The Truth In This Art: Stories That Matter

Rob Lee: Welcome to The Truth In This Art, your source of conversations connecting arts, culture, and community. These are stories that matter, and I am your host, Rob Lee, except no substitutes. Today, I'm thrilled to welcome back onto the program a Los Angeles-based painter whose portraiture combines her interest in the digital space with her desire to depict black bodies and paint often untold stories. So please welcome back to the program, Lanise Howard. Welcome back to The Truth In This Art. Good. It's good to have you back. It's been a little over two years.

It's just a wee back. Absolutely. It's been a little over two years since we last spoke on this program. So for the folks that begrudgingly and unfortunately may have missed our first episode, could you reintroduce yourself in your own words for any audience member that's not familiar with you or your work? Could you reintroduce yourself? Okay.

Lanise Howard: My name is Lanise Howard. I'm a multidisciplinary artist based in LA. And my work is often centered around a reimagining of different histories, especially within the black experience. So I pull a lot from the past and from the future, which I often see in my dreams.

And I merge them together. I often call it the future past or the past future. And then I kind of imagine this new world. Sometimes I call it like another dimension or a parallel universe. Recently I created this hypothetical planet that I've had at Illudria. I named Illudria and it's really like this black plant.

So there's a narrative that centered around that recently. And yeah, I do paintings. I do drawings, sun sculpture. I'm going to be working on some textiles soon. Okay. And yeah, I see my skin. I'm just, I feel like there's no bounds to the media or the mediums that I can use because I often ask myself, which is the best medium to convey this thing that I'm trying to tell or the story or this experience or the story, whatever it is.

Rob Lee: So not adding bounds to it. I think one, since you're a black planet, if you will, you want to add that other one. You're a world-builder girl. What are you talking about?

Lanise Howard: Wow, universe. Absolutely. And when I talk about a universe, I'm thinking about what's in a universe. Everything's in a universe. There's good, there's bad, there's night, there's day, there's different environments. There's things that are happening that are intimate. There's things that are happening that are theatrical. You know, there's just so much. So it's really endless. Absolutely.

Rob Lee: Absolutely. So I heard sort of dreams, imagination. So I want to kind of delve in a little bit deeper. So what's currently like, let's say today, we're doing a rare Sunday recording. What's inspiring you or piquing your curiosity at this moment? In this very moment?

Lanise Howard: Or in the moment of the studio.

Rob Lee: In the moment of the studio. See, artist. See, here's the thing with you, artist. Go on, please. Yes.

Lanise Howard: So I have a, I thought like a, I guess a mood wall, I would say, where there's just a bunch of different, see if I can try to show you. Wait. Over there. I can see. Yeah. Yeah. So there's like a mood wall, which is just all the different ideas that I'm has at the moment. And I kind of put them there to remind myself of like the direction I'm going in. So there's, there's like three, almost like three bodies working one.

Okay. So there's the main body of work right now, which is Elegria, the world of Elegria. And that's very sci-fi. It's based in the future, but the story started in the 1970s. So there's definitely still some area elements of the 70s and the 60s back in the war. And then there's a more personal body of work that's like me kind of traversing through different landscapes in the future.

And those pains are more intimate. And I haven't really been working on those ones as much, but just the ideas of them, because I was working on them and I kind of took it. And then I have another smaller body of work, which is more ancestral. And that one has kind of like honoring these different ancestors from the past. And they're all kind of selects field in a way. They all have like elements of the left field, the other world, the spiritual, but they're the peoples of each other or branches of a main tree.

Rob Lee: So I'm hearing time. I'm hearing intimacy. I'm hearing sort of just space and like a openness there, especially with Elegria, having sort of the, that world component. It's like a boundlessness that's there, but also having these sort of common threads that it's time there. It's, I'm thinking from what I'm seeing, the pictures of folks that look like me and you. That's there.

So I'm seeing those threads. And as far as within the last, since we last spoke, you know, in the last few years, and I know how artists or even something like what I do, I'm always tweaking. So how have you refined your painting process, your process and art generally? Because you said painting some sculpture playing with textiles coming soon, drawing and such. How have you refined your process or your artistic vision in the last few years?

Lanise Howard: So it's definitely gotten more thorough, I was saying. Originally, I would just have like these, I would probably like dream sketches and they were really rough compositional studies, often small. And then from there, I would start working on paintings.

But now there's about two other processes before that. So I have my little dream sketches, compositional sketches, and then from there I create a mock-up on Photoshop. And the mock-up, it is, usually I take that compositional sketch, I put it into Photoshop. And I try to line up the image with real images that can kind of match it. Now sometimes I have to shoot those images myself, like certain background, certain figures, or I'm able to index images from online.

Like I've been indexing a lot of images from old magazines from like the 50s, the 60s, old jet magazines, old like life magazines, ads from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and I'll then super impose those into the Photoshop image. And I'll also change things and draw things and I take this mock-up and then from the mock-up I then do a study. And the study is there's one behind me right there. So I've been trying to do these more West out studies, which they are able to really showcase not just the composition, but the feeling of it because I'm always kind of pushing a little bit of this gilvealness or it's by the understanding this in the work. And I feel like when I'm drawing I'm able to really feel that. And so then it kind of reminds me then when I go into the actual painting to put that in there. So this one is me drawing it onto the canvas.

