Remember Viola Davis hasn’t always been the Annalise Keating we love and know today. She had to start somewhere. It’s important for artists to recognize that anything priceless is worth fighting for. I think that’s why I created Moving4ward Productions. I wanted there to be a platform for upcoming black creative artists to get the opportunity to sink their feet into something incredible. I’m not one who thinks “well, no one helped me so you gotta figure it out for yourself.” No, no, no! It is my job to support the next generation. God gave me the gift so that I may be a blessing to others. What good does it do for me to hold onto my gifts for self?

This is a true story. There was a woman by the name of Tina. Tina was a beautiful woman who doesn’t think she’s attractive. Unfortunately, she’s married to a narcissist. If you don’t know what that means, look it up. :) Tina has a voice that is unmatchable. She is gifted to the 10th degree as one might say. When she sings the hairs on your skin stand up, and if you don’t have any hair that shit still stands up. Yep, I said it. That’s how incredible she is as a singer, and guess what? Tina refuses to sing. She will not sing solo. She barely will lend her voice in an ensemble because she received so much backlash in her own community. She wasn’t encouraged. She wasn’t uplifted. She wasn’t affirmed. She wasn’t celebrated. Instead, she was mocked. She was mistreated. She was deeply hurt, and now a talent remains in solitary confinement. Think about the people, the lives she’ll never reach because her gift is locked away in a far away tower like a princess waiting to be rescued.

This is why it is so important for us as a community to support the arts. Give back even if you can’t support financially, you can support through affirmation and confirmation. You can support by going to all the local shows. You can support by lending encouraging words when artists like myself feel defeated. You can support by claiming the inevitable. “You will make it to the Oscars and win Michelle.” “You will win a Grammy and sell out concert halls across the globe, Alexandra.” “You will invoke emotion and stir the soul as Othello, Charlie.” These are the statements we should utter to fellow black creative artists. Even if you secretly believe the dream is dead, do not discourage someone else from reaching their destiny. You can be on your way to a breakthrough in the arts, but if you veer off from the corner you’ll never reach your destination.

“ I always talk to all the crew. I always make it pleasant. I always nurture a relationship that makes people feel like they're important, like they're a part of the collaboration. I feel that way about the young actors on set. I don't talk to them like I'm the mentor; I talk to them like they're my peers. And I learned that from Meryl Streep.” - Academy Award Winner, Viola Davis