An Inspired Chat with Isis Davis-Marks of Brooklyn

Isis Davis-Marks shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Isis, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Watching Abbot Elementary

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Isis Davis-Marks, and I’m an artist, educator, and writer living and working in New York City. I love making things, and I work with a variety of media, including oil paint, acrylic paint, gouache, ink, graphite, colored pencil, digital media, charcoal, fabric, dye, and printmaking. Recently, my work has focused on education, writing, mental and physical health, feminism, migration, Black history, and plants.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Codependence. Jealousy. I’m trying to be grateful for the good things in my life. I want to fight for the things I believe in and spend time making art instead of spending energy worrying about things I cannot control.

Letting go of—or at least learning how to better manage—these tendencies is helping me to grow as an artist. I think I used to get very trapped in my head, philosophizing and theorizing about the meaning of art. But now, I’ve shifted my focus towards drawing, painting, and crafting instead of wondering about art’s ultimate purpose. It feels nice to act a bit more instinctively.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I almost gave up when I had a bout of carpal tunnel in 2021. Afterwards, I suffered from recurring repetitive strain issues for around two or three years.

This experience showed me that mental and physical health are closely correlated. At the time, I decided to ensconce myself in work to avoid some personal issues I was facing. I had lost several family members around this time, and I don’t think I had healthy ways to cope with the isolation of the pandemic. I also feel that grief made it difficult for me to remain interested in things, so I felt creatively blocked for a long time.

I‘ve found that taking breaks is necessary for uncorking these blockages. In American society, people often place a lot of emphasis on “progress” and “hard work,” but I’m trying to shift my focus to balance and sustainability. I can’t work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I need time to recalibrate, rest, and spend time with friends and family. This is essential for my creativity.

I’m working towards finding ways to explore the world while also making time to create.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
Perfectionism. I used to place so much emphasis on “getting things right,” but I’m realizing that making mistakes is often critical to growth. It’s important for me to spend time developing my practice and exiting my comfort zone; I like to learn new skills, and I want to explore printmaking and drawing this year.

I often learn a lot from making a bunch of crappy pieces until I hone my craft. A lot of academic programs espouse the idea that concepts are more important than technique, but I value learning technical skills. Practice may not make perfect, but I think it makes my work better.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
Creative freedom. I’ve been reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and it has truly changed my routines and the ways that I approach art making. Sometimes, I think that art school and academia steer creatives towards research-driven conceptual art, and I’ve become increasingly critical of this. Recently, I’ve become more inclined to experiment with composition, color, and line; I find myself thinking more about material and less about turning a painting into a research project. I’ve been wondering about the way that light illuminates the side of a face or the way a bird rests on a branch.

With that said, I’m still wondering about certain motifs as I make new pieces. Lately, I’ve been drawing a lot of shoes, corsets, and other articles of clothing. I want to make work about femininity, objects, books, history, and the human body. I’ve always been curious about the ways that fashion trends can be indexed to the social and political context, so I want to explore this in my work.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All photos are my own

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