Now the funny thing is this one, and there's another two other profits before this gets. So I'm looking at the mock-up also as a reference. And I kind of break them all together. Like on this one, on the one that's on the canvas, I have to use a little bit more of reality. So on the sketch her feet are really tiny.

I'm not like cartoon-like, but that was just to really showcase the dainty-ness of her with some anatomy. But then when I'm doing her here, I want that foot to be more realistic with the measurement. But it's just kind of like I'm looking at it and then I might go back in and make the foot a little bit smaller. I've also made her legs a little bit more natural. So I'm always looking at them and just kind of seeing what I can go from each of the process, like in creating the painting.

But I might take a long time on realizing. Like I wanted to be this whole process almost like, you know, almost like bespoke. Like the bespoke process of like having an idea, refining it, retuning it, building it, and making it into hopefully a masterpiece. Like I want to move it forward. I want every change to be masterfully done because I feel like I've trained and I've learned so much.

And now I feel like if it's not to that level, I don't want to release it. And I'm being a little bit hard on myself, but it's fun actually for me. Like it doesn't feel like work. It feels like something that is a challenge. And it also kind of calms my nerves.

This is so in a weird way where I feel like I'm just pushing through. I know that there's this process and I can take my time with each part of the process. Like, okay, we have the sketch to do. We have the, you know, the refined sketch and give yourself a week to finish that.

Take your time with it. You don't have to rush. You know, you don't have to rush to the painting. You get up a month, month and a half of the painting, you know, we're trying to three days a week. Each day you go on the internet, you're energized. You, you know, so that's kind of how I look at it now.

Rob Lee: That makes sense, especially compared to sort of two things that is running concurrently. And thank you for mentioning it because it brings this thought up, you know, doing something artfully showing one's skill, showing one's pursuit. I'll call it in my own terms, their pursuit towards failure. Like I want to keep getting good. So with getting good or better, you're, you're failing as you go along.

It's like lifting weights or, man, I used to run this mile in this distance and this time. Yeah. So, so those two things. So with that in mind, the two things that come up and I like you were talking about giving yourself enough time, but also not trying to be a machine for sake of argument. I think as in a world of sort of AI, I think of, hey, I can just type this in and immediately, I have art quote unquote versus someone being an artisan and doing something as you said bespoke with time and attention mastery, the technical component. So we have the AI component there versus people actually making real things. Right.

Yeah. And then there's this other piece and we were having a conversation before we got started in this area, like sort of folks who are are novices, maybe who don't have the training or the background or even the love for it, whether it be painting, whether it be drawing, whether it be doing a podcast. Everybody would paint brush and a painter everyone with a microphone and a podcaster. So talk to me a bit about how you're feeling in that area where you know what it takes to make your work. And you know what time skill, you know, that you put in that education that you put in and seeing other people like, there you go. I do something on a canvas and I was great art. So talk about.

Lanise Howard: Yeah, maybe there's just some different points in their career. I've been working as a professional. I've been showing my art from past eight years in gallery. Six years as a professional, I would say that's the year I graduated. And so when I look at my trajectory or I look at the past, I'm like, I've painted over like 200 paintings. So there's no reason to just usher out the paintings.

Now I am super inspired right now. So I'm working on several paintings, but they can take their time. Yeah.

You know, when I was getting a master's, they took years on painting. So, you know, I think sometimes nowadays we want this instant gratification. We have an idea. We want to put it out there and we want people to class like, oh, great, you know, I got the lights. I got the comments, maybe it's cold, the gallery, showing them my work, whatever. And the art world has this weird way of congratulating that, but also just respecting it in the end. The art world loves commodity.

And work that's easy to produce, that still gets a reaction. Gallery see that and they know that that's an easy turnaround to them. So they scoop up a lot of young artists that made work kind of in this lack of before, in this chasered way, that they know that they can sell it quick because a lot of the collectors unfortunately don't really know what they want. A lot of collectors don't really have the best taste, but they see whatever is moving the needle online. And there's something that they gravitate towards it, that gravitates them towards it. And, you know, they scoop it up, but the art world has this weird way of kind of like this bolting of that type of work after it's more.

And that moment has come. And something that I've noticed is I've shown in a lot of spaces, but I kind of say that this medium case, which is what I want, because I don't want work to last for long periods of time, even way after I'm gone. So, you know, I'm constantly grappling with that in my mind. So I want this in-sangra application, or do I want a lasting satisfaction?

And I would go lasting satisfaction knowing that I put my heart into something, knowing that I really pushed myself. And you're always going to get better if I look at a painting from five years ago. I can do that better now, but I don't even really look at it like that because I see it to what it was at that time.

And, you know, you start to feel over time like how it changed in your use of color and how you would paint something is different. And I like seeing that. I like seeing that evolution and knowing that I'm always constantly challenging myself. Or else I would just be bored with it.

