NASHVILLIANS ON THE RISE: Tyke T

October 06, 2016 by Amber Ford in Nashville artists, Nashville, Local spotlight

As you all know I love to give credit, where credit is due, and showcase local talent. It is my pleasure to introduce to you my friend and local artist, Tyrone Stroble aka "TYKE T". In a land, 20 minutes from Nashville, where I spent most of my years growing up, is Smyrna High School. That is where I met Tyke. I don't remember ever going a day without him making me laugh. (see photos below) He has always been the life of the party, but now he's moved up to being the star of the show. I haven't seen him many times since high school, but have always kept up with him over the years via Facebook (where would we all be without it?) and I have gotten to really watched him evolve as an artist. I started seeing him perform during halftime at the Memphis Grizzlies games and thought to myself how great that was, then a few weeks ago, heard his song on the hit show, POWER! That is huge. I couldn't be more proud of him. We are both a couple of regular people from Smyrna, Tennessee just trying to make it, and Tyke T is headed to the top!

I know what y'all are thinking, what the heck Is going on and secondly WHY in the world did I have black hair? Lol

MEET TYKE T

Tell me a little bit about you and your background, what do you do?

"I'm Tyke T. Just a kid with a dream of making music from Smyrna, TN. I'm an artist. I love to create. Music, visual ideas all of it. I love the whole process of just starting with nothing & at the end coming out with something amazing. I'm a creator to be specific."
Who are your influences?

"My mom. She's the biggest influence on my life. They ask about my grind? Nah they need to know her grind. She don't complain about sh*t. Just always putting in work."

"Musically, too many to name. Seriously. I pull from so many different genres of music, because I've been exposed to so much throughout my life . I love music, all kinds, & they are all sprinkled throughout my artistry. "

If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why?

None anymore man & I'll tell you why. I did used to chase the sound of various artists, trying to sound like "such & such" or look like "who & who. I wasn't getting any results though. Like why not just be myself if they aren't gonna like me anyway? Like I'd rather you not like me for being 100% Tyke T as opposed to you not really feeling the music & I was trying to be someone else."

"At this very moment I'm Tyke T. Not trying to be or sound like anyone. Just gonna create my own sound & those who vibe with it do, those who don't don't ..We're gonna focus on the people that "do" rock with me. Getting better results that way. I hope all that made sense."

What do you think your listeners will get out of your music?

"Depends on what they listen to. If their first encounter of me is some of my old stuff, probably a dude out here grinding would be what they would get. Now on the new stuff I think they are gonna catch the wave of the production because the beats are just that.. a production. Everybody on my new project brought something different to the table. After the production, I hope they hear my rapping skills because I take that seriously as well. "

What is your greatest accomplishment as a musician so far?

"It's a tie on this one Probably one of my songs "Nothing To Lose" being placed on the STARZ show "Power".. it's such a popular show .

Then performing at the FedEx Forum, for the 1st time at the Grizzlies game. It showed me I can really do this performing sh*t on a huge scale."

What made you want to get into the business?

"It's in my blood . Had no choice. Music just has always been around me & even though I sometimes tried & still try to let it go.. I can't. I'll forever be doing music in some form."

What is the most difficult thing you've ever had to endure in the music industry?

"I think just in general presenting new material to people. I mean I love the feeling of letting people hear my new music, but it's also super stressful because I care so much about my art! Like all the work I've put up to this moment weighs down to a " yay" or "nay" response basically. It takes people like what 25 seconds to know if they like a song. So just that feeling of not knowing if someone will like it is always super difficult to me, but it makes me go harder everyday!"

How does it feel to be finally getting your break?

"I don't feel like I've gotten any breaks yet man. I have so much more work to do! It is exciting to see more people being responsive to the music, but we got so much more in store, I don't feel like I'm close to being where I want to be yet at all. I'm excited about what the future holds! "

What do you hope to do with your music?

"I hope that i inspire that little kid in Smyrna, TN or wherever small city who thinks that their dream is too big to accomplish. Like it doesn't matter where you're from, it's all about where you're going. If you put in the work nothing can stop you! "
Is there anything else that I did not ask that we should know about you?

"I had a new single drop on Wednesday and my goal is to sell 750 singles in the first week so we can chart on Billboard! Please tell everyone you know to purchase the record!!! It's called "C'est La Vie" & I know you're going to love it!!

