Not an artist
Clarke Central High School junior Sekou Sesay talks about what being an artist means to him and why he’s not yet an artist.
Above: START TO ART: Clarke Central High School junior Sekou Sesay displays his digital artwork in front of the CCHS Media Center on Feb. 15. Sesay introduced himself to digital art as a way to expand his knowledge about different art forms. “Digital mediums can improve the speed and efficiency of someone's work, and so just by knowing that I've added a tool to my tool belt,” Sesay said. Photo by Salai Diekumpuna
Salai Diekumpuna: Do you see yourself as an artist and if so, is it important for others to see you as one as well?
Sekou Sesay: I don't know if I would consider myself an artist ‘cause an artist is someone who makes stuff that other people can connect with and then through (their art) relate to the artist so by making art you're basically sharing parts of your human experience. I don't really make art that does that just yet. I make good drawings, but I consider that (an) extension of like my craftsmanship, or just improving on my skills. I haven't really put any of my experiences or my thoughts (and) feelings into my art yet. So, no, I don't really consider myself an artist and I don't think that (it) is important for others to see me as an artist, (yet) even if they do.
SD: We’ve talked before about your background and where your family's from. So where is your family from and were you born in the United States? Also, do you or your family’s cultural experiences influence the art that you create or will it in the future?
SS: So I was born in the U.S. I was born in Denver, Colorado, but my parents are from West Africa. My mom is from Guinea and my dad is from Sierra Leone, so I (have) experienced (their) culture a lot at home, (but) I have not yet implemented any of it into my artwork but it's definitely gonna be a part of it (in the future). I don't see any future where I don't include some of my culture into my artwork.
SD: Does your race play a role in your identity and in the work that you create? Do you think your race will play a role in your art when you become an artist? And if so, is it important that people acknowledge you as a black artist in the future, and why?
SS: That's a very good question. Cause my Blackness is very important to me but I'm not sure if I want people to recognize me as a Black artist. I feel like the label Black causes people to assume things about you immediately, and I don't think they're all bad things but I'd like my artwork to be kind of separate from (my skin color). I definitely love being Black (and) I'm not tryna say Blackness is something to be ashamed of or that you should hide it, but I don't think that I really want to explore the Black American experience in my artwork. I might in the future but as of now it's not really on my bucket list.
SD: Going back to your first answer about what an artist is, why do you want to become an artist and what about an artist is special to you?
SS: Well, my whole art journey started cause I was inspired by a piece of media that I felt really resonated with me. When consuming this piece of media I was relating to somebody else, even though I couldn't see them. It felt like they were they had something to say that was relevant to me and I really felt that and so I want to do that same thing for somebody else. I want to capture the feeling of wonder and put it into my artwork and have someone else consume my artwork and feel that same wonder cause I want to make someone else feel the same way I do when I see or consume good artwork.
Above: CONSUMPTION: Clarke Central High School junior Sekou Sesy creates and shares his art with an online audience through Instagram. Sesay identifies his art as traditional and has learned more about art by working with palpable forms while developing his talents. “Traditional art is art that is done with mediums that are physical, so like painting on a canvas,” Sesay said. “I identified (with traditional art) because there are a bunch of subsections of the types of art,” Photo courtesy of Sekou Sesay @aeternums_art
SD: Since art is so connected to the human experience, as you said previously. Does your art reflect your personal life? And in which ways and why do you decide to create things that are personal to you?
SS: So, I haven't infused any of my personal life and some art yet, and that's mainly because I don't really feel like I have a lot to say or a lot of experiences or emotions that I want to convey to other people. I know that one day I want to make artwork that fills others with a sense of wonder, but I don't have the experience in my life to really create something like that. To me, a great artist is someone who's understood what I call truths about (the) human experience. A truth could be an emotion, and once you've understood (a) truth, you can accurately convey it in your work and get someone (to) know your intentions and feel that emotion. I don't believe that I have any truths to convey to others, so I have not put any of my personal life or feelings in some artwork. One of my recent pieces (while) it's not personal, I did try and include a truth which is (the) fear of change. I would say I don't put my personal life into my artwork, but I definitely do try and include (things I believe to be truth about the human experince) sometimes.
Above: MEDIUM CONVERGENCE: Clarke Central High School junior Sekou Sesay paints props in the Mell Auditorium during a theatre arts workday on Feb. 25 for the upcoming spring musical “Little Shop of Horrors”. Sesay started working on the spring musical in Jan. in an effort to experiment with other forms of art. “I would definitely like to get into some other art forms,” Sesay said. “The (way) someone could look at a sculpture and feel something is something that I'm not very familiar with, so I'd really like to understand (how emotions are behind them).” Photo by Ethan Caspary Poucher
SD: To counter what you said about the human experience, why haven’t you tried to include emotions you’ve experienced, whether it be love for your family or frustration with a teacher in your artwork in the past?
SS: Well, I'm not exactly sure. I feel like the reason I don't create a lot of intimate artwork is cause at my skill level I don't feel like I could accurately represent it. That fear of not getting what you want out of artwork is kind of a big factor in preventing you from even getting started, so that's one thing I'd like to improve on. Just being able to get over the fear of creating and just go out and do it.
Above: ART IS HUMAN: Clarke Central High School junior Sekou Sesay stands outside of the CCHS fine arts hall after working on set designs with the drama club for the spring musical “Little Shop of Horrors” on Feb 25. Art has taught Sesay that expression is a necessary part of human development. “(Art), it's a fundamental of human experience,” Sesay said. “When you think about art, you can really be thinking about anything like a story, any type of story is art.” Photo by Ethan Caspary Poucher
SD: What inspires you?
SS: So I watched the show in 2020 called “Love Death + Robots”, it's an anthology animation series just about science fiction. Each episode is a different story with a different art style, and j watching that show, made me feel really enamored with how people create stuff and why they create stuff. Every time I consume a bit of media I feel a little bit inspired. I watched “Avatar 2” recently, and (after seeing) how beautiful that film was (inspired) me, (and) how immersive people can get with their art.
SD: Since there are so many ways to convey an emotion have you explored any other art forms like cinematography? Or are you interested in exploring any other art forms?
SS: I would definitely like to get into other art forms, I know that representing things visually is not the only way (to convey emotion). I really love music and how music even without lyrics can cause you to feel an emotion. The (way) someone's cinematography, photography, or even a sculpture--which is even more foreign to me, (but) the (way) that someone could look at a sculpture and feel (an emotion) is something that I'm not very familiar with, cause I haven't experienced that myself. So I would really really like to (explore other art forms).
By Salai Diekumpuna