Emerging Nonbinary Black Artist, Jordann “HoneyDip” Dominique has created a safe space of communication for the Black Community using art, expressed through Mixed Media paintings, sculptures, and textiles. As a self-taught artist, Jordann creates works of art based on moments in time where Black voices need to be heard the loudest. Their work addresses the Black Community’s response to trauma as the ability to mask emotions. With this lack of acknowledgment of emotions, it’s caused broken families, internalized anger, and left the Black Community battling anxiety and depression. When creating, Jordann enjoys uplifting the Black Community to break free from generational curses by encouraging the value in mental health awareness. Jordann puts emphasis on the normalization of having intentional conversations about gently healing Black trauma through self expression, vulnerability, and communal love.
Through personal experiences with trauma and their journey in therapy, Jordann wants to continue using their story as reference to continue having safe and open conversations about overcoming trauma within the Black Community.
ARTIST STATETMENT
The Black Community experiences unprecedented amounts of trauma at a higher rate than any other race. We “earned” the right to call ourselves strong from society’s inflicted prejudices, discrimination, and economic differences. However, strength was thrown on us as an excuse to cover up the true damage left by our oppressors. This fact alone caused a chain reaction in the Black Community to mask their vulnerability with strongness, which has left us with broken families, generational curses, and zero accountability. Things are often left unsaid or not spoken on out of the fear of weakness. This internal battle has caused a level of outward hardness we battle to balance everyday.
The intersectionality between Race, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity for the Black Community highlights the inequality we face on a broad spectrum. As Non Binary Black Woman, emphasis on the Black before the woman, is a unique experience only bestowed upon specific souls. History has taught us that we weren’t allowed to be vulnerable in situations where our emotional regulation consists of not acknowledging our true feelings. We are often associated with negative emotions such as anger, aggressiveness or sadness, almost barring us from positive emotions. We are all just a product of the environments we come from. Society has failed my community leaving us without the human right to feel emotions as they come.
My work is an open dialogue with myself. I often say it's as if the pages of my personal journal manifested itself into a physical being. Sometimes I create with the intention of healing in mind, but my works of art come to life when I’m able to connect with the individual viewing my work. It’s not about controlling the narrative, but creating a space where a narrative can take place. My personal experience along with the viewers’, allows us to zero in on ourselves. We are able to connect and love one another through a moment that's revealing and sometimes scary. To be open and vulnerable takes courage that I continue to challenge myself and even others to participate in. My work gives others comfort, peace in knowing that I see them, just as they’re seeing me. When you realize that trauma is something that plagues us all, I think it connects us as one. True healing will only take place if the Black community is able to acknowledge trauma no matter how tough it may be, but to do so we must do it united as one.
I intentionally use vibrant colors with childlike tones to increase depth in energy. Being a Mixed Media artist allows me to see the beauty in everything, whether it be an old mirror, oil and acrylic paint, or clothing. I often pull inspiration from the lost treasures I find at the thrift store. It’s something special to take items that people find no value in and make them beautiful. I create my pieces in the mind of healing our inner child because that's where it all began. We are all learning to be gentle and kind to our inner child. The gift of creation has given me a voice to express freelyYes, trauma is a part of us, but we have the power to change that. Our inner resilience must be turned into self love. It is my hope that I radiate comfort, love, and supportive energy through my pieces, as myself and the Black community take the journey of healing through self expression and therapy.
