Meet Gabriela Grant | Creative Artist and Arts Advocate

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

Hi Gabriela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is liberating. It never feels comfortable and never feels “right”, but without risk it’s easy to plateau. In order to uncover who we really are and discover what “it” is for us, we have to task risks. When I first moved to Los Angeles, that alone was a risk. Therefore, I felt like I had taken “the risk” and could finally step back from making so many risky decisions; “finally get comfortable” is along the lines of what I used to tell myself. I have almost reached my one year mark in Los Angeles and in reflecting back I realize that risk is inevitable. If I want to constantly be growing, it means I have to constantly be uncomfortable , which means in almost all of my decisions, it is in my best interest to make the riskier choice. I’ve also realized that as a society we catastrophize risk out of fear of the unknown, but if that risky decision puts no one, including yourself, in harms way, what’s really the worst that could happen? Currently, I am committed to risk and I encourage anyone that reads this to do the same.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My artistry is what I use to investigate who I am as a human being – the dichotomy of my physical flesh’s desires and how that relates to my eternal spirit/“being”. I create to hold space for the spiritual essence of who I am to exist and connect to my artistry from this space. My artistry incorporates my human being-ness while inviting others into my human experience and relationship to the surrounding world. It is often unknowing, but not confused, thus making space for destruction, evolution, and therefore newness; mirroring the evolution of my human self.

I am most excited about where I am now. I have focused so much of my time and energy on being a dancer, but recently I have taken some time to step out of that and focus on sharing more of my creative gifts with the world. I have been working on a film series that I creative directed, styled, and shot, which I am super excited about! Stay tuned!

Getting to where I am today was probably one of the hardest and loneliest journeys that I have ever embarked on and the biggest lesson I am learning right now is that it never ends. This path is not a destination, it is a lifelong journey, perhaps even an eternal one (I love thinking about how my art can potentially stand the test of time). I am also learning that as a creative artist I can do absolutely anything. It can be dance, painting, photography, acting, and so much more because as human beings we are filled with so much emotion, experience, layered by so many stories that the ways to express who you are, are eternal. I want the world to know that my brand and I are always thinking bigger. In 2022, I want to push boundaries and play by own rules. My story is unlike anyone else’s and I am working to reflect that in my brand.

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.
I would definitely take them to go watch the sunset, either at the top of Fryman Canyon Park off of Mulholland Drive or on Lechuza Beach in Malibu. This is by far, my favorite thing to do in LA because where I’m from we are not close to a beach nor are we close to high hills and mountain ranges. I would take them to go shopping at a flea market; my favorites are the Los Feliz Flea Market and the Black Market Flea (support Black business y’all)! We would probably get breakfast at Aroma Tea & Coffee in Studio City (my favorite breakfast place ever) and then go dancing somewhere in Downtown LA 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is dedicated to my sister, Soleil McAllister Grant. Thank you for always fueling my wildest dreams.

Website: https://www.gabrielasimone.works/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielasgrant/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielagrant10/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabrielasgrant

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA-yDDJqbf6X9BDdSmaAwcQ

Image Credits
(Blue Background Image) Geoff Sheil (Model with Red Veil Image) David Andrews (Wearing Blue Jumpsuit on Stage) David Andrews (Black and White Image) Alex Cole (Last Three Images) Suzanne Creedon