Why Music Inspires My Art

Growing up in Detroit, music wasn’t just background noise — it was the heartbeat of my entire world. Before I ever picked up a pencil, before I tried to paint a scene or build a story, music was already shaping the way I saw life. Certain artists and musicians became more than just performers to me. They were guides, teachers, and in many ways, heroes I needed at the right time.

Music was hope.

Music was family.

Music was survival.

And even now, it fuels everything I create.

A Detroit Childhood Powered by Sound

When you grow up in Motown, music is more than entertainment — it’s a culture. A spirit. A language that everybody speaks, even without words.

My earliest memories are tied to songs playing in the house, in the car, in the background of everyday life. Those records connected me to my mother and father in ways that went deeper than conversation. My brothers and I didn’t always get along, but music could pull us together when nothing else could. It was our middle ground — the one thing we all respected.

And there was something sacred about cruising through Detroit with the windows down, the city passing by, and a song that made everything feel possible.

Why I Illustrate Musicians

I create art of certain musicians because they gave me something real.

They made me feel alive when life didn’t always make sense.

Some artists made me want to sing.

Some helped me escape.

Some taught me who I was becoming.

Some showed me who I wanted to be.

They were voices that lifted me in the dark.

They were rhythm when I felt out of step.

They were vision when I was still trying to find mine.

When I draw them, I’m not just making a picture.

I’m honoring the people who gave me inspiration, strength, and imagination long before I had any of my own.

Music + Art = My Language

Music has always been my companion — through relationships, through struggles, through marriage, through growth. It gave me a space to think, to dream, to understand the world. To understand myself.

Over the years, the combination of music and art is what finally made everything click.

Art gave me a voice.

Music gave me meaning.

Together, they shaped my philosophy, my creativity, and even the way I tell stories. When I illustrate a musician, I’m expressing gratitude. I’m saying:

“You mattered. You inspired something in me that still lives today.”

The Bond That Still Lives

When I create today — whether it’s books, posters, paintings, or biblical illustrations — that musical influence is still in every stroke.

I can feel Detroit in it.

I can feel my parents.

I can feel every drive down 8 Mile, Woodward, and Telegraph with the music loud and the world wide open.

My art is rooted in sound — in the artists who helped me dream when dreaming was hard.

And as long as I’m creating, I’ll always honor the musicians who carried me this far.

Be inspired… share your comments and thoughts.

If music inspires you the way it inspires me, share your journey in the comments or reach out. I’d love to hear how sound and art collide in your life. And if you’ve never tried creating with programs like Rebelle 8, I encourage you to dive in — you might unlock something powerful inside yourself.

Keep creating.

Keep exploring.

And let the music or whatever inspires you guide your art.