Support Local Art (but be real about it)

People always say that they support local/small businesses whether it's the mom and pop down the street, their friend who produces music, or their cousin who's really passionate about art, but I feel like people don't do it as often as they SAY they do. A lot of the times people just say that they want to help those who aren't in the mainstream for brownie points, or to feel better about themselves.

Don't lie...

And, honestly - I do that sometimes too. I think we don't really invest our time, money, or effort into small businesses because we're afraid of being the guinea pig, or having our money wasted. But, that's a symptom of hive mentality and we need to BREAK that habit.

There are so many talented and deserving people that don't receive the recognition they deserve because they may not have the influence, power, or money backing them. All they've got is their passion, perseverance, and hopes that they will eventually make it.

Nonetheless, I've decided to make the active effort to PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH and do a better job at supporting some of the talent blooming right here in my city.

I wanted to use this platform to promote an artist from a Canadian city called Windsor who specializes in both drawing and painting.

INTRODUCING... SAM ENRIQUEZ

Samantha Enriquez is a freelance artist and soon to be FAMOUS artist (I'm putting that out in the Universe). She currently works as a part-time volunteer with a group of young artists recruited by the Arts Council of Windsor called Vanguard Youth Arts Collective. She was promoted to Vice-President of Vanguard after only a few months of working with them due to her creativity and evident effort to be a team-player. Their most recent project is the 100 Journals Project, funded by the Windsor Endowment for The Arts grant. As you can tell, she's on the come up and I can't wait to continue to support her along the way as she resumes making monumental changes to the art scene in Windsor, Ontario.

Here are some examples of her amazing work:

As you can see, her style is very bold yet - she's able to contrast the colours together so eloquently. She does a wonderful job at paying attention to every single detail and making sure that both her drawings and paintings are as striking and eye-catching as possible. Even the drawing that doesn't have any colour to it is still very naturalistic and organic which I REALLY appreciate and admire.

There is a lot more where that comes from and if you are interested in seeing more of her work, or purchasing them, you can follow her on Instagram: @SamMissMexico.

Thank you for reading this blog and if you have any other suggestions for other creatives and/or businesses that I can look into, please feel free to let me know!