Meet Antwon Lindsey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antwon Lindsey.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up in the heart of Miami, better known as “Liberty City”, I found that the surrounding world often paints the vibrance of our community with harrowing strokes of hopelessness and savagery; when in fact, the community I recall is more than just a place of poverty and violence, but one that is built on the foundational pillars of resilience, perseverance, and creativity. With most of my family being natives of the city, I was able to quickly find traction in adjusting to the unpredictable streets of Liberty City.

Although, I was actively involved in various sports programs during my youth, I had always found solace in writing and visual arts (painting, photography, film-making) because of the immeasurable scope of creativity that it entailed. My inspiration for writing came from seeing the many notepads that my mom would stash in her closet, which were filled with stories she’d wrote or lyrics to popular songs that she re-created. As I grew older and further explored this gift of mine, in high school, I would eventually be awarded the superlative of senior class “Most Talented Male,” presumably for my writing abilities and the work I had done as a novice songwriter.

Following the completion of high school, my journey to manhood came expeditiously with the birth of my son Ayden thrusting me into a newfound purpose for living. To stay away from tragedy or wrongdoing, for two years I attended Miami-Dade College as a full-time student during the day and enrolled into an evening vocational barber school program. I lead with the premise of doing “whatever it took” for me to stay healthy and alive so that I could pursue my dream of creating a greater legacy for my son. From there I went on to receive my Bachelors of Science Degree in Environmental Studies and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Florida Gulf Coast University. By not allowing my upbringing to dictate my future, I took personal responsibility of my life and decided to utilize my gift of creativity to impact the world we live in. Since I have had the pleasure of self-publishing two books and co-producing a short film.

Please tell us about your art.
I consider myself to be a “Creator.” I enjoy creating artistic content that inspires others to challenge their own ideologies of what “art” means to them. My craft is in storytelling, from creating poetry, novels, musical lyrics, and most recently – film.

I am motivated to create by a self-made mantra, “Create Don’t Procrastinate,” as I believe that the more content I create, it increases my chances of potentially inspiring someone to work on their own craft. Everyone has a story to tell but only a few dare to share, and as a storyteller – I find it to be my obligation to create stories that are relatable to the souls of others, while in the same essence – establishing an inspirational message of growth, prosperity, and love.

In understanding my work, one should know that I am very huge on symbolism and hiding messages in plain sight. I like to utilize words in very interesting “show- don’t tell” way that as you read, you will most likely discover multiple meanings within the text and possibly develop a new perspective that continues to generate conversation about my work.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
For aspiring creators, I find these suggestions most useful in the process of being a content creator:

1) Take Risk & Never Give Up
Understand that nothing is ever going to go 100% exactly as you plan – but your success will heavily depend on your ability to think critically and adapt to change. When creating, sometimes you have to just get your work out there – because what good is it to anyone – if you are the only one critiquing it? As you continue to put out content and remain open to resourceful critiques you will continue to get better. Thus, you should never give up due to disappointment or failed goals. The dream you have is your baby, so you do whatever it takes to nurture it, protect it, watch it grow, and become the greatest thing it can possibly be

2) Study The Craft
To reach the full extent of our potential, it is imperative we understand the mechanics behind how and why many have become successful within our respective fields of interest. Learn all terminology, creative theories, rules, and organizational structure tips that will help you succeed.

3) You Are The Sum of Those Surrounding You
Be cautious of who you allow to penetrate your creative process. Strive to work with individuals who like-minded in being proactive, self-motivated and innovative.

4) Evaluate the Assets vs. Liabilities
Determine who/what adds to your overall success or established goals and assess all things you believe that probably cost you to lose time, energy, and/or funds

5) Be You. Be Humble. Believe

6) Failing is a matter of perspective. We only fail when we give up, other than that – we only learn how to correct previous mistakes to achieve future success. There’s no such thing as perfect, we only get better at being great.

“FAIL = First. Attempt. In. Learning”

If you can dream it, It has already happened. You just have to do it.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work can be found via social media, my website, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and various public library facilities throughout the country. I hope that everyone who engages with my craft enjoys the content and takes away something inspirational that will allow them to follow their own dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.antwonlindsey.com
• Email: Antwonllindsey@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_imnosaint/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntwonLLindsey/

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