Rob Lee: That's a good point. And one of the things I was thinking of when you were saying looking at paintings from like five years ago and part in doing this podcast, like this is the second time that you've been on. And my hope is that this is at least showing some progress in the type of conversation and in the context of the conversation. It's similar in my mind to when a musician says, hey, I'm going to do a remastered version of my old stuff. It's like I'm back with it. It's like, I don't know if you can hit that note to say what you could, but I appreciate what you're doing.

Lanise Howard: In this way. Yeah.

Rob Lee: And so one of the things I wanted to ask you about that thought was kind of interesting based on the sort of your story, you know, if I recall correctly, has New York and sunny LA monochromatic New York, concrete jungle and, you know, sunny LA. So how do those environments sort of influence perhaps your your palette or your compositional choices? When I think of LA, I'm like, yo, yellow, bright palm trees, whatever, sand. When I think of New York, I'm like pizza building, you know. So how does that influence your choices?

Lanise Howard: I'm not sure. I'm going to sort of New York and I've been in New York for like six years. But I don't know how much New York is in my work anymore. I feel like a trader, but I didn't notice that it's in my work and kind of the in the work that are like, I'm going to go fuck. So part of my language.

But like with this work that I'm doing now is titled the team. And she's a bad bitch. Like, I mean, let's just keep her up. She's a bad bitch. It's kind of like, I do like a lot of the women are like versions of me, either versions of me that I have been or versions of me that I could have become. Or versions of women in my family. What's the matter?

Rob Lee: I go around. So looking at sort of recent shows that you've had, whether it be, you know, solo shows, whether it be group shows, what's standing out to you like that in like recent history? What's standing out to you about maybe being seen out there as far as your individual work or being in a group show? What have you, what's sticking out in terms of experiences that have been like really positive and enlightening for you at this stage in your career?

Lanise Howard: Well, I just say the museum shows have probably stood out to me the most. And I think it's because the museum attracts a lot of different types of people. So down to the shows, you know, is a very niche crowd. Usually it's other artists, collectors, we are going there looking for your work or their base, their distations of the gallery in general. Where museums, they, you know, their kids, their brand with the people from the neighborhood and museums that one of those museums I was in, California, American, American, and in partnership with Art and Practice, they, you know, invited all kinds of different people. They had tours from just all kinds of different groups seeing a work. And so having people experience my work in that way was different. And, you know, a movie, you know, it was like I saw people getting emotional and I saw people get emotional from my work, but just seeing all different types of people get emotional looking at the work.

And I was like seeing themselves. My work is also always very uplifting. And that's one thing that I was wanting to have to bear to a certain degree, even if it is male and college at times, I want there to be the fact that we're lining that almost there. And so, you know, I, it makes me feel good to know that people like they see themselves with the one training the degree of all the women that kind of in the triangle.

And that came in at like 88 inches, too. So when people would go there, it was one of the sites, this mountain top that they could see, you know, blackboard, and the other top of and, and then fall kind of supernatural and the supernatural background, the sorry background and then it's like hopeful in this way. And I think right now we're like in a time where there's not as much hope. So people saying things like that is just was very uplifting and it was very emotional for people and I didn't. I guess I did expect it and so certainly because I was emotional pain at that time. But it just resonates with me and it makes me feel good that I'm taking what I want to change and people, you know, appreciate it.

I mean, that's all any artist wants. My show in Miami, my solo show, I was really proud of that show. It was a little limiting because of the space so I can really do too much water painting. So I had a limit on size, which was a little limiting. I will say because I had these really good ideas and, you know, I did the best way with the space that I had. But one thing I really liked about that show is that I tried different things like I did some more cultural elements with the painting, one of the paintings had feathers and I'm going to reintroduce that in some new, some other paintings. And it was challenging. You know, I did some cultural elements in the back of the painting to kind of bring into this world of allusion, some architectural kind of elements.

And I want to definitely have found from that. So I kind of look at that show as, like this incubator for what to come. And it was, you know, it was great and that was back when I was very sci-fi. There's some sci-fi thing happening in the work and I'm loving it.

Rob Lee: That's great. I love hearing just opportunities to work within confines and parameters. You were saying was, you know, limiting in some ways in terms of space, but being able to take perhaps that limit, if you will, and say, look, I'm going to make this lavender lemonade with it. And I'm going to try something completely different. That's what you were doing over there of experimenting sort of within those parameters, but being able to branch out from there.

I try the same thing in here. It's from like the sort of patrice, no, not patrice, you know, Hannibal Barris joke about, look, if I'm going to do something I don't like or if I'm not really into, I'm going to at least have fun with it. And it's not to say that you don't like it or that I don't like it in a scenario, but something that might not be the exact ideal. It's like, can I at least learn something from it to build on and maybe refine certain areas? So in the last two years of doing this podcast, I've had to make some concessions, which was a little disappointing. Disappointing as to how I wanted to talk to, how many interviews I wanted to do and so on. But I was just like, all right, keep it interesting, keep it fun for yourself.

