Friday, December 23rd. While some individuals were settling down for the night and others were busy wrapping presents purchased at the last minute, an eclectic few made their way down to Fayetteville, NC for an art show. The host? FrankHaveMercy, a local born and bred artist who’s work has been featured throughout Europe and the states. I first followed FrankHaveMercy on Instagram (IG: @Frankhavemercy) after hearing about him from a fellow creative, Brandon Nixon, and ever since then my viewpoints on where art can take you was forever changed (along with my IG feed). There’s something strange about knowing an artist based solely off of his creations, and then having the opportunity to meet them in person. As I stood in line on this chilly December evening, I wondered what kind of individual this artist was, and more importantly, what could I learn from someone like him.

Also, it’s an amazing feeling to walk into an art show and see familiar faces. Special shoutout to the homies for always making me feel welcome in the Ville: Official TV (IG:@official.tv), DMSLR (@dmslr), and Sha’Air (@birth0fthecool) .

The initial conversation between me and Frank Have Mercy was short-artists usually allow their work to speak for them-but in sparse moments such as these, the words they do decide to share are inspirational. We briefly talked of the power of nature (the sky, particularly), and about Paris, his  favorite place to capture images. His works, which were displayed around the venue, included his new photography book, Mercy, a short film that played during the reception, and his images printed on canvas (the lightning bolt was my favorite). A few other oddities popped up as well: the display of  roses and petals scattered across black cloth, regal mirrors placed around the exhibit, and also the natural decorations from the venue. All of these elements combined to create the scene for City of Mercy, a homecoming of sorts for the world-traveling artist and a burst of inspiration for aspiring ones such as myself. Meeting your favorite artists and hearing their stories (and their humility) generates a hope, that one day, you could blaze your own artistic trail and leave your signature upon the tapestries of tomorrow.