LIFEWTR Brings Diverse Artists Into Focus with ‘Life Unseen’
Written by SOURCE on May 31, 2021
CHRISTOPHE ROBERTS
“That form of crowdsourcing would stick with me through life, solidifying my hustle as an artist, from the playground to the gallery.”
When did you realize that being a creator would be your calling and what was the first piece of art you created after coming to this realization?
Crazy story! My first piece of artwork that really showed me the light was in elementary school. I was a shorty and at that time I was into comic books. Every morning, I’d be at the [comic book stand] at 8am and early on, I was tracing and redrawing frames of every character. But, you know, I needed supplies. So I kind of pitched the comic [I was drawing] to the playground and showed it to the other kids; I got three kids on board. One kid used to buy my drawings all the time; give me all his lunch money for that. That form of crowdsourcing would stick with me through life, solidifying my hustle as an artist, from the playground to the gallery.
What is one aspect of your background or creativity that you initially tried to shun but you’ve realized is actually an asset?
My stint in creative consulting and working as the creative director behind major brands. I’m behind some pretty big projects that a lot of people don’t even know I’m connected to. It really showed me how to run my art studio as a business, and in turn, I was able to lock in on a lot of those processes and grow as an artist.
Why is LIFEWTR’s Life Unseen campaign a good fit for you as a creative?
Any time a brand is willing to use a platform to echo words of endearment, inspiration, power, and love. That’s going to be a perfect platform for me to really shine.
Of all that you’ve created so far, which has the most sentimental value to you and why?
My masterpiece is a product that’s about to come out called the Manza D.I.Y Fine Art Edition and it’s inspired by my African roots. Basket knitting in the Bahamas, Gundam characters from Japan, model kits growing up, origami and more. The process is called Afrogami. I basically created my own LEGOS made out of paper that I’m about to drop in limited batches. You’ll get the sculpture flat with a set of instructions and you’ll pop out the parts and slide the pieces together to construct one of the many sculptures I created. The first one I’m releasing is the Manza D.I.Y Fine Art Edition. It’s going to be a three-dimensional version of what you see on my LIFEWTR bottle. This, to me, is a masterpiece. It took me three years to engineer this to reality and I’m really excited to share it with the world. I feel blessed!
Are you an artist in need of some exposure? LIFEWTR’s got you! From now until July 30th share either an image or a description of your work on your public Instagram profile using the hashtag #LifeUnseenContest for the chance to win $10K, a one-on-one mentorship with Issa Rae and some shine on the LIFEWTR platform.
