S6E5: Shantell Martin | Freedom to Create

About This Episode:

In this episode we step into the wonderful world of Shantell Martin, with her unique style and voice in the contemporary art world. Her mastery of the spontaneous hand drawn line has captivated an audience of international patrons, admirers and collectors alike.

Grandmother taught her to strives for creative independence. Even within her working class environment, Shantell has always felt like the “other,” though found that by using hope and imagination she could be herself.

As pens and pencils were generally available it had a way to level the playing field and opened up the power of drawing. Shantell believes we all have a natural gift in the path from the head to the heart to the hand as an outlet to express.

While Shantell sees a canvas as a way to explore, she is partial to pens and markers – as you can’t erase yourself – it enables you to live with your mistakes and be confident in your expression.

Feeling that you can be very honest with the pen as you create in the moment. This has been particularly true as she has done live drawings often to music, serving as a visual jockey or improvisational artist.

Shantell continues to pursue her freedom to create what she wants, where she wants in a safe creator space. All this to learn to be yourself while making and sharing the expression of self.