"At that time, I was several years into an unplanned career as an artist, already had a solo exhibit and created a home décor brand"

During the pandemic in 2020, many people decided to start projects and write books. Sometimes detours create opportunity, and many capitalized on that opportunity by being forced to spend more time being “still.” I, however, learned that lesson many years ago.

I remember being interviewed for an article in Guideposts magazine a few years ago. The article centered around my personal journey as an artist. At that time, I was several years into an unplanned career as an artist, already had a solo exhibit and created a home décor brand using prints from my original artwork. I always referred to myself as an “accidental artist,” but it really was me on a detour.

Rewinding back to 2012, I was at a pivotal moment in my life. I was getting divorced, my father had succumbed to a terminal illness, and I was completely dissatisfied with my job. I spent the first half of the year, just surviving. However, once my mind, body and soul were absolutely exhausted, I took time off from work. Taking this time proved to be the best detour from a path I had already paved for myself.

"Calm During the Storm" by Phnesha Marchette Jefferson

It all started with long walks on the beach. I was fortunate enough to move within blocks of a beautiful beach in Southern California. These walks provided me with an opportunity to enjoy natural beauty that I never took advantage of for the first half of the year because I was too busy hustling and bustling through life.

One of the first things I noticed during these walks was the color blue. I recall reading articles in the past about the color blue and its calming effects. Blue ended up being a dominant color in my artwork when I began painting in the summer of 2012. 

At first, I just painted for myself. Having this creative outlet benefitted me in so many ways. I saw instant returns on my time at the easel whether it was helping with insomnia, or just feeling a sense of accomplishment. 

 "I was getting divorced, my father had succumbed to a terminal illness, and I was completely dissatisfied with my job. I spent the first half of the year, just surviving."

There is something completely gratifying about walking into your home and seeing YOUR artwork. The added bonus is that my two young daughters, Gabby and Gigi, began telling people, “Our mommy is an artist.” They never before touted my career choice, but now they had such a sense of pride when they shared with friends.

One of my daughters told me that I needed to sign my paintings, but that was a bit complicated at the time because I was in the middle of a divorce, and didn’t know what name to use.  That is when I made the decision to make my go-by name Phnesha Marchette; my first and middle name.

 "Clarity" by Phnesha Marchette Jefferson

After I ran out of wall space in my two-level home, I realized I could actually host an exhibit. I connected with a gallery owner that I soon became very skeptical of. My initial plan did not work out, but a missed meeting resulted in me stumbling upon a gallery in Redondo Beach where I walked in with a pitch and walked out with my first solo exhibit, Synchronicity, in 2014.

Almost seven years later, Synchronicity still seems so surreal to me. The event itself was never in my plan.

I had never imagined standing in a gallery full of family, friends and strangers with the sound system blasting my favorite singer, Jason Mraz. I ended up selling a record number of original pieces for the gallery that night. The gallery owners, admittedly, were shocked simply because I was relatively unknown at the time. I could not believe that people would hang my colorful labors of love in their homes.

Phnesha Marchette Jefferson at her solo exhibit in 2014

When I embarked on my artistic journey, Gabby and Gigi also embarked on theirs. They were very young, but children often emulate their parents. I bought them little easels and art supplies. We spent countless hours painting and drawing pictures of things they like to do at the dining room table. 

"Having the girls so intimately involved in the creative process has proven to be a fruitful approach."

One evening, Gabby said, “Mommy, this looks like a book.” I chuckled because, once again, I found myself contemplating an idea that was never in my plan. I received spiritual confirmation soon after, and that was the birth of the Gabby and Gigi book series.

The first book took quite a while to pull together. I had to educate myself on publishing options. I eventually chose to self-publish because I wanted full creative control over my series, particularly because it was reflective of my daughters. I did my homework and realized that with social media and other resources in place, there was no better option for me.

"Meet Gabby and Gigi" book cover

In December 2016, we were ready! We released the first book of the series, “Meet Gabby and Gigi.” The first book was all about Gabby, Gigi, and their dogs Coffee and Daisy. It featured things the girls liked to do; just like the pictures drawn at the dining room table.

The first book was an immediate success and the demand for more Gabby and Gigi became very high. The girls and I had so many funny experiences and they were very active in creating content for the second book, which also happens to be my favorite of the series so far, “Daisy Did It!” It was after the second book in August 2019, that we realized we were on to something. Two months later, at an appearance, I connected with a representative from Reading is Fundamental of Southern California (RIF SoCal) and our book series was picked up within three days of that initial contact. Two months after that, we released book number three, “The Big Big Secret.”

Having the girls so intimately involved in the creative process has proven to be a fruitful approach. Every decision we have made has been thoughtful and deliberate. The latest venture, our plush dolls, was the most well thought-out decision we made.

