Explore creativity, identity and intersectionality with our newest speaker, Shantell Martin!
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Collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Puma, and The North Face; an installation with Tiffany & Co.; choreography for the Boston Ballet and backdrops for works at the New York City Ballet. Shantell Martin is an artist who has seemingly done a whole lot of everything, but one key factor strings through every work of art: intersectionality.
Growing up in Southeast London, Shantell was raised by a single mother and stepdad, living in a low-income housing project with her half-siblings, who unlike her, were all white. Her identity as a mixed-race child would shape her perspective as an artist in the years to come, eventually making her an internationally known speaker, performer, and designer.
In a recent article with Forbes, Shantell said: “I experienced racism every time I left my house,” However, because she was, in her own words, “A weirdo kid,” and because of that, “I didn’t have the pressure to fit in like everyone else…And that gave me a little bit of freedom.”
It’s that freedom that led to Shantell’s work that spans many mediums and industries, including fine art, fashion, and music. She’s spoken to audiences on some of the largest stages including the Main Stage at Adobe Max and a TED Talk to performing with Kendrick Lamar at Art Basel, Miami. In her talks, Shantell inspires others to discover their own unique path. She shares stories of her intersectional identity and how to tap into one’s own confidence, noting the undeniable connections between creativity and mental health.
Shantell even developed her own font. She explained to Fast Company that, because she has dyslexia, she writes in all caps. And her own signature felt-tip drawings and handwriting is what inspired the new comic-sans-like-font called "Shantell Sans",” which was designed together with Stephen Nixon of Arrow Type and Anya Danilova,
Shantell previously taught a course titled, “Drawing for Everything”. In an interview with Metropolis, she explained, “It was about drawing metaphorically and physically: Drawing from your own abilities, drawing from your own identity, drawing from your own signature, your internal core. And the final goal of this 12-week semester was that we would do a performance piece hosted by the Museum of Moving Image.”
Performing her distinct black-and-white images allows audiences to see the spontaneous creative process that makes her work one-of-a-kind. It is the reflection back on this process that Shantell says can be a source of self-discovery and personal growth.
Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.