In honor of February being Black History Month in the US, we at the Storque asked the Etsy community of all races to weigh in on what inspires you about African American culture, be it influences in your art, inspirational people like Martin Luther King, Jr., artists who have inspired you, and any inspiration garnered from black culture or a black subject (like Nina Simone, for example), and how this relates to your making handmade items. We discovered that there is a strong and vibrant community that has joined together, with an Etsy Artists of Color Team and associated blog. We've collected but a few insights from the many brought forward.  

Beautyconnesuier: I am an African-American Etsyian and am very pleased to be a part of this community. My work is filled with vivid color and depicts the urban life. As an African-American artist and a woman, the majority of artwork in the mainstream is not representational of my group. So, I sought out a way to inspire others by creating artwork that gave the African-American woman a chance to be anything she dreamed of. High fashion: if she was not depicted in a magazine she could still imagine herself as so by looking at one of my pieces.

In general, it was the non-represenational idealism that allowed me to look at the unequal situation from a multicultural and gender viewpoint, because it happens in various groups. In urban America, women of all walks of life are becoming the forefront of business more than ever. So, I wanted to commemorate that by saying we as women are multifaceted and we can be all things while still being a woman. I want women to not be afraid of stepping out of the domestic sphere and into the patriarchal sphere...We can straddle both spheres and become powerhouses no matter the race. We should all run this marathon together.

gingerlime: So my art is not always apparently Afrocentric...not what I've posted on Etsy so far, at least. Honestly, I was waiting to "feel it out" here. So anyway, I'm influenced by the '80s, when I wanted to be a rocker chick, but none of them looked like me, so I didn't think it was possible. I loved Pat Benetar, Heart, and Stevie Nicks as much as I loved Janet Jackson (and all the Jacksons, for that matter...).

The heart behind my art is just being my goofy self and hoping that I can represent my culture's diversity...That I can rock and be African American (along with my other roles). It's hard sometimes because of where I'm from: things are so segregated that I felt like I had to tone down my edge a bit because my African American associates would see my style as too "white." It hurt, but then I was also advised not to put my face on stuff because then white people wouldn't buy it.

I was happy to find Etsy because then I could start trying to put more of me out there without getting strange looks. I even had my picture on my shop (I think it was there when I made my first — and only — sale; it was definitely there when I got some of my hearts) and that meant a lot to me. I took it down because it got weird seeing my face everywhere as I joined posts and stuff. It's still on my blog though: www.restingplace-jpd.blogspot.com.

So the style is still emerging, and I look forward to seeing what happens. That was a lot, but I've been thinking about this a lot...Peace

BeadsInTheBelfry: My work primarily focuses on nature, but pretty much everything I do is an extension of who I am. And one of those HUGE influences is being black.

I think one thing that has always influenced the way I live my life is that I like to make people look again. What I mean by that is to look past what they see. After all, as an African American, this is a day to day struggle.

My parents are originally from Panama, and it would always crack me up when I'd run into people (outside of the New York metro area) who did not think black people should speak Spanish. That is probably my earliest memory of turning people's pretensions on their heads.

This definitely influences my process. As a child I used to love cutting up frilly socks to make clothes for Barbie. (Seeing past the sock and what have you.) I find the same satisfaction in working with metal and beads. I try to see past the materials to something more.

One piece I'm really proud of to this end are my caged bird necklaces (shown above). As soon as I saw the beads I was like, oh yes, I know what these are. Not everyone would have seen them that way (in fact, another jewelry artisan told me she had those same beads and could not make heads or tails of them — which come to think of it is basically what I did. Ha! Hey — I'm corny). That brings me great satisfaction.

Nina

VeronicaWillingham: I am an African American woman and have been running my jewelry design business since 2001, and on Etsy almost a year now. I'm 99% self taught and learning everyday. Later this month I'll be coming out with a ring line that I'm really excited about.

Growing up in the South (Dallas, Texas) and of African American descent with extremely artistic parents I gained an eye for color quite early....my other inspirations stem from being a little girl and seeing the amazing colors being worn by Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn and the like. I think I always wanted to do something artistic; then in 2001 my calling to jewelry design took hold and now its my full time vocation.

Thanks,
Veronica

Thank you to all the artists who chimed in!  Post in the comments below with your inspirations or thoughts on being African American artist or craftsperson!