Hank Willis Thomas is great. He's the one who "discovered" my work and saw something that I didn't see. He's still constantly pushing me to try out new ideas and not be afraid of what other people will say. He truly is a mentor, and I often ask him about the art world, how to juggle it all and not lose your mind. It would be like accepting an award without thanking him because he really has been so supportive.

I dont think about race before I start drawing. I think about how to make that mark to fit whatever purpose I need it to fulfill.

Being a black artist, the first thing people want to talk about is your blackness, the importance of your blackness and your black presence.

I moved around a lot when I was a child; two of the houses I grew up in have totally disappeared. One was burnt in a riot, and the other was pulled down.

For a while, I was nervous about portraying women because of the objectification that automatically comes with it, whether the artist intends or not.

The graphic style itself is influenced by a lot of very layered and detailed comics that I read as a kid, like Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue.

I kept wanting to push my image as validity; I wanted to see my portrait on a wall and know it was okay.