So while I can't do maybe the volume I'd want to do 100, 200 episodes, maybe doing a strong 75 to 90 episodes and adding in something that's a bit more refined and a bit more robust and being able to talk to some of my art friends like such as yourself that's enjoying your water right now. Parched. So being able to connect, no, no, you're good. I'm just teasing you. So to connect back with folks, that's one of the things that I get out of it to kind of one check in going back to one of the things I think we touched on is this notion of something feeling disposable. You were talking about what sort of the art world, right?

And just like this is popping right now, but where is this going to be at in five years? I take that into account in doing this show. I don't want to just throw something out there. It's like, well, this person is doing something interesting right now. So let's talk to them right now.

And part of that comes into mind when I'm going back through some of the interviews that I've done from 2019 and seeing like, who do I want to talk to again and see where they've progressed in the last six, seven years. So to me, it's just like it's a continuing conversation. This isn't a new conversation with you. This is a continuing conversation with you. So that's the thing. Exactly. And we keep you on point. We're going back to your old question.

Lanise Howard: I'm getting up there now. I'm 33 now. So I'm getting up there. That does not count. You know, when I graduated, I was 20 years old. So the block has changed from 2020. And I'm going to grab the time though. But yeah, so I'm just not my grown woman. I think I'm less, I'm more unapologetic. I used to care more like when I first started doing changes, I was a little edgy. I'm like, I mean, but now it's, I'm like, I don't care. I don't care.

Somebody don't like it. So I just do what I want to do. I have to believe in black. If I'm paying her, I got to select her. I got to select that. You know, I'm going to say, I'm going to select that girl. Like I can't just be scared because some gallery doesn't want it or doesn't approve of it.

This is not the gallery for me. And I know that I do enough work again, like we're saying, trade a universe. And a universe is going to be heroes. And there's going to be villains. She's not a villain, but she might be a villain in his eyes.

You know what I'm saying? She's not a villain. She's the hero, actually. She's my hero.

One of my heroes. But you know what I'm saying? Because I love a woman who knows her words and knows her power, but she may be a villain to somebody else. She may be a villain to someone who's insecure.

You know, I realize other women, other women that are insecure when a woman knows her power and know her strength. She's been a slut. She's been a hoe.

She's been, she thinks she's all that. You know, and I've got with that in the art world, when you're attractive or whatever, and you go to an opening and you're feeling cute and you're looking good and you're confident and you're sweet as pie. Some people don't like that. And so you get to a point where you end up acting about so much.

It's just like, you know what? I don't give a fuck. Because I know that I'm a good person.

I don't have to sit apart and sleep. And if somebody has to find out what needs them, they got to have a big spell. So if I had to do nothing.

Exactly. You know, so you have to get to that point because being a people pleaser can literally ruin you. You know, being a people pleaser to that extent where, you know, you should try to be respectful to people and be considerate to people. So when you're taking someone else's feelings, more consideration than your own, and what you want to do with your life and the changes that you're making that you're sitting for 40, 50, 60, 100, 200 hours working on. Like, what are you doing? So I think I'm at that point where, you know, about $10 is telling me. You know, I've had $10 is telling me and I've had people tell me what $10 is that I'm back. Oh. And, you know, like I said, this one gal was told this other collector, collector one told me and said, no, well, oh, let me work it real romp you lately.

What's going on with her? And just because I had a couple of new paintings, you know, I'm saying, and it's like, it's just so funny. It's like, first of all, I'm a young woman. And then you can identify with that right now. You know, like, I still have to tell stories that represent things that I experienced and things that I can identify with right now.

When I'm 60 or 70 years old, my work will probably change. And that's okay. And so, um, yeah, I think I have to get more apologetic.

And maybe I think when my mom passed, it's helped a lot, you know, because I realized just how precious life is. And, you know, I can be interested in so many things. I'm changing some landscapes right now.

And I think the challenge for me now is like showing people that all of these things can intersect. Just because a woman is sexy doesn't mean that she can't love nature or that she can't fly the tree with trees or whatever. I mean, I was like, I think I'm a woman.

It's changing right now on Instagram being one circle. But I am like, I'm a one-spirit, I've always been one-spirit, I've loved, I've been in the tree, I've been in nature, I've been going with my own flow like a free spirit. I think a lot of my words resonate in that element of being a free spirit. There are some deep stories here too. I don't know if that all makes sense.

Rob Lee: No, no, no, no. See the thing that you did there, you answered two other questions. I literally have one real question left. You've given me a new question now that I'm going to ask you because I think it's kind of funny. You said being a sweetest pie. Which flavor of pie? Go.

Lanise Howard: I don't know. Apple pie.

Rob Lee: You gave that look that your painting has going on, by the way. You gave that same apple pie.

Lanise Howard: That's right, baby. I feel that I'm the naturally, like a happy girl. I'm always, you know, nine times I've said I'm happy and I'm sweet. And I think sometimes I've dealt with that growing up where many people don't expect me to be sweet.

So it kind of broke people the wrong way sometimes. You know, they think they aren't being fake or they don't know what to think or I don't even know, but it's just like I see the reactions and I don't have that much friends, you know, because of that. Now in high school I had a million friends.

