Meet Flizzie Thompson | Multimedia Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Flizzie Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Flizzie, what do you attribute your success to?
It sounds like a conceited answer, but the truth of what drives my success is me. When I decided to pursue a Fine Arts degree, I was honestly really alone in the decision. Of course, I had the encouragement from family and friends, but I didn’t really have a mentor or someone holding my hand through the applications and auditions. No one around me had done that before. When I made it to art school, I felt like I had this weird notion that I needed to prove to my classmates and professors that I deserved to be there. It wasn’t until I started to make work that I wanted to see or the work that told my story that I started to see success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Art has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up as a very anxious child in Montgomery, Alabama, a town rich with history and lots of friendly people who will speak to you even if you’re a stranger. There wasn’t necessarily a ton of support for children with anxiety, and talking about mental health was considered taboo. Art was my release, and it calmed me, but it wasn’t always readily available or funded, so I usually had to think of different ways to create. I remember being in a daycare that heavily relied on donations, and my mom donating reams of paper so I could draw. In high school, my craft heavily relied on broken costume jewelry, nail polish, and hot glue to make accessories and little sculptures. Having to always think outside of the box for art supplies has led me to some really fun concepts in my current practice, like the time I used broken eggshells and egg tempera to make portraits of women who fought for reproductive freedom in light of Alabama’s new IVF law. My art is about exploring and caring, simple as that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have a huge group of friends that I met through concerts and my love of music. So the people who visit me the most are in town for music. Currently, my favorite venue is the Tabernacle, so that’s definitely a must-attend. Like I said before, a lot of my work stems from wanting people to care about and understand each other. I feel like in order to understand others, you have to immerse yourself in different cultures and histories. I think the best places to do that are the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory, Atlanta Contemporary, and, of course, the High Museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to the memory of Cason McDermott and her family. It was because of Cason’s confidence in me and my work that I really began to push myself. Her memory is why I continue.
I’d also like to thank my concert family and my friends outside of the art world; you all keep me sane, and y’all’s encouragement is everything to me.

Website: https://flizerinadesigns.wixsite.com/flizerina

Instagram: @flizerina_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flizerina/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flizerina

Other: email: flizerinadesigns@gmail.com