I'm going to be honest with y'all about this, I bought this on iTunes yesterday and not only was it good, I was actually riding around bumping it in my car, like on repeat. I was beyond impressed with this kid from little old Smyrna, Tennessee. Y'all check him out and show him some love. Here is the direct link to the new song on iTunes :

Listen to C'est la vie (feat. Kevin Pierre & Carla Barnes) - Single by Tyke T on @AppleMusic.

https://itun.es/us/tt3efb

Tyke on IG : Tyke__T

Tyke on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/DrivenTykeT/?fref=ts

To see Tyke's song played on "Power" CLICK HERE

If you like rap music, you will love this song and hopefully this artist as much as I do!! Support Local y'all, it's SO important to me!! Thank you guys, as always for reading!!

Local Artist Spotlight: Hannah Clayton

May 11, 2016 by Amber Ford in Support Local, Hannah Clayton, Fine Art, Create, HC Canvas, Art, Nashville artists

I'm very excited to introduce Hannah Clayton to you all. I am absolutely in love with every piece of Hannah's artwork. Hannah's beauty truly shines from the inside out and through her paintings! She is amazing at what she does and beyond talented.

MEET HANNAH

Tell me a little about yourself... where are you from, and what you do?

I was born and raised in Franklin, Tn. While in college, my family moved to College Grove and lived on a farm with a pig and chickens. I graduated from Lipscomb University and have worked at Refresh Home, an awesome design and decorating shop in Franklin, TN, The Art Attic, an art studio in historic downtown Franklin, and I currently work for Medelis, a clinical oncology research company in the heart of Nashville, TN. I know, that last one still throws me for a loop! In between, I spend most of my weekends painting or participating in art shows.

Why did you / or what made you decide to become an artist?

Thinking back, I don't really know if there was ever a time where I wasn't an artist. It has never been something I wanted to be, chose to be or dreamed of being, it’s just something that I always was. As crazy as it sounds, art is and has always just been that, a part of me. I feel like I have been painting ever since I could hold a brush. My sisters would play with dolls and I would paint.

Which pieces of Art are your favorites?

That is a difficult question to answer because It changes frequently. Every painting I finish, somehow becomes my new favorite at the time, maybe because it’s just that, new. Not to mention the fact that I just get excited that the vision I had in my mind is complete in paint on canvas. All in all, its a great feeling.

But, to dig deeper into this question, honestly, it usually takes time for me to figure out my favorites. I think I know when I keep going back to look at a painting, and the more I stare at it the more I fall in love with it, and all at the same time, the more I notice about it, and it still remains complex and Interesting. All that being said, I guess my favorites are the ones that continue to capture my heart long after they are owned by someone else , but still stay vivid in my mind.

How have you seen your artwork evolve?

I think my work is always evolving. To me, and to all you other type B personalities, it’s a relief to know there will never be a time where there isn't something different to try, or new to learn. I take risks until I discover a technique I love so much and then I carry it over to the next piece of art I create. Through the process I surprise myself. Just last week I was up late painting and ended up applying some of my bath salts to my painting ( I know -odd) , but the texture it created was amazing.

What is your Personal Philosophy on your art?

It is important to me to stay true to the artist in me, I don't force art, I paint what my heart is drawn towards, If i am not inspired by it, I don't paint it. Passion is something I believe drives you to create whats truly inside of you. We all define passion differently, just as I define "Art" in my own way. Subjectiveness is what creates beauty in the world. Shapes, Colors, patterns, perspective is everything to the beholder. With every piece of art I create I keep this in mind.

What has been your most touching or amazing moment you've experienced as an artist?

I will never forget senior year of high school my mother told me we were going to go to stay at a bed and breakfast in Mt. Eagle for the weekend, and paint. I don't know if any of you have visited there before, but it is in the middle of nowhere, yet it is one of the most charming and beautiful places in my thoughts. We escaped into stillness -no agenda. I remember walking into one of the three shops that existed in the town, one of the walls was filled with art. My mother and I fell in love with a painting of an angel face. She had these beautiful almond eyes with dark hair and olive skin with wings the color of the ocean.

We sat in our cottage like room with a spread of oil paint and a lot of time. I recall my mom pointing things out that she saw and then I would notice them too. Its beneficial to paint with people because they teach you a new perspective, you try different things, you stretch yourself, you grow...and “wa- la” that is how breakthrough happens! The painting turned out beautiful, It was the first piece of art I had done that i felt proud of and it was more than just a painting to me. It brought me confidence and increased my joy.

I don't recall quite how it came about, but a lady that attended our church asked to purchase it. I remember I felt excited that another person wanted my painting. It was so affirming to me, but, if you asked me today, I would tell you it is the only piece to date I have regretted selling, it was more than a painting to me, it carried with it a story that was important to me…..