I was like, we'll talk the way through whatever. Had tons of friends, even after I graduated, top school of people. But I think after I got older, I just had less and less friends. And, you know, I think the world, I don't know, there's some good things with that, but you just can't think of the older thing about or consider other people's feelings more than your own.

That's what I take from it. Because, you know, a lot of times, again, I'm being sweet, I'm being respectful, but someone here still has their own issues with me. And that's out of my control, you know.

Rob Lee: I mean, I've got several issues with you, frankly. You already said it, you're like, I don't care. So let me move into the rapid-fire questions and I got one more real question after the rapid-fire will be done. So rapid-fire, you've been on here before, but here's a refresher.

So rapid-fire is, if you can say it in like one word or whatever the quick sort of response here, that's what we're looking for. So I got six of them for you. It was three before you started talking and now it's six because you said so many random interesting things that I wanted to go deeper on.

Alright, so here's the first one. Are we spending enough time appreciating art? I would say it's getting better. That's a good answer. What is your most common dream, dreamer, frolicer? What's your most common dream?

Lanise Howard: We can evolve as humans.

Rob Lee: Yeah. This is a, because when we started, one was getting in their calories. I'll ask you this. Breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?

Lanise Howard: How many dinners for breakfast over breakfast or dinner? Yeah. It's too much sweet so far as knowledge. You can't be eating that late.

Rob Lee: Girl in this universe, in Cob Landria, as I like to call it, you can, carbs don't have any.

Lanise Howard: You can do whatever you want. You can do whatever you want. You know, it's like, let me have a pancake. You gotta have that energy and I think, you know, you listen to your body as you get older. Like, we'll make sure you feel tired. We'll make sure you feel, pain, it takes a lot out of you. It takes a lot.

I mean, I can't think. So, I have to have that energy. So, I don't need after like 9.30, 9.

I don't eat anything after that and then I don't have a feeling so probably 1.12, 1.00. All right. I gotta keep it straight. I mean, maybe once a week out on accident, I'll flip up because I'll get home too late or something, but I think I might have been on practice.

Rob Lee: You're committed because I remember when we had that first conversation, you were like, in the middle of intermittent fast. I was like, girl, if you don't eat something. Yeah. So, here's the next one. You're a traveler. So, aisle seat or window seat? I notice you're tall. So, aisle seat or window seat? Window seat, for sure. I see the aisle seat. Go on.

Lanise Howard: I hate it. Because everyone's walking past you like, I don't even have all the bones. Yeah.

Rob Lee: That's true.

Lanise Howard: I'm tall and I'm very small.

Rob Lee: That's great. I don't.

Lanise Howard: That's not coming back. No, that's not coming back. Because you know, I love my short girls. I love y'all. But in high school, with all the short girls, I'd be like, oh my gosh, you're so tall. You're so tall.

I'm like, yeah, I'm small. You're a liar. I'm not a liar. I love everybody. But you know, sometimes you got to come back. You got to come back with people because sometimes people will be trying to.

Rob Lee: I mean, I sometimes, like when people have real conversations out of the, it's not being, that I'm being performative, but I'm hosting, right? But when I'm having a conversation one-on-one with someone outside of the mics, some of the spiciness that flows, it's got to bond it that comes out. I mean, it's like, yeah, so here's the thing. But I don't gossip too much. So this is the next one. I got two left here. What color is, what's your mood right now in terms of color?

Lanise Howard: Oh, kind of. You know, it's so hard being an artist because I don't have a favorite color, probably. I would say I've been wearing a lot of white. I've been wearing a lot of white. And I think it's just because it feels like summer, just winter, and white is just a summer color.

It's been 90 degrees or more. A lot of it you can't even sew. You just, you got to keep it, you got to keep it light. So I've been wearing a lot of white. And I've been thinking about making some clothing. So I'm kind of in the early stages of that. So I've been actually like dying from stuff myself, like taking white dresses and dying them and playing with that. So yeah, I don't think I have favorite.

I think historically my favorite color is probably the turquoise. Yeah. That's good. I'm trying to always be awake from turquoise when I'm decorating the house. Yeah. Oh, I had to make that turquoise dress because I love it so much.

Rob Lee: That's good. I used to have a few turquoise items.

Lanise Howard: I guess this is turquoise, kind of. Yes.

Rob Lee: I see a bit of it. It's got to get the turquoise.

Lanise Howard: Yeah. And it's a white in there as well. Yes, it's a white. Yeah.

Rob Lee: So this is a trolley last rapid fire question because we talked about it earlier. What's your current skin care routine?

Lanise Howard: My skin care routine. Okay. So I've been doing this nutrition wash. I switch it up a lot. But right now the one that's been working more with the sheets is nutrition wash. And I believe in this aerobatic soap because I do a double cleanse. So I watch it with an itch-a-dina and I use this aerobatic soap, which is like an Indian soap. And it has hemp. It has neem, turmeric. It's like an herbal aloe vera. I use that. And then I use this Derma-E, which is like this organic company.

It's nothing fancy, but they make good products. The moisturizer, I just do like a very small amount as a lie. Less moisturizer is good. Okay.

