Goddess Art: Love Thineself

Love Thineself by Yemonja Smalls

We've probably all heard the saying, "you can't love someone else until you love yourself." But I hope all of us know this saying to be completely true. Yemonja's painting reflects this truth.

I met Yemonja while I was living in Chicago, and I fell in love with her work which uses human forms and bold colors to depict themes of family, love and strength.

The woman in Goddess Zuri's logo is actually a version of one of Yemonja's painting (which we negotiated the rights to :-).

What I love most about Yemonja is that she is a self-taught artist. (She is actually a clinical psychologist by day). She simply recognized her talents as an artist and started creating. Very inspiring.

I think, many times, we get dissuaded from pursuing our passions and dreams because we don't feel like we have enough training, resources or education. But it's amazing what you can accomplish when you've got a positive attitude and a burning desire...a winning combination for self-discovery. Goddess Zuri happens to be a product of that combination.