Today we’d like to introduce you to Yanory Norwood.
Hi Yanory, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I want people to see me, not hear the story that may sound like another. I am a powerful force for good in the world; evolving while learning to let go of fear. I am devoted to uncovering the gems that are already here. A natural healer, known for being present and seen.
I am an Afro-Latina immigrant born in Bluefield, Nicaragua, and raised in Oakland, CA, with my family’s hopes of living the American dream. Unfortunately, those dreams were quickly overshadowed by my father’s abuse leading me to find an escape, a form of expression, an outlet that would give me a safe space hence birthing YANORY.NORI.I AM.
I am a self-taught artist whose love for art started at the age of seven, where expressing my pain through painting became my safe haven. After almost 2 decades during the pandemic I decided to take a leap of faith and I quit a six-figure corporate job to pursue something that I truly feel has been pursuing me my whole life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road less traveled is never smooth nor did I expect it to be but being a mother of four I felt it was imperative that I dealt with my childhood trauma and began to heal from it as well as accept it so that I could find the key to my mental handcuffs and start to change the narrative.
The financial uncertainty in conjunction with some of the closest people to me not seeing the vision that was so illuminating so vividly in my head was enough for me to second guess every canvas, paintbrush and tube of paint that I have ever purchased as well as if I was making the right choice.
I was morphing into a butterfly that had to first endure the painful stages of first being a caterpillar that most wouldn’t touch but some thought was exquisite. I had to learn to embrace the struggle.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My art is transformative when fully immersed. I create an experience that acknowledges that our community is informed by trauma, with the manifestation that we can transform the child, family, and individual into more than our trauma. Stated simply, my art listens, speaks, embraces, and hold space for vulnerability to be intimately transparent.
I created a “Locked In” Series inspired by Black Men Mental Health. At the start of my plight for this series, I realized early on it was born from the deep pull of my attention to my studies of Young E. Class, who was sentenced to 40yrs in prison at the age of 15 for murder.
13 years in prison: a time to reflect and transform. This story was a hard reminder that we must overcome the imposed identity of history’s fears. These fears that has been put upon our psychology are rooted in our understanding of the past and in order to create a fruitful understanding of who we are; we need to release these mental fears to embrace our new future.
The evolved version of us must understand knowing. A sense of knowing ourselves based on our past but not as a result of our past. I believe we must come to terms with how we were built and the way we have been conditioned to believe how the world works. From that understanding we as individuals need to go beyond that thinking, to understand who we know we are and where we want to be spiritually first, mentally second, and emotionally third. It is possible to create a new life and a new destiny.
We see and hear stories about it every day, but it is a huge hurdle to write your own story. It is empirical that we write our own stories. So, I asked myself, “As a mother of 3 beautiful black young men, what happens at the intersection of mental health and life experience for them? What happens that shifts their experience as a member of the Black community?” I believe that this topic isn’t talked about enough when it comes to black men.
The black community has measured mental growth as a stereotype, as a sort of “right of passage” that continues to be characterized by traumatic and violent events. That event locks the trauma and violence, and we spend our lives learning to keep it locked so we can thrive. Living with trauma and violence has become a condition of our environment and was shaped by even our country’s history not just our community and that history is plagued with trauma and plagued with violence.
I believe there has been an awakening about the importance of trauma and violence in our present lives and now we can start to direct our emphasis on dealing with trauma. I pray we can get to a point where collectively we put less emphasis into why black men and women feel uncomfortable for the need of therapy and more understanding and action into the contexts in which they already feel comfortable sharing their insights; that way talking about their feelings and traumas will become organic.
Learning to transform what we are feeling is difficult, so what if we don’t try transferring it into something but express it in a creative action? Creativity through art is my therapy and I’ve learned that part of my gift was to share my therapy as therapy for others.
My aim is to spark conversations that with allow others to engage each other and begin dialogues that ignite courage and strength in people to be honest and fearless. The way I depict this collection is by being inspired by real-life people. Their stories are my stories and I listen with intent. From friends, family, poets, celebrities, and those who have encountered racism, and injustices.
I am inspired by people from all walks of life and by all who are dealing with mental health silently. I incorporate symbolism, energy & healing in my paintings because I wanted to bring these topics to life and to be able to reach people more intimately, because mental health matters. People have given plenty of testimonials of how they have gone through the journey of mental trauma release and how they broke down barriers with a plethora of different tactics.
As a creator of art and life, I know my works of creation are built from my gifted tools and they are not mine to keep but mine to use for the world to experience. My tool is my creative expression, and I express through art. I implore everyone to join the fight at whatever level and collectively I believe we can change the narrative of trauma through creativity. I create through art so I choose to continue to support the fight through my art in hopes of creating something heartfelt that may assist the next person to begin breaking those barriers.
My art is where I express these stories I write, and I write those stories… stroke… by stroke.
I am most proud of the beautiful connections I have cultivated throughout my journey; being able to showcase my masterpieces in Solo Art Exhibit’s & write an Art Therapy Curriculum. My first solo art exhibit was at Sole Folks Art Gallery in Leimert Park, CA curated by a beautiful human, Doyin Adewole “doc”; and my hometown Oakland at More Vibes x Tyranny Allen Gallery.
I created an Art Therapy Curriculum for children/teens and adults to be able to express themselves in a context of gentle guidance that assists them in self-discovery and growth, which has given me the opportunity to lead my workshops for women incarcerated with children, an incredible mentoring program for our youth called The N.O.W. Youth Foundation, founded by DJ McFadden, in Philadelphia, an incredibly social and emotional restoration program called Studiofive10, founded by Emmanuel Keys, and currently working with Create The Space, a concierge service for black men seeking wellness and community, founded by Denzel Herrera-Davis.
I see you, I hear you. I have discovered that there is an infinite number of Me’s, not just past, present, and future. There are so many more possible. I’m in the realm of infinity. This is what sets me apart from others.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The only thing that is constant is change. Essentially when you start a race; there is no finish line. We are limitless.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://iamnori.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yanory_norwood/
Image Credits
Antwan Banks, Williams Jeremie, Fremaux Brandon, Davis Ed.Ryan, and ArtByBlack
