Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Jackson.
Robin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I was involved in art classes, piano lessons, and even spend hours at the kitchen table writing stories in a composition notebook. I felt and was very artistically driven very young. I also spent a lot of time alone, and I think it was after experiencing sexual trauma that I felt like I lost my voice and visibility. I was told never to tell anyone. And having a single parent who worked hard but played no games, my seven-year-old subconscious was more scared of my mom’s reaction than revealing the truth.
Through experiencing traumas as a child, I subconsciously pushed all my artistic dreams to the side. I thought, who cares to hear me express myself? I remained isolated until about middle school. Spending a few summers inside my bedroom, which was my safe-heaven. I even remember the day I slid my piano under my bed, where it stayed for years. I was involved in unhealthy living for years after. I began experimenting with things I could not control, just hoping someone would hear me without me saying a word. But life doesn’t work that way. After trying to pay my way through college, but having to drop out, rejoin, then take multiple breaks for financial and mental health reasons. I was tired of trying to prove myself. I was existing in a cycle. Many of us know how stressful it can be fighting for an education. On top that, I was facing homelessness and just emotionally, mentally and physically tired.
In 2016 I took a road trip that lasted about six-months. On this road trip, I needed to feel alone though I wasn’t. It was an opportunity to really see myself and begin truly healing. I was with someone hurting like I was, a relative. Both of us are just embarking on finding ourselves again. And in complete honesty, then, I had no clue why I was on that road trip. I just knew I needed to get away and breathe. I just knew where I was wasn’t going to help the pain I was feeling. I was taking anti-depressants. Which is one factor that brought me to gain 57 pounds; as a female who is 5’2, 210 is not a good look. The pills lowered all emotions and creative motivation, not just depression.
After going through a breakup that was one long overdue, throughout that relationship, I felt isolated and neglected by myself. I saw a therapist and began the anti-depressants. From 2015 to 2016, I like to say I was sleep. My pineal gland was calcified beyond return. So I thought. I needed to wake up! And when I was younger, I would try to manifest a trip with my cousin, where she brings me to live in Denver, CO. So when all things felt they were falling down, and the opportunity to travel with that same cousin came I took it!
Today, I thank God for my travels alone and with others. I learned that it was all bringing me back to who I am. I learned if I want to heal my artistry is the tool. I learned to break patterns of self-isolation, expression of truth, and I learned I can make it anywhere as long as I radiate positively and optimistically. Throughout all those years Of trauma, I noticed the one thing missing was an expression of art, my truth, and who I am overall.
Today, I made the decision art will always be apart of me. If I want to remain balanced and help to share my story and talents to help others. I envision an art therapy studio which is holistic and tailored to children facing trauma. I intend on building a space children can come and express themselves and heal through tough situations so they never have to carry it into their other environments. I would love to target the black community as I feel art isn’t nurtured or understood, on a wide-scale.
I am three courses away from earning my bachelor’s of science in Human Development and Family Studies degree. In 2021, I will go on to study therapy in a master’s program. I am thankful to where I am now. I have made Bina, the artist, a staple in my home state of Rhode Island and now I have traveled out and aim to continue expressing my artistry here! I am: A writer, poet, painter, philosophy-enthusiasts, and a survivor.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am known for selling my paintings, jewelry and creating poetry events. What sets me apart is I set pure intentions, not being for money or fame; simply, I aim to promote self-healing through expression. What sets me apart is I’m doing what I love and it has and continues to heal me inwardly.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
If prayer is luck, I would say it has played a major role. The times I feel I am most unlucky, I have to look at my neighbors and say, “it could happen to anyone.” It’s a matter of fact that believing that everything will work out no matter what is what has gotten me here today.
Pricing:
- Handmade Sacred crystal pieces: $50+
Contact Info:
- Website: Binashive.com
- Email: binajaxon@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ro.bina_
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