We thought it would be cool to have dolls, and during the initial thought, we were leaning in the direction of 18-inch plastic dolls. However, the girls began collecting plush dolls and I just knew that those would be the better option. See, most of the feedback we received from parents was that their kids loved having them read the books to them at night. We thought, what better way to add to the Gabby and Gigi experience than to have soft toys to hold and fall asleep with during bedtime.

Once I settled on a doll designer, the pandemic hit. What was supposed to be less than a six month process turned into well over a year-long effort. We were patient. We did not settle. I went back and forth several times about the girls’ hair and skin color because I knew that creating dolls of African American girls required a standard that I was not willing to compromise.

"While we waited, we made lemonade out of lemons in 2020. We were selected as Featured Authors for RIF SoCal, and were requested for a number of virtual appearances."

While we waited, we made lemonade out of lemons in 2020. We were selected as Featured Authors for RIF SoCal, and were requested for a number of virtual appearances. In addition, I was contacted several times over the year by aspiring authors for advice and guidance. I shared every single thing I learned from day one of the process because I believe in helping and empowering others.

Finally! In February 2021, we received our first bulk shipment of dolls and we launched for sale at gabby-gigi.myshopify.com. As I look back to nine years ago, I pinch myself because none of this was planned. There were many lessons learned from changing courses.

Unexpected events do not have to be viewed as derailments. Instead, they can create opportunities for creativity through taking detours. Our detour has been a colorful and rewarding one, and we cannot wait to watch more of our ideas come to fruition.

"With most of my normal activities extremely limited, I had to find new ways to enjoy being in quarantine"

Finding my way back to art

The pandemic shut down many things — stores, restaurants, movies and so many more of life’s little distractions.  It turns out all of those distractions were holding me back from a longtime love I’d neglected for far too long.

With most of my normal activities extremely limited, I had to find new ways to enjoy being in quarantine, which led me to begin ordering art supplies online so I could do a few basic creative projects at home. Back in the fall of 2019 I took a few pottery classes at Art Works Now, a local community art studio.  With the extra time that the pandemic afforded me, I decided to build on those experiences and signed up for the newly offered virtual classes at Art Works Now. Fully enjoying the small art community experience, I took other classes that further rekindled my interest in art.

Artwork by Monica Lyles. From left to right: "Flow with it", "I'm not alone", "Ripped Rainbows"

Of all the classes I took during my pre-collegiate education, classes that focused on art were my favorite. Back then my dream job was to be an artist, but concerns about the financial viability of that career path led me to a more stable, less creatively challenging option. Nevertheless, the pull of art persisted and I considered taking interior design classes or graphic art design courses, but quickly got discouraged with the long-term financial commitment of pursuing classes while working full-time.

Although I wasn’t creating art any longer, I still appreciated it and regularly went to museums to see the latest exhibits. I was excited about seeing up close the color combinations, techniques and details in each design. Seeing Van Gogh’s famous pictures in the National Gallery of Art Museum and the recent President Obama (Kehinde Wiley) and First Lady Michelle Obama (Amy Sherald) art exhibits were definitely a highlight for me. Needless to say, I could never fully get rid of my desire to absorb and/or create art, and would therefore frequently go to shops where I could paint pre-designed pottery pieces, and I'd also take small workshops at shops like Color Me Mine and Amazing Glaze to create mosaic tables.

"I like that art can be interpreted different ways because everyone sees beauty in their own way. There have been times when I have created a piece and someone will see water or something totally different than I intended."

Taking the Collage Creations, Sketch to Paint and Acrylic Landscape classes at Art Works Now since May 2020 has helped remind me what I enjoy so much about the artistic creative process. My favorite style is abstract designs, since I can create a piece and it can be interpreted many ways. Abstract art is defined as “art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors and textures.” I like that art can be interpreted different ways because everyone sees beauty in their own way. There have been times when I have created a piece and someone will see water or something totally different than I intended. I’ve begun exploring making art of actual things like landscapes, flowers or the ocean, but I really prefer the freedom of creating a design that can be interpreted by the viewer. When I create objects or scenes it is often very limiting to me so I tend to make more abstract art designs.

My materials and process

I’ve picked up numerous tips and tricks through experimentation and by communicating with experienced artists on Instagram about their favorite materials and even paint brands. Generally, I paint with acrylic paint and use various metallic pens for precision details. I usually use canvas paper or canvas boards to create the paintings (ranging in size of 10x10 to 16x20), but I have a commissioned art piece that I will create on a very large canvas (36x40). I enjoy painting with metallic paints because it gives a nice shine when you display them with the right lighting. One of the bigger challenges I’m working on now is experimenting with the various thicknesses of paints to see how they layer differently from one another.