The less the better. I actually have a friend who has a best skin and she doesn't moisturize all, which is crazy, but the skin is flawless. But I don't want to try that. But I've been trying to be less moisturizer and it works good. I can mix that with my sunscreen. And then I do my eye cream and that's it at night. I do the same thing, but I use a night moisturizer and a different night cream. I use a vitamin C night cream in a day. And then I use a hyaluronic acid night cream in the night.

And one of the things that we do in LA, so we know we're all about our low-density treatment. So before it gets too, too, too hot, I'm going to do a couple of little things. Once a year, I do either my radio frequency sessions, which help tighten the skin. I either do a chemical pill, but this year I'm going to do a fractal laser and some little small things. No botox. I like it.

Rob Lee: I like it. So here's the last question. This is the sage advice question. So I think you've been very transparent. You've been very real in this conversation. So this last question is in that same vein. We're all ambitious. We're go-getters.

You're talking about that a little earlier. Seeking out opportunities for our work to be seen, heard, and connections to be made. How do you discern what's worth your time right now? What are the traits that you look for in the relationships that are most important to you? Whether it be with galleries, whether it be with collectors, whether it be with fellow artists or just people socially? Because we're all so busy in time. Is that a premium?

Lanise Howard: Well, it's definitely changed. I think when I first started, I was just so green. I was so innocent. It was my heart was so innocent then when I was back in it.

And I think I had method. I wanted to just really get my art out there. So I said no to a pink back then, but there was a lot more guesses. And I was just trying to get my work in as many places as possible.

Now, you know, I've been a lot of places. And so I think I really have to evaluate what is the purpose of it. You know, and unfortunately I have to be self-assist with where I place my work. You know, if I don't think that it's going to be beneficial, I just don't do it. And maybe in my sweetest pie or whatever, it was really hard for me to get to that point because I felt like it was so selfish. But with your career, it has to be a little bit selfish because it's for you.

It's for what you want to do when you're trajectory. Oh, God. So I'm going to have to attack me. And so, yeah, I think I'm just like, because you know, I just get offers here and there and I'm just like, hmm, it's something I've already kind of did or just a gallery that I feel like doesn't have the reach that I need or they don't sell work in the range that my work sells for. Now, if there's something that I'm doing, I love just the love of the shows. That curated some shows in that way where I had kind of given back to galleries and curated shows.

And even in my face now, I have two faces. And so one of the states that I'm used to to rate my own show here. And and that's really just purely out of the love. And I want to have a face for that where that side of me can can exercise that and I can, you know, put something on for the love of it. But in my personal career, I'm just very, very, very picky now. It's too rain we take me and careful and I feel like with galleries moving forward, if it's. I have a bit and what I want and most gallery don't fit into that, unfortunately, and that's, you know, it's just you have to kind of be a little bit after a while, you have to be a little bit smobby in that way because the gallery. Are there that I shall be, but they're also, you know, they have your own appearance and they're not going to work with you. They don't feel like they can get something out of you. So why, you know, why are you so bad that, you know, some mutual some mutual thing you guys didn't take.

And of course, there should be a love for each other there where respect for each other. But, you know, it's definitely harder now because my I'm often lean towards no automatic. It wants to send me a proposal to exhibit with them or something. I'm essentially want to say no, but I have to just temper it a little bit and give them a good reason of why I can't do it. Or, you know, like when I just did see like I got offered to do like how they five shows that week and I took on two. But I didn't want to be in five shows with different galleries and then, you know, different fairs. It's too much.

It would have been too much. So I want to look very intentional as well. And even moving forward, I think I have to be more strict on my social media as well.

And that's one of the reasons why I like turn my hand off. And I think, you know, I have to be like a sense for when I was going to post a little picture of myself or something. It's really not a sense that it's like a private Instagram or personal Instagram, but I haven't really been using it that much. Or like I'm sorry to make you have to go on there and talk if I wouldn't talk. I have other outlets, but on my Instagram, I definitely wanted to become more curated and just really about the art so that I can keep people focused because I was talking to you earlier.

Unfortunately, you have to play the game because the world is a certain way. And maybe thinking about the scene when Fagol and LA posted a picture in the park, you know, feeling cute or something like that. It's distracting because it's distracting the men that unfortunately can't focus because they can't see the art because they're going to have some other kind of art for them or whatever. And so, you know, I found it back to the point, okay, I'm passive. And maybe I could do like a recap of the month and just have like a, you know, several pictures and that recap or something. But I definitely wanted to become more curated on my Instagram. And so I have to be a big girl. It's time to get, you know, more grown and more serious. I'm not always as serious, but I want to always kind of keep that kind of open before not so long. And then, you know, but you have to get more intentional. So, yeah.

Rob Lee: Yeah, I think what you put out is sort of, you know, sometimes is what you're getting and sometimes you have to rebrand that. So I've been thinking the same thing, you know, of how to be a bit more mysterious, how to have more barriers between levels to get to me if that makes sense. And I'm not like, you know, because it's a lot of time wasters. There's a lot of things that, oh, you're not quite ready. And I find the sort of traits that I exhibit, you know, is this sort of I'm very ambitious.

