Meet Shakerra Monét: Artist

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

Hi Shakerra, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I believe my brand’s social impact is creating a positive light for the black and brown community. One of the aesthetics that my artwork is known for is how colorful my pieces are. I have created art all my life, but I started to refine and create artwork that has an impact roughly around the time of the Ferguson Movement/ Mike Brown’s murder in St. Louis. Growing up in St. Louis, the color of your skin is judged before your character. So I create artwork that can be used as a platform to show the positive representation of black and brown people. Using bright colors and crossing out the eyes allows the viewer to identify with the piece before labeling an ethnicity. My goal is to use my artwork to uplift anyone told that their skin or features weren’t beautiful. I like to glorify the beauty of the black and brown community’s skin and features. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So far, my artwork is known for the colorful aesthetic and crossing out the eyes. I want my pieces to be visually captivating by using bright colors. Crossing out the eyes allows the viewer to identify with my artwork first, before adding a label to the figure. Finding my muse is what makes me most excited when creating my work. Being consistent and hustling is how I got to where I am at today. After college, I did not know what I was going to do with my creative skills, but I knew I had a passion for digital artistry. So over the years, I began to fine-tune my digital art skills. My artwork has evolved since my senior year of college. It was a lot of trials of failed pieces before finding my groove with my artwork. I still have the hunger to learn more and bring my art to the next level. The journey of learning to evolve in my work is continuing. I am still not at a satisfying point because I am always looking for ways to grow. I want my brand/artwork to be known for its blackness and colorful representation

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hands down the museums.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out to my Mom because she helps me through a lot.

Website: www.smonetillustrations.com
Instagram: S.Monet_Art

Image Credits
All images belong to S. Monét