Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Interviewee: Messiah Brown
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| Photo courtesy of Messiah Brown |
Hello and welcome to the Artist Ant Interviews People Summer Series! Welcome to another edition to my latest talks with local and global creatives that are alive, hustling and thriving in their respective crafts! Today I have a special guest today who I’ve known since our time as Fine Art’s majors who attended Beginning Painting class taught by the legendary Dina Pizzarello. I spent many hours with this individual, where we would provide critiques to eachothers oil paintings, discussing how to approach our respective pieces, and whether we’ll survive the class with our souls intact. Thankfully we survived the classes and learned a lot from that legendary professor. As time passed, this individual progressed into other areas of the arts, dabbling in writing poetry, and even furthered his practice in oil painting.
Q0. Who are your inspirations?
MB: My vivid imagination I suppose. I like to look beyond the surface.
Q1. How did you get into art?
MB: I believe it began in preschool, I picked up the pencil and just started to draw. The first time I painted something was in kindergarten, I painted a dream home for me and my mom because at that time in our lives we didn’t really have one all the time. Art became an escape from my reality I guess subconsciously I didn’t really see the problems in the world until I got old enough to understand why I escape from reality into a world I can create.
Q2. When did you take art seriously?
MB: Honestly, when I got to college and seen how challenging it was I saw what I needed to do to stand out from the rest, even though my technique wasn’t always as good as the other students. It made me want to be my best competition.
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| Capella painting by Messiah Brown |
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
MB: Success, I want it as much as I want the next breath I take! I’ve always wanted to be something greater than what I am.
Q4. What made you the person that you are today?
MB: There’s so many directions I can go with this question, having a lot of harsh moments that would probably break down certain people made me into a diamond. They appear to us like stars in the sky, through darkness it will shine and their built from pressure. I put them on my shoulders for my 19th birthday to constantly remind myself, nothing gained if it didn’t come with a little pain and that's where beauties created. Beauty is pain.
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
MB: Lady Gaga, because she’s always been someone I loved to watch evolve. Her theatrical fashion sense never really fails to leave her little monsters in awe. I would most likely talk to her about her ideas in fashion, and the music also how did she stay true to what she wanted to be as an artist.
Q6. If there were any deceased creators , actors, singers, writers, etc that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
MB: Aaliyah, I loved her music growing up and when she started acting is when she pretty much died. She was known for being an angel, I really liked how relatable and down to earth she was. And her music is still on my playlist. She’ll always be one in a million.
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
MB: The northern lights, it’s a goal to see them!
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
MB: Failing at what I love most and seeing it leave before my eyes and I become some mediocre person who loses the gifts I was blessed with as an artist. If you don’t do it enough you lose the touch.
Q9. If you had a superpower what would it be and why?
MB: To read minds and manipulate time. You never really know what someone is thinking, and I’m usually late freezing time every now and then can come to use!
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| Sirius painting by Messiah Brown |
Q10. What catches your attention when you meet people?
MB: Personality, smile and fingernails... I know random but I have this thing with dirty nails and nubs. I pride myself on my nails appearance, being an artist we can get a little messy.
Q11. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
MB: Nothings personal unless you make it personal.
Q12. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and why? How did they shape you?
⁃ Emma Frost (2003) #12 (Always Remember, and love till this day)
⁃ Art of Seduction (Always return to)
⁃ 48 Laws of Power (Always return to)
MB: I read Emma Frost (Marvel) in middle school, probably about 8th grade. During that time I was getting bullied on the regular for being gay, although I wasn’t their yet. And that book I swear I finished the book the same day I got my hands on (rare for me honestly), but I was attracted to her story of how she went from a nerd who was bullied everyday and became this bombshell who didn’t give a fuck. Emma had a dark home life and it was sort of relatable, even the metal issues in the book spoke to me. She was highly misunderstood. She was also a temptress which made her questionable and often played on both sides, but she was a badass. I think I was attracted to the fact that she turned into diamond to block off any psychic attacks.
Let’s just say I always return to the Art of Seduction, because when I turned 19 I vowed that I’ll never be easily bedazzled by a man false intentions with me. Instead he’d be besotted by my virtuous engagement. I also saw how it would help me as an artist because practically every great artist or political figure even the most hated people in history was great seducers with their flair in words or appearance. It taught me that sex appeal was by far more than just the surface actually it never was on the surface, it was your attitude and the ideas you plant that creates the fantasy worth wild!
The 48 Laws Of Power helped me learn how to deal with people who tend to power trip, and to discover what having power really meant. It’s not only about finding your own power or having it. I saw how powerful people lost their power due to gullibility and lack of discernment of who they surrounded themselves with. I saw something I was missing and I still return to the book to remind myself of what mistakes I don’t want to make.
Q13. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice ?
MB: I never thought of remaking anything, I’ve always wanted to make something original.
Q14. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an album, what album or artist would you pick?
MB: I’m gonna say Nao's For All We Know album, listened to it constantly and still love the album till this day.
Q15. Who In this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
MB: My mother, although she’s not an artist and doesn’t know anything about it; she always kept me on the path I told her I wanted to be on. Like a reminder to be what you said you wanted to be.
Q16. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
MB: Living out the aspirations and goals I have set for myself today.
Q17. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on repeat? And why?
MB: Believe it or not I have a broad range of interest in music, so bare with me.
⁃ “Only Human” by Jonas Brothers
⁃ “Wiggle It” by French Montana ft. City Girls
⁃ “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo
Well “Only Human” is a catchy summer song and I like the beat, and the same goes with “Wiggle It”. Both songs make me wanna shake my ass. And well, I chose “Truth Hurts” because it just sums up my feelings towards fuck boys. Fuck, fuck boys.
Q18. What color speaks to you the most and why?
MB: Blue, it reminds me of openness like the sky and ocean. It’s cool, calm and peaceful. I used it a lot when I was in an unhappy phase in my life to dig myself out of my that mind state.
Q19.What's one thing that you're proud of?
MB: I’m proud of publishing my poetry and seeing what some probably didn’t think would manifest actually come to light. I never thought I’d actually do something like that, in fact it was never something I considered really.
Q20. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
MB: Boredom is just your brain telling you to make space for something new to learn or do.
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| Sea Creatures-Self Portrait painting by Messiah Brown |
You can follow his work on instagram.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messiahart/
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