A technological wave Jamaican story; bold chaotic style — Part 1
“Do what you can from where you are with what you have.”
Me is [I am] a new media/digital technologies likkle gurl [little girl] born and raised in Jamaica by a family from a mixture of different ethnic groups. Mi did wah be [I wanted to be] a Mathematician; something went wrong, but now it feels right. I lived with my grandparents most of my life — my youngest aunt was studying information science and mathematics at university—I got some homeschooling from her when I started high school. Microsoft Paint and WordArt were tools I learned to use under her guidance; then, here came my obsession with computer graphics. After high school, I interned at an advertising agency and later became a freelancer in advertising and production. I ended up learning about Adobe Creative Suite, and I fell in love with Adobe Photoshop. I did an introductory course for a couple of weeks and got so excited to learn more; it was just me and the home computer forever and ever, watching tutorials on Youtube and experimenting with Photoshop filters and more. Mi leggo [I leave] freelancing, full-time artist time!
Likkle canoe kip near shore (Jamaican Proverb)
English Translation: Little canoe is kept near shore
Definition: It’s wise to stay within safe limits
In 2018 I became a full-time artist, although I have been an active experimental artist since 2014. Mi seh, one piece a calamity [There was a lot of madness and confusion] during the likkle [little] time trying my best to be an artist without di baggy [much] stress. Mi glad seh di [I am so happy that the] World Wide Web exists; I am here making use of it. I never met anyone who wasn’t important, either in person or online. Being a full-time artist in Jamaica sometimes feels like dancing on ice just for the joy of it. Yuh si [You see] because I created my structural space to stay focused, distractions don’t phase me much.
Look out for Part 2 soon;
