#DrawingWhileBlack is Your New Favorite Hashtag and Here’s Why

Imagine a place where every modern day Black artistic genius — from cartoonists to jewelry makers to painters and more — could gather from across the diaspora simultaneously and share their Black AF artwork. Thanks to #DrawingWhileBlack founder and artist Annabelle “Abelle”” Hayford that place is real and now just a tap or click away. Believe me, as a reviewer who has scoured the internet with special search terms, pursued the trail of favorite artists’ favorite artists, and dug through list after list after list, #DrawingWhileBlack feels like a veritable Wakanda of visual Vibranium. It also turns out the thoughts behind this great new digital gallery space are just as good. This past weekend while attending Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland I was fortunate enough to sit down with Annabelle to talk about the inspiration behind your new favorite hashtag (and source of your new lit avatar).

Black Nerd Problems: First tell us a little bit about yourself.Annabelle “Abelle” Hayford: I’m 19 and a first generation Ghanaian studying art at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). I’ve wanted to be an artist since I was little; I’m hard headed about being an artist to the point where my parents gave up dissuading me. BNP: What inspired the hashtag? Why this weekend in particular?A: There’s a lot of things. One of the big inspirations was how #VisibleWomen and Black Out* highlight people who are often invisible in the art community where a cis white male is assumed to be succe…