Meet Candyce Fabré | Visual Artist & Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candyce Fabré and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candyce, how do you think about risk?
When I was growing up, I was taught to think the ideas associated with taking risks were bad. I was always raised to play it safe and only strive for things that were guaranteed. As a result, I grew to fear taking risks. At the same time, I noticed some people around me who were more risk takers and what would be the outcomes of the risks they took. I began to admire that fearlessness. I also noticed that my fear of risks got in the way of opportunities and my happiness. So I began to challenge my fear of taking risks. Now, I see risks as just a way of living. You won’t experience anything if you never take risks. Also, so many wonderful opportunities have come from me taking risks. I still struggle sometimes with my fear of risk taking, but I recognize that when I allow my fear to take over I end up missing out on an experience or opportunity. As a full-time artist, my whole life and career is surrounded around risk taking. I have to put myself and my work out into the world. Me just choosing to be a full-time artist in itself is a risk. The “starving artist” narrative has circulated around my whole life. However, what I do makes me happy and thats all that matters to me. Taking risks may still be scary to me, but it’s worth it if it means I get to do what I love. And to be honest, being an artist has been the best scariest risk I’ve ever taken. I’m grateful for my gift and I’m so happy I took a chance on myself so I could share it with the world.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is illustrations of the black human experiences. These experience could range from good to bad, funny or serious. I like creating and interpreting what I see around me. Black and African-American experiences are not showcased enough, so I enjoy expressing that through my art and showcasing it to the world. I am most proud of my first solo exhibit, entitled Candyland Art Exhibit. I had never put on an art exhibit before, but I executed the show beyond my own expectations. I packed out the venue, sold art, and merch. The exhibit really changed everything for me. After that moment, I knew I wanted to pursue art full-time. During that time I was still working a 9-5 corporate job, but I began to working harder outside of work on my art and my plan to transition full-time. Being a full-time artist hasn’t been anywhere close to easy. It requires a lot of discipline, time management, and heavy work ethic. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and have had to wear many hats outside of being an artist. I constantly remind myself of how far I’ve come and what my goals are to get me through the difficult times. Something that I’ve learned and consistently have to remind myself is that I’m going to continue to make mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes because they help you learn and be better.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visiting town I would probably take them to some good food spots. I love food! I would take them to places like Earle’s on Crenshaw, Hot & Cool Cafe, Ackee Bamboo, Tocaya, and Sage Bistro. Honestly, there are so many other places I could name but I’ll stop there. Then I would take them to some museums around LA. In a COVID free world I would definitely take them to dance somewhere with great music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this to my mom and dad, Susan and Rod, for always supporting me and my dreams. I also want to recognize my older sister, Treina, for setting such a great example and being a major inspiration to me. She has always defied the odds, and I still look up to her because of that.

Website: www.candylandart.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/candycef
Twitter: www.twitter.com/candycef_
Facebook: www.facebook.com/candycef
Youtube: www.youtube.com/itscandyce