Britney Symone
Artist & Designer
Going Within
My work blossoms when I blossom.
What I hold dear to my heart as truth is the fact that I have everything I need within me.
I have all the intention, all the validation, all the joy, all the passion, and all the love I need right here within.
I am grateful to share the depth of myself with you and to create things that reflect who I am, what I believe in, and the direction I’m going. My work is tender, so please handle with care.
Going Within, 2024
Palestinian Liberation is Your Liberation, 2024
Polaris, 2024
The Blog
Child of the Dream
In fall 2018, I had the extreme honor and pleasure of creating an illustration to be used on the cover of Sharon Robinson’s coming-of-age memoir chronicling the events of 1963 — the year she turned 13 and a critical year for the Civil Rights movement.
As the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, Sharon has opportunities that most people would never dream of experiencing. But things don't always feel easy for Sharon. She is one of the only Black children in her wealthy Connecticut neighborhood. Her older brother, Jackie Robinson Jr., is having a hard time trying to live up to his father's famous name, causing some rifts in the family. And Sharon feels isolated-struggling to find her role in the civil rights movement that is taking place across the country.
This is the story of how one girl finds her voice in the fight for justice and equality.
The Only Direction is Forward, 2018
This original artwork was painted in July 2018 before being discovered by Elizabeth Parisi, a creative director at Scholastic Inc., who contacted me about an opportunity to rework the piece as a design for the cover of Sharon Robinson’s upcoming book.
I painted this piece as a homage to those before us, who paved the long, brutal road for Black civil rights in America. It functions as a reminder that the Movement is not over. A history forgotten is one repeated, and it is our responsibility remember how far we’ve come so we can continue to push further.
It was incredibly fitting to rework this piece and share it in the context of a woman who grew up during, and was shaped by the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. I am so grateful to be able to share my work in connection to such an important story.
The Charcoal Collection
A collection of digital artwork created to mimic the raw texture of charcoal, inspired by the tenuous, impermanent nature of life.
This body of work continues to challenge the idea that Black women cannot be soft and ethereal in presentation. The brushes used lended themselves to a style that evolved into something more loose and candid than previous work.
Egypt, 2020
Soleil, 2020
Sterling, 2020
The Original Collection
A collection of digital artwork created with the underlying narrative that demands we let Black women be soft, on both micro and macro levels.
My work evolved into its current narrative with the piece Let Black Women Be Soft, 2018. It comments on the stereotypes that women of color are faced with, challenging the idea that they cannot be emotional and delicate while simultaneously standing strong in those traits. The signature tears were born of this stream of thought.
Let Black Women Be Soft, 2018
Let Black Women Be Warm, 2018
Dark Skin Holds History, 2018
Let Black Women Be Whimsical, 2018
Let Black Women Be Unique, 2018