Mixed in America
I am the product of two worlds.
A blend of colors and cultures.
My skin, a mixture of black and white
A mixture of both, a beautiful sight.
But in America, its not always right.
Judgements cast without a care.
But I refuse to let their words define the beauty of my mixed bloodline.
I am a child of two worlds you see
In my veins, cultures meet.
I am a fusion of cultures, old and new.
But in this country, I am both and neither.
I am not white enough, nor black enough.
In a society that likes to label and divide
Not black or Hispanic but something in-between.
As if my identity is a matter of math.
But I am more than a sum of my parts.
I am a being with a voice that speaks from the heart.
Navigating a world that is often unwelcoming.
But I am a bridge between two different worlds
So I stand tall alongside my identity.
A mixture of two worlds, is where I belong.
A mixture of colors like paint on a canvas.
I am living proof that diversity can thrive.
In a country that often tries to divide. – Isabella Bullen
The art above is created by the artist, Isabella Bullen. She has been a passionate artist since a young age where he artist journey began at Salem High Schools Visual Art Academy, in Virginia Beach, VA. After graduating in June 2023, she moved onto study architecture at HBCU’s Hampton University in Hampton VA. We are proud to promote and share her voice with these featured pieces and poem that visualize and describe her struggle living as a biracial woman.
“What exactly is it like to grow up as a bi-racial woman/kid?
That’s essentially the question I am trying to answer. Living in America as a biracial kid is a lonely experience. You may feel split in the way where you feel like you need to “pick a side” or even push away another half of you because you never got “introduced” to that side, or you might feel completely comfortable in your identity. Everyone is different, but I want to tell my story.
My work explores the effects of being biracial and how it has been a journey to find myself and understand how the challenges that come with an ambiguous appearance affect ones identity. For me, being raised by a non-black mother made it difficult due to having to teach myself what it means to “be black” and ultimately navigating the complexities of race and racism. I had to learn that it is possible to connect with and celebrate my culture even though I was not always surrounded by it. Often, these expectations can be conflicting, and it can be difficult to reconcile them in a way that feels authentic and true to who you are.
A lot of the time when I was younger I was told I had a certain privilege because of my skin color compared to my darker-skinned friends. And hearing this I used to always feel guilty about how I was able to navigate life in a more easy and forgiving way, and that made me feel like I would never be accepted by that side of me. At the end of the day being Black is a part of me and I could never hide that. I still stand with my culture and embrace it any chance I get, and as a result, I have gotten a lot of animosity from the white and black communities because of my lighter skin. However, I’ve learned that my race does not make me who I am, my appearance is a perspective of others. Being biracial in America is conflicting because I feel that no matter where I go someone is against me, and it feels like it is a constant fight to find my place. Having to navigate that as a kid puts a lot of pressure on a young soul. These art pieces are simply meant to share my voice and feelings and to give myself a sense of belonging in my own world.” ~Isabella
Digital Drawing
Isa’s digital drawing communicates the struggle to piece yourself together. Being mixed with multiple races, and cultures, it is hard to understand or even connect with who you are. Isa explains that “this piece depicts a self portrait of my face fractured into pieces to express the idea of multiple parts of my identity broken up into sections and unsure of where to settle. The buildings attached to the fractures are significant structures that have played a part in shaping who I am today“. This piece illustrates that disconnection with her inner self and the effort it takes to reconnect which is depicted by the lines connecting the parts of her identity, and upbringing. This strung together fractured sum of all her parts illustrates that desire to feel connected not only with her own identity, but to also feel whole in how the world sees her. Isa explains that this piece “communicates the idea of feeling split… and how being multi-racial has affected how I see myself.”
Three Piece Charcoal Sketch
Isa’s three charcoal drawings illustrate her experience feeling torn between two different cultures and identities that she embodies. The left most drawing represents her Mexican heritage, as she incorporates the Dahlia, the national flower of Mexico. While the right most drawing portrays the Victoria Regia Water Lily, the national flower of Guyana. Both of these flowers and identities are incorporated into the middle drawing, a self portrait of Isa herself taking on the particular pose of being curled up clasping her arms around her knees. This posture represents her burden, vulnerability and also the feeling of withdrawn and isolation that comes with a lack of self-acceptance and the confliction between two parts of your identity.
Isa’s use of charcoal in this piece also adds to her meaning. She explains that “charcoal is a messy medium that is ‘spontaneous in its application’. It gave me the leeway to express myself and really give into the medium and insert my emotions into this piece…’tapping into very raw, true and eternal questions and struggles’ which is exactly what this piece is about. Bringing awareness to a struggle that is not often shown and trying to give the people experiencing these feelings an outlet and a voice.”
CLICK BELOW TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ISABELLA BULLEN!
THE HONEY WHINES 