Meet Elisheva Pierce | Visionary Artist

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

Hi Elisheva, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think that sometimes taking risks is necessary to reach certain goals, especially when those goals are with being an artist of any sort. It’s important to play things safe, but being an artist often requires facing fears and being confident. Taking risks has played an important role in my career as an artist because there is often a pressure from others to quit due to the likelihood of success as an artist. Oftentimes many artists are taught not to believe in themselves, so choosing to move forward as an artist against the doubt is a risk. No matter what, I always choose to be an artist first because that is who I am and I have vowed to stay true to myself. Also, art is very important to me because it is the way I communicate and connect with other people. I am not the most talkative person, but I still love to connect with other people. Art is the way I touch on different real-life experiences that others may be able to relate to, and representation is very important. Art is culture, and culture is a very important human expression. I think it’s worth the sacrifice to take risks for art because I strongly believe that by sticking to my calling, things will pay off.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art expresses femininity and the liberation of feminine people. I think what sets me apart is the emotions I put into my art. When painting, I put my whole being into my artwork and I fall into a meditative state. Art is truly the way that I communicate. I express my personal experiences, foresight, and emotions in my art to connect and communicate with others. Art is truly therapeutic for me and for others who appreciate my art. It has not been easy. Painting and illustrating have always been something that I did to mentally escape the reality of hardships. I am a highly sensitive person that feels emotions at a very strong dept whether it be love or pain. And I remember being bullied in elementary school as a young girl, and instead of crying heavily at the deep pain I felt, I would draw to distract myself. Art carries me through things, and it is how I overcome challenges. Painting and illustrating help me produce innovative thoughts that will help me move forward in all other areas of my life. A major lesson that I am learning right now is to remain consistent and push through. Consistency is key to success, and I cannot allow doubt and ridicule to stop my progress. What I want the world to know about me is that I am a highly sensitive woman, and I use my sensitivity to nurture my artistry. I want other sensitive people to never be ashamed of your sensitivity. Please know that we make the best artists. We were made with this sensitivity for a reason and some of the reasons are to create art forms that make people think deeply, connect with others, and represent people of all kinds.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my best friend to the Historical West End! That is where I grew up. The Historical West End is very rich in Atlanta culture from the arts, and clothing shops, to healthy foods from some of Atlanta’s trendsetters such as Tassili’s Raw Reality, and Soul Vegetarian. I’ll also take my best friend to the African clothing shops, my old camp West End Arts Center, and many other historical places. I’d also take my best friend to my childhood neighborhood to meet Queen Mother Aisha Lumumba, who makes beautiful African-inspired quilts and played a huge role in the upliftment of people in the Atlanta community. I absolutely love where I am from and the people that I grew up around. I love the culture that I come from, a lot of change to the nation as a whole started in the Historical West End, so that is where I would take my best friend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to first and foremost give a shoutout to God and my parents. My African Queen mom, Evangeline Ruphael, is an amazing artist and sculptress, that has always been my biggest inspiration. I grew up watching my mom sculpt large sculptures of beautiful African women and men. She also painted self-portraits and beautiful visionary art. I would love to shout out my dad because he is a very skilled artist who has a talent for drawing and he would draw comedy artwork for me when I was little and that had an impact on me. My dad would sit and teach me how to draw and paint without looking at the canvas. He noticed that I had a gift and really nourished and supported my growth. I would also love to shout out some of my art inspirations and friends. Thank you to Alim Smith for being a role model and for being an art friend that I can contact for tips and advice about how to maneuver in the art industry. I’d like to shout out my good friend and brother figure Larry Douglas who is an amazing artist himself and has always been a huge supporter with advice. Shoutout to Rod Illustrated aka Golden Hand for giving me so much encouragement through the hard times of being a female artist. I’d like to shout out so many people Pantheah Hawes, Yvng Lvffy, Aisha Hawes, my daughter Amanda, and my best friends Hafeeza, Ellie Thaxton, and Brian Word.

Website: www.trapgirlart.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/artsbarbie

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

Facebook: www.facebook.com/artsbarbi

Image Credits
Cover photo taken by Johnny Daniels & Dania Daniels. Book Rebellious Queenz By T’keyah Williams, art by Elisheva Pierce