Meet Trailblazer Portia Lewis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Portia Lewis.

Portia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Most African Americans have an artist in their family. They’re that one cousin who can blow your mind just by pressing their pencil to the page. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10, that cousin and their mind-blowing talent goes nowhere, and their story will always be “Oh man, they were so talented. What a shame.” I refused to be that cousin. I told my mother at 10 years old that I wanted to go to Baltimore School for the Arts for high school. Fortunately for me, my mother also shared my desperate urge to break the dark legacy in African American families. She bought me art books and took me to all the orientations so that I would be ready–MORE than ready–to nail my audition into art school.

Out of over 1,000 applicants, 25 art students were accepted into Baltimore School for the Arts in the fall of 2005. I was one of them. I did it! I broke the curse of being that cousin who had talent that went nowhere… or did I? I excelled in art school because I had talent that morphed into skill. I had determination, “grit”, tenacity. But I had a problem. I didn’t know what I wanted to say. Art is an expression. And I had NO IDEA what I wanted to express. From art high school to art college at Temple University, I perfected my craft but still left my audiences empty because I had nothing to say. Only in my final semester of college–a full eight years of formal art training late, did I dig back into my history and realize that I had an entire legacy and a story that needed to be expressed. MY story. The story of my family as an African America girl who refused to be that cousin who blew people’s minds just by pressing their pencil to the page. I finally had something to say. And after five years of telling my own story, I realized that my tale of success wasn’t the only one that deserved to be told. Because not every family has a successful artist. But EVERY African American family has that cousin that didn’t go anywhere. That’s why I work now, to share their story through my brush. I paint for them because they can’t.

Has it been a smooth road?
As you can see from my story, it has NOT been a smooth road! A creative field is unlike any other. If a mathematician gets their numbers wrong, they just wasn’t diligent enough. They can be more precise next time. If a football player gets tackled too early, he just wasn’t fast enough. He can run more drills next time. But if an artist’s painting isn’t interesting, THEY don’t have interesting ideas. THEY are the problem, not their skill. That’s an extremely personal critique to absorb every single time you unleash your work to their world. Not everyone can handle that kind of exposure and blow to their ego. However, that shouldn’t be discouraging to young woman starting this journey. The world needs more feminine perspectives at this point in history in particular. When you feel that hit to your self-esteem, dig deep into your convictions and remember (or discover) why you want to be an artist in the first place. You have something to say! It can’t be said if you keep silent and give up. But also remember that it’s perfectly natural to feel discouraged. That’s the most human experience in the world. You can use that energy and experience to connect even more because there’s not a single soul on the planet that hasn’t felt disappointment. I would also be a disservice not to also give the advice to master your craft as well. Your craft gives you the proper tools to tell your story better. But don’t WAIT to master all your skills before you release your work. If you wait for your work to be perfect before you show it, you’ll be left with hundreds of unfinished work up until the day you die.

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist in the literal and symbolic use of the word. As I’ve said, I have other nine years of formal art training. Currently, I’m also a full-time actress in Los Angeles and writing a series of teen fiction novels. With my art, I specialize in creative portraits and interior murals. As a brand, I’m most proud of my creative storytelling techniques in my writing and my paintings. As you know, it’s taken me a decade to even discover what kinds of stories I want to tell, so to be able to come up with such creative and compelling stories is surreal. What sets me apart is my attention to detail. Any customer who receives work from me trusts that I will always deliver a beautiful piece that strikes a balance between skill and expression.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Absolutely! Most people have the misconception that art school is full of smiling people squirting paint on a wall and everyone clapping in wonder. No. True art school is militant. It’s meant to break you down and (hopefully) build you back up. On top of learning dozens of hard skills, I also learned discipline, time management, creative solution making, and TENACITY. These traits gave me the gumption to make the leaps of faith that I have in my life–personally and professionally. It’s the reason why I hopped into my car and drove almost 3,000 to Los Angeles to be in the creative/entertainment industry. It’s what gave me the gall to succeed even when everyone gave me all the statistics that told me it shouldn’t be possible. But I’m also one of the fortunate few to have an extremely supportive mother and family. My mother has been my backbone, giving me structure and stability when I wanted to fall all these years. 80% of my success is owed to her existence in my life.

Pricing:

• Book Covers starting at $300
• Creative Portraits starting at $1,500
• Interior Murals starting at $5,000

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portiaddoesstyle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PortiaDDesigns/

Image Credit:
Images provided by Portia D Does

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