While it is not part of my regular routine to listen to music when I paint, I have discovered that ocassionally it helps me express different ideas. For example when I created “I’m not Alone,” I was listening to Inspirational Praise music and when I created the "Calming Sun and Waves" collage, I was listening to Classical music.

"There is a scripture that talks about burying your talent (Matthew 25:14-30) and in the past I’ve always been afraid that I was doing that in some way by not using my passion and love of art creatively."

Music or not, I generally either sketch my idea before I start painting or sometimes I just create as I go along based on how the design is taking shape as I'm doing it. Often times I have color schemes in mind that I want to try out and will make a design based on those envisioned color combinations. I enjoy being intentional about how I’m placing different color combinations in my creations while I'm taking something from my heart and transferring it to the canvas. There’s something so relaxing in creating something from my heart, and it’s been very encouraging to hear people describe my art as peaceful, calming or vibrant.

"Calming Sun and Waves" by Monica Lyles.

My ultimate goal is to use the gift God has given me. There is a scripture that talks about burying your talent (Matthew 25:14-30) and in the past I’ve always been afraid that I was doing that in some way by not using my passion and love of art creatively.

A few months ago, I took the big step of sharing my artwork on Instagram (@greatdailycreativity). I’m new to sharing on social media and it’s been fun showing my art to people who don’t have a bias of being family and friends. Eventually, I began sharing my work on Facebook and was encouraged by requests from friends asking if I was planning on selling my art. The encouragement and affirmations has been an important part of my desire to continue to keep pursuing my creativity through art designs.

As an additional way to share my art, I’ve created a website — http://Monicacreatesdaily.com. My goal is to share my art as my way of sharing my gift from God with others. I’ve even already started to get requests for prints and commissioned art work, which is very exciting.

"As a Black woman, kemetic yoga instinctively lives in my mind and on my mat, and ultimately it led me on a mission to better understand the meaning behind the poses I'd been twisting into for the past decade"

Do black people do yoga?

A fellow African American colleague asked me this question when I shared my excitement about getting certified as a yoga instructor. My response:

Not only do we do yoga, it started in Africa!

Take a tour online, in-person, or in books of the yoga postures carved into the walls of temples in ancient Egypt and you will see the ‘receipts’ in the hieroglyphics. Although it is a barely known fact that yoga began in Africa, the people of Kemet in ancient Egypt created teachings and spiritual practices that evolved into Hindu yoga practices. Furthermore, in his book Egyptian Yoga: Postures of the Gods and Goddesses, The Ancient Egyptian system of physical postures for health meditation and spiritual enlightenment, Muata Ashby showcases the physical postures practiced thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt that we call yoga today.

"So, yes, black people do yoga. It runs deep in our ancestral blood."

The Egyptian system of kemetic yoga combines meditation, deep breathing, and physical movements to emphasize breathing, self-development, healing of mind-body-spirit, and self-discovery. Kemetic yoga was leveraged as a way to connect with the ancestors through the “energy body,” and to borrow a phrase  from Cairo West Magazine: "In the same way that we have a physical body that operates in a specific manner; we also have an energetic body that operates on the circulation of life force."

It was not originally in my plan to become a yoga teacher

As a Black woman, kemetic yoga instinctively lives in my mind and on my mat, and ultimately it led me on a mission to better understand the meaning behind the poses I'd been twisting into for the past decade. So, as a birthday gift to myself, I entered into yoga teacher training led by my favorite instructor. While learning the principles and guidelines of yoga, I discovered so much more about myself and it literally shaped who I was becoming inside and out. I grew as an individual and gained a yoga family. Surprisingly, it also brought me closer to my actual family.

In Washington, D.C. where I grew up, my uncle Larry taught yoga to youth for the Department of Parks and Recreation. He shared this information with me about 30 years later and 100 hours into my own 200 hour yoga teacher training program. Oh the joy I felt! In that moment on our video call this common interest connected the two of us despite the fact that he was currently across the ocean living in Europe. This helped my connection with yoga make even more sense. Uncle Larry awakened me to the fact that curiosity was not the only force driving the desire to deepen my yoga journey. He enlightened me that yoga and meditation had been practiced in my family long before I could even walk. For this little known Black history fact in our family, I am both personally and professionally proud.

So, yes, black people do yoga. It runs deep in our ancestral blood. And along with being my personal passion, it is a birthright that breathes within my genes as a Stone living in America. And as a yoga teacher, I instill in my students that yoga is about far more than twisting your body into shapes on a mat to get a toned body. While that can happen, it’s really about the alignment of mind, body, and everlasting breath.