I get things done and, you know, the evidence is there, you know, and folks will leverage sort of that ambition. Dang a lot of current and they don't have their stuff in order. And suddenly it's like you're attaching your brand, your business, your career, what have you, what's something that may not be in alignment. So being able to discern who matters. And the thing that I've tried to get much better at in this last year is trying to make time with people. I joke about my 1.33333 friends, but trying to make an effort.

Lanise Howard: The point we have got at playing this is... Yeah, yeah. Or sometimes be friends like they go to clubs with you but not to the book reading.

Rob Lee: It's based on how much side-eye they get from me. That's what it's based on. I give out a lot of side-eye, but you can't see because my eyes are so small. But ultimately I try to make it a point to show up to the friend's birthday.

I make it a point and it almost has a rule that if someone sends me a personal invite or if I'm in personal contact, I don't give my number out to everyone, but if there's personal contact and there's a familiarity, there's at least an opportunity to build. And those are the things that I look for and I think those are the things touching on this sort of rebirth idea that you've talked about in your work. I think that's a piece of it. How do we get back to the real stuff? Like online is not real.

It's a pipeline. So if I know someone and I'm good enough to connect with them and they're good enough to reciprocate, then there's an opportunity offline to build and be supportive of one another. And having things that feel reciprocal. Reciprocity is so important and I think it's a thing that's lost because, again, people are really ambitious and there's an inconsideration that comes there. There's a misaligned expectation that comes there. And those are the things that frankly they hurt and they feel weird. So I try to flush those things out really early before it leads to something where it's like, oh, so we're using each other. Yeah.

Lanise Howard: Yeah, but they bug in here.

Rob Lee: No, because you're sweet as pie. I don't know what kind of bug that is, but okay, okay. But yeah, like rebranding and in this case, serious. I was always serious, but I never wanted it to, you know, I wanted to have, I didn't want to feel like people couldn't get in contact with me.

I wanted to feel like, because, you know, I still have a lot of kids that in child to me, like, because I taught at Harvard West like schools, I have some kids that from there or just teenagers or, you know, young adults that go to Otis that reach out to me and ask me for advice and things like that. But I never wanted to feel like I was not in the breach. But I have to just, it got to a point where I was like, I have to, you know, from my whole point of fantasy, I have to kind of cut off that, you know, form of communication. And I'm like, if someone wants to reach out to me, they either reach out to me already and they can, you know, we can see that conversation or they can email me or whatever.

And, you know, or talk on threads or something, one together, one split on my Instagram, I have to be a bit more straight than, you know, right now. It's such a weird place in the art world, weird time in the art world, especially being like a black artist. I think, you know, we're not in trends right now.

We're not in best. I mean, there's still a black artist that is doing well. But I think overall that that big, you know, fixation on like black artists that was going on like two years ago is not the same now. Right. And the way it's a good and a bad thing, I think it's a good thing where it's narrowing down to the artists that are great.

Different with a lot of clubs. But I think that it's bad in a way where it's like some galleries, opportunistic galleries. They just like I have some galleries that used to reach out to me like, oh, but not that they didn't need to be in shows with them. What are we going to be back? And I was trying to find time here and there and then as soon as some, you know, some articles came out about how black art is not in trends.

It's like they're not even reaching out to you. Right. And yeah, and then there was one gallery that I was working with and I worked with them a couple times, sold out to shows. We had a show. We had a show planned. And they just did every font.

And I even messaged them about some legal stuff that I was having in Europe and no the font. It's just like opportunistic. Like there's so many curators and galleries that are opportunistic and all they care about is money.

All they care about is what they can get from you. And just seeing that, it builds character with you. It builds like you grow up.

You have to grow up because you realize that the pro-sury nature of this business and it makes you become a big girl. Like, okay, this is how people are. And you know, me, because when I was, I was young when I first graduated from school and I was like, I thought everyone was like, you know, a mom or a father, like one kind of figure, you know, like, oh, they love me and they love my art and they got my best interest. And you know, we're a family. Like I have that mentality.

But now I just, you know, luckily I do still have one gallery that I feel really close with. But even in that situation, I understand what it is. Like I understand that it's a business relationship. You know, we may have, we have great respect or even love for each other, but it's business. And ultimately she has to keep her business or they have to keep their business alive.

And you know, business is a personal. And but at least I do expect respect, you know, like if I can't do a show for someone, I'm going to tell them I can't do the show. I'm not going to like not respond to their email or leave them on red or whatever.

That's just rude. But, um, but yeah, you grow up and you realize just how, you know, and not to make it a race thing, but, you know, being a black woman and you're, you know, worried you lie on the totem pole. So you always have to, you have to fight for your convenience and you have to demand respect. And you shouldn't put up with bullshits. Should it be sent anything? And yeah.

Rob Lee: And to make it about race, because I'll do that. Um, no, it's, it's super true. And in doing this, like, you know, we were talking about expertise a little bit earlier and, you know, I've been doing this nearly 20 years and I feel like I'm constantly auditioning. Yeah.

Lanise Howard: And I do this thing where it's just like, I know what I do is good because I enjoy it, right? And then the people who come on, they seem to have a good time, whether it be for someone is asking them about their work for the first time or someone is giving them time and space in an unfiltered way to talk about their work or their story.

