Artist Spotlight |EbaNee Bond
Photo by Mull Media
Can you tell us a little bit about your artistic journey? How did you first get interested in your medium?
I believe I have been a poet for eternity. It’s kind of blurry for me to recall when I first got interested but I remember submitting poems to online competitions in the 6th grade. Sammie had a poem called, “When I Grow Up“ on his album and I remember trying so hard to memorize the whole thing, rewinding the CD over and over. I’m just now remembering as I write this that this. I really loved Tupac as a rapper growing up, there was something transcendent and poetic about him. The first time I had ever performed was actually at church during Black History Month. Instead of honoring public black leaders, I honored my mom with a poem that I mirrored to Tupac’s Dear Mama.
Overall, I think I just had a need to express the depths of my perspective and emotions and poetry was the way for me to do that. It just came very natural, almost as if poetry just evolved out of me not that I had become interested, it just came out of me.
What do you hope to convey through your art? Is there a message or emotion that you try to communicate to your audience?
Ultimately, I hope to convey connection and transformation. Poetry is a way for me to connect with myself and share that connection with others. It’s also a way to transform my way of thinking about things and about myself. There’s no particular emotion, I hope to convey a diversity of emotions.
Can you walk us through your creative process? Do you have any particular routines or rituals that help you get into the mindset of creating?
I don’t have a process! It’s normally just waiting for moments of inspiration. The inspiration might be something I’m witnessing, struggling with or something weighing on me that I need to process… etc. As far as mindset… it’s really just about being as honest and vulnerable as I can.
What impact do you hope your art has on the Akron community? How do you see your work contributing to the larger conversation around art and culture in the city?
Hmmmmm! I hope that people develop a spiritual relationship with themselves and others. I’m not sure I have a vision for how it contributes!
