Catching Up With 2015 Readers Choice Author Truth Devour

Brandon Robinson — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 22:44:59 +0000

The truth shall set you free! 2015 Readers Choice Award winning author Truth Devour has a good story to tell and it has the Truth! Currently, she is crafting her Enigma Series trilogy and her current project in development the Soliloquy’s Labyrinth five series to find out what’s next in the world of Truth. Prior to our interview I did some research on her blog and social media profile and was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of this artist’s creative interests and endeavors. Her catch phrase is ‘Devour thy own truth. Lie to others if you must but to thy own self be true.’

Truth Devour is an advocate for self-empowerment who likes to encourage her followers to celebrate their differences.

RESPECT.: I was surprised to see that you photograph and display a lot of graffiti from around the world on your Instagram account. Have you always been interested in this style?

Artistic expression provides a multitude of channels for communication that rises above rules and oppressive constructs designed to categorize and temper a person’s creativity. Graffiti is a classic example where there has been loads of debate around whether this should or shouldn’t be ‘classified’ as art. The premise for arguing against has been that it is considered vandalism and falls into the category of a criminal act. What I find personally amusing is that this line of thinking, in essence, draws a conclusion that the chosen canvas is thereby the primary driver for the classification rather than the art itself. I’m not encouraging the idea of vandalism, my point is that a sub culture of artists had been denied acknowledgement for their work because of how and where they chose to apply it. I’m drawn to graffiti because of the bold use of color, there is a sense of flow and freedom applied in the diverse styles that is unique to the artist. I like supporting all types of creativity and find when I am visiting different places around the globe, graffiti to me is a celebration of the urban voices.

RESPECT.: Does any part of your personal life philosophies translate in your body of work or is it purely fiction?

The old adage ‘life imitates art’ is as real in the fiction that I’m inspired to write as it is for any person who creatively expresses themselves. Anything that is produced to some degree is an infusion of our thoughts, beliefs and experiences. In fact, one of the key factors to successfully connecting with an audience can often be attributed to how relatable the work is to them. We are sensory creatures who hunger to be moved by the things we seek to have entertain us. My fiction has undertones of my truth reflected in it, just as the lyrics to the saddest love song you can think of had been stimulated by the musician’s heartbreak. It’s a relatable truth.

RESPECT.: Tell us a little about the books.

The idea behind the Enigma series was driven by my desire to present an imperfect role model who becomes the hero of her own life based on her own choices. The three books, Wantin, Unrequited & Sated are a chronical written in the first person of a young girl known as Talia Jacobs. Talia, from the age of six embarks on a life that positions her to either crumble beneath the weight of the burdens that are bestowed upon her or utilize her experiences as a crux to learn who she is and how she fits into the world. I feel the readership responds well to the primary characters because the experiences are relatable. Added to this, the plot keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next, which was my way of emphasizing assumptions can be debilitating in a life that is consistently unpredictable. The readers get drawn into a fantastical journey that incorporates cultural based esoteric experiences such as voodoo and pagan witchcraft, while covering touch points of tastefully described erotic undertones during Talia’s coming of age and phases of sexual exploration.

RESPECT.: It’s an epic life story that leaves woman aspiring to be her and men wanting to date a woman like her.

The Soliloquy’s Labyrinth series is based around a character called Harper Perelle who is a behavioral scientist that specializes in cognitive science in the field of criminology. The journey she takes defies scientific explanation and challenges her to shift from reliance on her own logic to be dependent on her instinct. In Illuminarium, the first book in the series, Harper is compelled to move forward into a world that is unveiled before her eyes, where she begins to witness the war waged between good and evil. The realization that the reality every human is led to believe exists is actually a brilliantly orchestrated illusion thrusts her into a labyrinth of deception and lies. The only way out is to be guided by her own truth.

Insurrection is the name of the second book. It builds on the story of Illuminarum providing some explanations, coupled with loads of thought provoking intrigue. I’m currently in the process of writing the third book and have mapped out for another two more to follow making it a total for five in this series.

RESPECT.: Based on the comments made by some of your readership you seem to evoke passion and inspiration. If you were standing on a podium and the world was listening, what would you want to say?

I imagine I would default to encouraging people to allow themselves to feel empowered. I’d like people to recognize that we are accountable and responsible for our lives and that there is no excuse greater than the ones we have chosen to embrace and nurture as our own. There is strength in knowing that we are all capable of living within our own truth. Allowing ourselves to be who we want to be provides insurmountable joy and heightens the importance of diversity, individualism and freedom. I honestly believe that peace will be achieved as a byproduct of individuals finding harmony within themselves. Absolutely everything pertaining to our experiences, understanding, perception, judgments begins and ends with us.

Street Art: Anthony Lister – The A Lister of Street Art

RESPECT. Staff — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:55:33 +0000

Anthony Lister is currently invading the walls of Miami, Florida. The artist has achieved the rank of “A Lister” thanks to his original use of paint in order to create movement. “A” not only represents his excellency but also his status as an adventurer. The Australian-born painter travels between universes, from superheros to dancers. Lister was given the tabloid treatment and featured in the premier-issue of the avant-gardiste, fine-art publication Tally Ho! His artistic identity is captivating. In his work, he reveals the “spirituality” and shines the light on the “heritage” of Western popular culture. He takes this joint legacy and shapes it into something alluring and grotesque, a perfect representation of the society he seeks to depict.

“[I like] making things out of scribbles. I actually don’t really even call [my work] drawing. I call it shapeshing. I kind of just push shapes around,” he says. “Art as a whole can be unpredictable. It takes a confident artist to admit that what lead the greatness of his piece was an accident which are often viewed as problems and not as potential opportunities to change the route a piece was taking. In Japan the word opportunity and problem are the same word. So I’m far more interested in problem creation than problem solution.”

Anthony Lister‘s work captures a moment, as if the artist and his characters come together in harmony once they hit the canvas. “I just know the energies that I want to be paying attention to. Bob Dylan in an interview with Time Magazine said, “it’s not my job, it’s not my job to do” you know “it’s gonna happen fast and I can’t explain it”. That was cool. As artists go, Francis Bacon [one of his influences] had some cool opinions, especially when he was drunk. He really said some bold things that were accurate and that everyone else was afraid to say. I was turned on to him by an artist called Brett Whitley who was an Australian artist who did the whole party art thing well before my time. You know, Rembrandt, Egon Schiele, [and many more].”

You can read more from his interview: here

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Catching Up With 2015 Readers Choice Author Truth Devour

Street Art: Anthony Lister – The A Lister of Street Art