So the people who are involved in the making of this are happy and at least filling some degree of contentment. Then when, when other folks kind of chime in as to how they're going to discern it or whether I'm the person to do it, because I see a lot of people being very influenced by what I do. In fact, stealing full segments, whether it be radio shows or whether it be people with budgets, I'm just doing it as an independent.

And I see it. And every now and again, when I talk to people, I get some opportunities to speak as an independent creator or a journalist and all that stuff at universities, which is really cool. And other instances, I'm just seeing as, so why don't you do a sports podcast, you're a big black guy.

And it's like, that's wild. And it's some of the things that I that I hear or I'm not, I'm kind, I'm considerate. I'm nice to the people, but it's also a certain degree of, I don't know about you until you've passed sort of that thing, because I'm prone to have a certain degree of disappointment to people.

But once there is sort of, oh, we rock, we can have a long conversation and you have substance. You know, I don't care about, oh, that looks really pretty. That's really technically sound. That's amazing. What is the story behind it? That's the thing that I care about.

Where's that depth there? Technical stuff? Great. You know, in this realm of overly manicured and overly perfect paintings, music, whatever, you know, overly clean podcast. I don't care about those. I care about the people who are making it and what the flaws are in it and what's the story behind it. That's actually where the real stuff is at.

And that's what I care about most. But as we get more to this sort of prepackage pipeline artificial thing, we want perfection. And I don't do something that's perfect. I try to have perfect conversations. There's sometimes a listen back for them like, damn, that was not good or okay, that could have been a little bit better. But it was real and that's sort of the barometer, if you will. And so what's that?

Lanise Howard: Are you your type of critic?

Rob Lee: Oh, for sure. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Every now and again, it's about to do a video podcast. Sometimes I'm like, oh, I should have shaved my head before that when the stubble is looking crazy.

Lanise Howard: I'm always like, when I, I guess when for some reason I usually have some kind of fly away and I'm just like, cool, what's your hair? I do brush my hair, but I'll be walking somewhere in the wind or something.

Rob Lee: The wind will get you every time.

Lanise Howard: So, you know, when you have like, this what happens when you got, you know, you don't have a lead, you're so, you won't have to fly away.

Rob Lee: I see the next stage, once I actually blow up, right, I'm not going to have like real guests on anymore. I'm going to get a unit. I'm going to go to Turkey. I'm going to get a unit. So I'm going to have like a wild,

Lanise Howard: like, because you know, I got to have the, I'm going to get the unit and the veneers. So I'm going to look wild.

Lanise Howard: No, not at all. I think they use the pieces from the back and they put it in the top.

Rob Lee: Well, we're going to do that then.

Lanise Howard: Now with my exes, it's like he is, but I'm like, I used to make me last site, no. He's like, maybe look, look, look, look, look, look. Look, at the place I'm going to, I'm getting it. And I'll be like, oh, great, you want to do that, great. And then he will be like, so hyped up about it. And then, you know, three, four, five years passed, and I'm like, okay, that's not going to happen. He's got some money, but he didn't get the money.

He didn't want to do it. So, you know, I was like, I think you should do anything that makes him feel better. You know, to me I got my hair, like, oh, it's kind of red. I dyed it black and then I had to try to dye it back to the brown, light brown, but it didn't get there because it went back. So anyway, turn out red.

So next time, just from me later. But yeah, I changed my hair. You know how I cut it. I had extensions. I do all kinds of things. And I think you should do whatever makes you happy.

Rob Lee: See, the only reason I would do that is literally a hire a publicist. They're like, Rob, we need a rebrand. So this is what you're going to look like now. I'm like, yeah, let's do it.

Lanise Howard: Let's do it. Your best you.

Rob Lee: I will start wearing leather pants and middress. Don't get me started.

Lanise Howard: OK, like a print style.

Rob Lee: Look, I'm out here. I'm out here. But let me close this out. Let me close this out. So there's two things I want to do as we wrap up here. One, I want to thank you for coming back onto the pod. I think we had a deeper, more insightful and a great addition to our first conversation. So thank you. And I'm willing to learn.

Yes. And secondly, I would like to invite and encourage you to share with the listeners where they can follow you, check out your work and, you know, all of that good stuff. Share the fensda in the best places to go frolic.

Lanise Howard: So I'm going to share my fensda thing that people just have to sign them at. Yeah. So my Instagram is Bladmy's and I am at the underscore, howard, underscore studio.

And you can follow me on Twitter. It's the same thing. I'm talking on purpose. I'm always talking about city planning for some reason. My mind was an architecture and I love to be planning. So I have a lot of city planning friends. We're always talking about the future of LA, what we want, all that kind of stuff.

And what I'm also talking about. Sometimes art on the air, but before I get people upset, because my seniors are a little and then you can also go on that website. It's kind of like up, but I need to update it. So it's my new power art.com.

Rob Lee: And they have it, folks. I want to again, thank Lonnie Howard for coming back onto the truth in this art and catching up with me and for Lonnie's. I am Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture and community. In an aroud your neck of the woods, we just have to look for it.