Check out Andrea Brown’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Brown.

Andrea, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve always known that I wanted to tell stories. From a young age, I knew that there were two things that I wanted to do: help people and tell stories. Initially, that meant that I was literally writing stories. Over time, however, I learned that there are a variety of ways and mediums through which stories can be told. In high school, I fell in love with digital media, everything from photography to videography. I wrote and directed my first short film as a senior, and got to screen it at a national theater chain. From there, I went on to study journalism and Communications at Hampton University.

I got to hone my skills in a variety of storytelling mediums, which opened doors for me after graduation. I started my own entertainment based blog, worked in public relations, digital marketing, and finally in education, where I got to share my love for communication and digital art with high school students. Now, I’m in a position where I get to take photos and interview people about all the great things that are happening in the international culture in Houston. I create for fun, doing things like creating podcasts, short digital videos and taking photos.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a multi-platform artist. I shoot photographs, shoot videos, write screenplays and create audio stories. I like to think of photography and videography as an opportunity to paint with light. Podcasts, Screenplays and other written artwork give me the opportunity to shift the narratives that are traditionally presented by mainstream culture. My goal is to create things that people enjoy, but also to help open their eyes to a new perspective, and ideas that they may not have thought about before.

For me, the inspiration is the story behind each photo, video, or word. I believe that each of us has unique stories and gifts that are given to us to be shared with the world. Being able to capture them, or help people tap into those gifts is a part of my God-given purpose. As a multi-disciplinary creative, I’m always looking for new ways to tell stories, and to help people tell their own.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
In some ways, conditions for artists have both improved and declined in recent years. With the increase of social media, artists no longer have to wait for a middleman to get publicity. You can be your own manager – you can really put yourself on by building an audience and platform of your own. On the same note, I also think that social media has created a space in which people don’t really see value in the art as they did in previous years. We’re inundated with highly curated images on Instagram on a daily basis, so fewer people value the work that photographers create. I think Houston has done a good job of creating opportunities for artists to contribute to the culture of the city, from street art murals to incorporating a Poet Laureate for the city and providing grants for artists to continue their work, the city government has made strides to incorporate art. I think there is always room for improvement in the area of support. It’s important that we as a city rally around our artists, support them, and find ways to raise their profile through the sharing of the things they create.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Visit my site, iamandreabrown.com. You can also check out my creative consultancy Gifted Media, in which I help creatives, entrepreneurs and non-profits share their gifts with the world, at giftedmedia.com

Finally, be sure to follow me on Instagram, @IAmAndreaBrown, for updates on my podcast Shift Narrative.

Contact Info:

• Website: iamandreabrown.com, giftedmedia.com
• Email: ab@iamandreabrown.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/iamandreabrown
• Facebook: facebook.com/iamandreabrown
• Twitter: twitter.com/iamandreabrown

Image Credit:
Andrea Brown

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