…Its funny how time changes your perspective on things. Even if it is just a handful of years..I use to determine the quality of my art by weather or not it sold, I looked to the opinions of others for affirmation to pursue my paintings. Today I paint for me, I paint because its a part of who I am, I paint because Its a gift from The Lord, I view it as a privilege, This is how I so often connect with the Creator. I crave to see the beautiful somethings he has to say on the blank canvas. I love to paint in both oils and acrylic. weather nostalgia, joy sadness or hope, I want to make someone want to keep looking at it, in hopes they experience delight wonder or even healing.

Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?

I just launched a new website for my art, and I could not be more excited to share it with everyone! Be sure to check it out and share it with your friends. www.HCcanvas.com My paintings will soon be available to purchase through the website. I also want to give a HUGE shout out to Tyler Landon, the creator of my website. He is an professional website builder here in Nashville, TN. So, For anyone looking to build a website, look no further!!

FEATURED ARTWORK BY HANNAH CLAYTON

I have only known Hannah a short period of time but I am proud to call this creative woman a friend!! Everyone please show her some love and checkout her pages to see more of her artwork. It was very hard to pick favorites.

Instagram: @HCcanvas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HC-Canvas-1577695459227295/

You can follow Native in Nashville on Instagram at @NativeInNashville Thank you all for reading and to Hannah for sharing her amazing gift with the world.

Local Artist Spotlight: Jordan Alexander

May 06, 2016 by Amber Ford in Jojo Art, Nashville artists, Support Local, Jordan Alexander, Art

Very excited to introduce the second person I want to feature on my "Local Artist Spotlight" to you all, Jordan Alexander. To know Jordan is to love her. She's seriously as cool as a fan. Her artwork and style are very fun and especially unique, that's what makes it so great! She recently painted a picture of Notorious B.I.G. for me and I'm obsessed! I will add that photo in the featured artwork below.

MEET JORDAN

Tell me a little about yourself..where are you from and what do you do?

"My name is Jordan Alexander, and have coined the name Jojo for my artist name. I'm 27 years young. I went to college doing general business courses then switched to photography. I'm self taught in painting. Mostly meaning, I just go with the flow and hope it looks cool in the end. Everysingle year has been spent living in Tennessee. Mostly Franklin, and currently Nashville. I'm a nanny for a very spunky two year old, and also love painting."

Why did you or what made you decide to become an artist?

"I became an artist by accident. I was trying to impress my fairly new boyfriend. He had hit up a garage sale and left yearning for an African American Last Supper painting. So obviously, I decided to be impressive and paint it myself. I had so much fun doing it that I didn't stop."

What kinds of art pieces have you worked on? Which one was your favorite and why?

"So far I have worked primarily with acryclic paint on canvas, or wood. I really like to go to Goodwill and upcycle old art or wall hangings. In the very beginning I was overloading on images. I would keep a few in mind and kind of merge them when I started a piece. Then I started getting custom orders. Sometimes I will just get three random words from someone and paint my interpretation. My favorites right now are of musicians. I go through a total emersion of creating until I have nothing to say and take another break. I always love to paint peoples animal friends. I dont have a favorite painting of mine. I like to look and see what I have learned and what I have lost in my evolution."

What has been your most touching or amazing moment that you've experienced as an artist?

"The most touching or emotional experience was deciding that I am an artist, and accepting that I do have a talent in creating. I have never loved doing something so much. I painted several in one night and then went to bed. Usually, I could sleep any where any time.. but not that night. I laid in bed and cried with relief because I had found something I knew God intended for me. It finally cliqued what I was meant to do. How I could bring joy to others, and myself. I stayed up thinking of possibilities and how happy I was to finally meet my true self."

What other artists have been inspirational to you in your work?

"All artists inspire me in some way or another, but I am most inspired by my aunt Provie Musso. Growing up I would go visit her around Alabama, wherever she was at the moment. She would take me places where I could appreciate art whether through architecture or fellow artists homes. She along with other family members always encouraged me to write poetry and be creative. My favorite part though always was going to her studio and spending hours making our own art. She always enjoyed doing "found object". Meaning, she went dumpster diving, or thrift shopping, then does an assemblage. I always loved looking through her trinkets she collected. It felt like treasures."

Anything else you would like to mention that I didn't ask?

"I would just like to mention that sometimes it feels scary not knowing what life really has for you. What you are supposed to bring to the world. I promise that there is something beautiful inside of everyone that comes when the moment is right. Be patient and have faith that you will shine."

FEATURED ARTWORK