I Get Out

Music therapy assisted me beyond the scope of fantasy and the song that channeled this reflection of this idea I had was “I Get Out” by Lauryn Hill. I played this song on repeat for years and it still resonates profoundly.

36x48 Canvas - Acrylic Paint

2017 was a pivotal year for me, I was fresh out of college in my first apartment reflecting on my transformation when I realized my whole life people tried to put me in certain boxes, I had to change within those boxes so I could come out reborn. Just as my ancestors before me my life had changed when I emerged out of all these boxes. Boxes created by society since the beginning of time. I imagined my ancestors sitting in boxes on ships boxed in knowing they couldn’t be held in these chains, they couldn’t be held as slaves because their purpose was greater than the social purgatory they were held in. As a Haitian American dissecting your history is no easy feat. We decided as Haitians we wanted out of social bondage so we had to use our magic. I’m so grateful my ancestors granted me generational ascension so we didn’t have to repress our true expression. In school they didn’t tell us about our magic, they wanted us to imagine it and the whole ordeal was tragic but I’m glad we woke up and used our magic. This painting reflects the different stages of getting out of the box, first, you peer over then you climb, as you oversee you grow and you are transformed into a taller, larger version of yourself.