EIP: Tell me how your identity as a human in the world is connected to your art work and how it presents?

HAVECOOTH: Well I’m a 33 year old masculine presenting Black woman. That alone is art itself; it’s all interconnected. My art is often small with bold colors which is a direct reflection of how I feel in the world.

EIP: Is there anything about your identity that you feel is political, as well as your art?

HAVECOOTH: The personal is political; My existence is political and I can’t say that I enjoy that. I don’t want every day to feel like a fight. As an artist I feel like it’s my duty to document the adversity and fullness of my life that I face on the daily, while simultaneously dealing with the accompanying death threats because my work is that palpable and uprooting for folks.

EIP: Tell us more about your journey as an artist in general , which was the first medium you used and how did that journey look to where you are today?

HAVECOOTH: My journey as an artist has been interesting. I was raised by my grandparents and was always told that being a professional artist was taboo. From a young age I knew I wanted to take a chance on myself through my art. As a child I leaned on expressing myself through the use of watercolors and crayons. Being able to explore that avenue of art ultimately led to my curiosity of color theory. Which currently has shown up in my usage of clay today. These days I use red Mexican clay with acrylic. For my paintings, I use oil pastels and acrylic paint and mostly whatever is laying around. To this day I use whatever supplies I have laying around. I’m used to not having much so being able to create art that I love with minimal resources and supplies is truly a testament to my love of expression and the arts.