Meet Stephanie Dotson of i_amSDOT in Compton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Dotson.

Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up in the poverty stricken part of Los Angeles was tough. Not having the essentials or motivation necessary clouds your imagination. You go from being a dreamer to an actualist. So during my high school years I was really confused on what I wanted in life because everything I felt I loved or wanted to do was never supported. So I dropped out of school to just work and survive on my own to give myself a better life. Over the years, I found myself falling in love with written words, photography and beautiful things in life in general. I went back to school and finished after becoming pregnant because I knew I needed to set a great example for my daughter. She inspires my art. She supports me, she motivates me, she helps me see the world in full color when I only saw things in black and white.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road on my journey traveled has not always been easy. I’ve dealt with the loss of friends and family to drug addiction, depression. I’ve met some people that didn’t always have the best intentions for me. I essentially lost myself at one point so much to where I didn’t want to live. I felt I always was seeking validation from others, I later found out through my practice of Buddhism and love for self. That you have to love you before you can love anyone. You have to accept you and you have to be one with all and love all equally to understand the flow of life.

Please tell us about i_amSDOT.
I_amSDOT is me. It’s everything I embody and see. We specialize in custom art either for events or individuals via custom pieces and just street art in general. I stand for love, I stand for peace, I stand for equality, and I stand for the support of individuals whom life has kicked down and discarded. I would love to work with children to develop their artistic skills and open their minds to allow their imaginations to run free. I would also like to develop a program to help the homeless in Los Angeles with housing, job placement and educational resources. I feel like i_amSDOT can change lives for the best by offering and being the best.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Can I time travel and change my childhood first??? In all honesty, I would change some of the decisions I’ve made in my young adult life. I would have not been so foolish and so gullible. I would have found supportive peers and sought help instead of being so stubborn. It’s okay to need help, we can only be so strong. I feel like if I had the proper support and guidance my art would be much more advanced. Don’t get me wrong I’m developing and getting better in my own time. But I definitely know support changes a lot of things.

Pricing:

• Custom clothing (walking art) varies from $75 and up
• Canvas boards start at $100
• Street art (parties, murals, ect) start at $150

Contact Info:

• Phone: 747-238-4523
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/I_amSDOT

Image Credit:
Stephanie Dotson

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