We had the good fortune of connecting with Diana Shannon Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana Shannon, what do you attribute your success to?
The ability to not take yourself so seriously and the determination to perservere through darkness and light, no matter what, has lead the way to a successful Creative career. As a successful multi-disciplined visual artist….I live for the excitement that each morning brings. I find it thrilling and satisfiying to just try everyday to be better than the person I was yesterday… A better, artist, a better business person, a better family member, just a better human being. .. My brand is of uptmost importance,. The collectors of my Art, the ones that follow my work understand my intentions, that’s my tribe, my muse… As an artist I strive to inspire, motivate and enlighten the viewer through the use of color composition or abstract reality. Each painting embodies a slice of life as I percieve the beauty,enjoyment and spontaneity that each day brings. What an adventure life is. That is what matters.. If you are happy within yourself it always shines through in your personality,,your spoken word and of course your creations. Living my now single life to the fulliestwith no regrets has been one of the most invigorating factors behind my success. Oh, wow and Now with the wonderful success that I am having with “Artist Beyond Bounds” by Diana Shannon Young Fine Art- a virtual and soon to return to physical ( When a semblance of normalcy returns) PopUp Gallery I am even more enthusiastic about my creative life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a multi disciplined artist. I am always excited about the process and inspiration. I love minimal collage work to be included in my figurative work, old historical images of black trailblazers and people that have made a significant contribution to life and the developement of this country can be found at Dianashannonyoungfineart.com. Forever a champion of the motivation of African American women in spirit, struggles,inspiration and dreams is evident in my figurative paintings. However, it is texture and color tha intigues me most. The use of varied mediums to create texture and occassional use of fabric, photos or periodicals to create nostalgia or historical implications challenges the viewer to reflect on the simplicities of the inspirations in life. Making a 180 degree turn..My abstract work which can be found at dsyabstractart.com is bold, colorful, enticing and makes a non conformist statement. they dance with textures and soft vibrant hues often morhphing from the familiar to the abstract. I am most proud of the work that I have done for Organizations and coorporations to raise funds to support philanthropic endeavors or advance a much needed narrative such as “Every vote Counts” one of a series of paintings done to encourage all to get out and Vote which is fundamental to change… As a woman in the Arts our challenges are different from the men.. When asked to name 10 known artist only recently would anyone familiar with certain artist be able to name 3 women. Women are making strides to get the recognition they deserve and with social media they no longer have to wait for the established status quo to validate their work. Over the years I have learned to be patient and to march to my own drummer as I feel validation lies within you and speaks when you have the confidence and believe in your work and yourself. “Only you can confirm the definition of you..Define Yourself”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite drives in So Cal is Ortega Hwy or Old Hwy 74 . It runs from As far East as Palm Desert-Indiyo CA. thru the Coachella Valley all the way to San Janu Capistrano to the beach. It is a well kept secret if you love nature. Awesome desert scenery in Riverside County up around and over scenic Lake Elsinore. Then you transcend into the Cleveland national forrest with it’s densley poplated ultra green terrain as you descend into San Juan Capistrano ending up at a beautiful beach adjacent Dana Point…From there you can go South to La Jolla Art Galleries, Laguna Niguel, Escondido to San Diego, Mexico. Go North to Long Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco and and beyond. There is not a place that I do not love in California. I have lived all over the state north and south and even the central valley. The diversity is magnificent and the people are magical. Good food can be found through out…Unfortunately since I travel nationally and Internationaly I am forced to eat out when on exhibit with my work ,I do not have great deal of resturant experinces in California. I tend to be my own personal chef.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Always grateful to Ms. Sara Poole my first grade teacher who never let a smart word or creative task well done go without recognition…My daughter Danita who encourages me to be a better person today than I was yesterday. she is an old soul in a 20 year old body.

Website: www.dianashannonyoungfineart.com and www.dsyabstractart.com
Instagram: @dianashannonyoungfineart and @dianashannonyoungabstractart
Linkedin: Diana Shannon Young
Twitter: @dianashannonyoung
Facebook: dshannonyoung and dianashannonyoung

Image Credits
Danita Young