Meet DeMetra Dixon

DeMetra, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I am one of those creatives that sees the beauty in everything. Literally EVERYTHING lol. I keep it alive by trying new things and new adventures. “No task is too big”, I say lol then I attempt to do whatever it is that I have my mind set out to do. Usually based on something I’ve seen or felt. I am an overthinker and that alone keeps my creativity flowing ’cause whew!!! My overthinking overthinks lol I don’t succeed (in my eyes) at everything I put my hands on, but I for sure know that I gave it a good try, and if I know that I’m going to try it again, I tell myself, “don’t put it down, put it away”. Meaning, don’t put it down for good, just put it away for a moment because you’ll come back to it soon. I thrive on trying new things an plus I am a full time student at YouTube University!  When I say that I have watched countless hours of how to videos to improve my skills… ‘countless hours’ is an understatement. I am a self taught artist, so I love learning new and old tricks of the trade. I have taught myself SO much over the years. Pretty much everything that I create, I try to do something that I have never done before. It can be simply mixing a new acrylic color, adding 3-D texture, or just the style of painting in its entirety. Most importantly, what keeps my creativity alive is the breath that I take every day. I am grateful for my gift and as long as I am breathing, I will be creating.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Well, My name is DeMetra Dixon and I am a visual artist. I am truly a creative being. My company is Krooked Crown Artistry. Yes, crooked with a K lol and my slogan is, “My crown may be crooked, but its mine”. We are not perfect and no matter how this crown sits upon my head, it’s still MY crown. It may slide, tilt, etc, but its still mine and I will wear it accordingly and will never let it fall off.

There are many things that are special about my brand but the truest thing that makes Krooked Crown Artistry special is that I am an energy painter. I will not create if my energy is off. My jewels are going inside of different places and establishments, so when you look at them I not only want you to see the work but feel it as well. Energy can be contagious and addicting, so why not share all of the love and joy and gratitude that I embody with the rest of the world. Oh yea… I call my works of art “Jewels”. They are jewels from my crown. Each one is uniquely different and special in its own way. I only create originals, so no two jewels are ever the same.

I do a ton of custom commission work, but I also create my own unique pieces. I am looking to expand my brand by getting it on different types of apparel. At one point, I was selling my jewels on custom shower curtains (which were dope btw). I am currently teaching myself to sew all over again (because if you don’t use it, you lose it) that way I can make the outfit myself with custom prints of my work. There is SO much that I want to do. I don’t want to speak on it too much, but I HAVE to speak it into existence sometimes… so, soon I would like to have my own foundation (The Chrysalis Hope Foundation) in the city I grew up in to introduce, bring, and keep art in the low income areas for the children. Children are apart of my purpose and passion. I’m working on this and this will definitely come into fruition.

At the moment I’m currently trying to transition to a full time artist while being an educator to Kinder – 3rd grade. Now, I don’t know HOW this is going to happen, but IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. lol I just want to wake up and create. I put this in the hands of the creator so I know its coming. I am currently creating a couple of pieces for the Dolphland Museum (shhh… they don’t know it yet).

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

– NEVER STOP CREATING! Even if you can only do a quick 5 mins to go toward your craft each day.. DO IT.leafound out and learned the hard way… If you don’t use it, you will lose it. Maybe not all of it, but you will lose some of it.

– You have to take care of your mental health. It all starts in the mind. You mental state is crucially important when creating. “FREE YOUR MIND, AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW” I think that’s what En Vogue said lol but it is SO true.

– The will to learn. Not just learning new and different skills, but also taking the time to learn who YOU are in all aspects and areas of life. Learn who you are as a person and I believe it will lead you to your purpose and passion so that you will know what skills and knowledge you need to obtain. Learn and love to be yourself. There is only ONE you and you are uniquely designed, so why would you want to be anyone else. I will leave with you one of my favorite quotes, ” To thine own self be true” -William Shakespeare meaning that one should be true to their principles and who they are. They should not strive to please other people by changing what they believe in or acting in any way that is outside what they really want to do.

How would you describe your ideal client?
Any and everyone is my ideal client. Of course I want the world to know who I am, so you are my client, You are my client. You are my client. Everyone is my client lol. I create my own pieces but i also do custom work, so hearing the ideas of others and being able to bring it to life is amazing. I love clients who like to think outside of the box. Clients who don’t want what everyone else has. There is no stipulation on what makes someone my ideal client… My ideal client is someone who has seen my work and appreciated it enough to want me to create something for them. The true alue of appreciation lasts forever.