I was listening to a lot of Tupac’s music at the end of 2017 and into 2018. (Aside from being a fan as a child as well.) I’m not going to pretend I had the same life journey, but what I love most about his music is how he turned anger into beauty; he transformed his rage into art. This was a time when I was finally starting to delve into the darkest parts of my own soul. Up until that point, I really had no idea that it was okay to feel angry about certain things in my life. I always thought anger was an emotion you weren’t supposed to feel and if you did, you’d better get rid of it as soon as possible and never acknowledge it as a feeling you were “low enough” to have in the first place. But I learned that anger is normal, and it can be healthy, especially when it’s used to make progress. From the time I started painting, it has helped me process my feelings; and this time it was no different, it was just to the soundtrack of Tupac, and to the sound of my own rage. HOW DO YOU WANT IT is my favorite song by the artist, and while it may have a different meaning than my own interpretation in paint, the question was still very much the same. I was tired of living my life with the same approach. I was tired of feeling the way I felt, tired of not acknowledging my feelings, and living my life the way I lived it. So I put on some Tupac, I got out my paintbrushes ... and my rage ...  and I asked myself just how did I want to live? How did I want it? How did I feel? (HOW DO YOU WANT IT? HOW DO YOU FEEL? Those are the only lyrics painted onto the canvas.) In a more interesting twist, during a fit of my artistic rage and an unintentional swipe of paint, Tupac’s face appeared within the piece. Can you find it?

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