Christine Nassar

painter

Queens, NY

5 favorite musical artists of all time? 

• Coltrane

• Little Brother

• Sade

• Queen

• Pharell

What inspires you? 

My culture, my mood, music, life...the things that I'm automatically drawn to.

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Move out and explore the world, travel the road less taken, and your uniqueness is a gift that should be developed and embraced.

What industry blogs/websites/podcasts do you enjoy?

Joe Budden’s podcast, Instagram, Facebook

What do you think the future holds for people of color in creative industries?

We need to awaken our souls and remember and own that we are the source of creativity. When our energy is focused, everything we touch will turn to gold.

What is your dream job?

My dream job entails me using art therapy to help grieving adults in the African American community. Self hate is an epidemic that I'd like to help heal.

What skill(s) would you develop if you had more time? 

Fine tuning my technique. I've never taken an art class and i would I want to learn basic art/drawing techniques. There is no depth for my desire to learn, to absorb, and understand everything art. I want to see how my art translates through different lenses. I want to discover the other creative dimensions of my painter mind. I would love to be able to have a mentor in the arts.

What is the last thing you learned? 

Even thinking about a favorite food triggers the release of dopamine, a feel-good hormone also produced during sex and drug use.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on an abstract piece on canvas with acrylic paint. I paint with my mood and i let my spirit articulate itself with colors.

If you could talk to your favorite creative for an hour, who would it be? Why?

9th Wonder. His work is like a pot of chili. He lets it simmer to perfection. I’d like to ask him what it's like when he comes up with a new frequency and what his process is.

What advice would you give to creatives of color looking to pursue their passion full-time?

Keep pushing forward. Enjoy the process, network, and protect your energy and your dreams. Not everyone should be privy to your dreams because they don't always mean you well.

How do you keep your creative drip going? 

Transparent conversations, experiences, random things. Conversations are exchanges of thoughts & ideas,; which are seeds that are planted subconsciously and unconsciously, and it feeds my creative soul... and LAUGHING! Painting with my mood is what I equate to stream of consciousness writing. The paintbrush is the pen instead. There is a whole language of the visual world that can be used to express the things that the soul wants/is unable to verbalize with words. I go by the energy of thoughts and emotions, they are either my own or the energy I take on from conversations had with people about life. It is from there that I pick up a brush and just pick up whatever colors I pick up and paint. Whatever happens, happens.