A story by Ryan Adams from 2020
Ryan Adams
We Gonna Be Alright and Say It Loud are two digital pieces created during the COVID-19 quarantine. Both pieces are in my 'gem' style of work, which is a geometric breakdown of letterforms that uses shadows and highlights embedded to create depth and movement throughout the pieces.
We Gonna Be Alright was created during the first two weeks of quarantine, when every day was clouded with an uncertainty that permeated throughout every facet of life. Inspired by a Kendrick Lamar song, the mantra of 'We Gonna Be Alright' was repeated in my head in order to remain calm and focused throughout those initial days.
Say It Loud was created as a response to the protests that arose throughout the country as a response to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, unearthing the deep systemic racism within our structure. As a Black man and father to two young Black women, I was inspired by the events, but also very concerned for the safety of my family. I had to remember the conversations that I had with my grandparents, as they lived through the 1960s in Mississippi, the countless racist encounters my mother endured during her upbringing, and even my own experiences with racism growing up in a majority White state as a minority. My gut reaction was one of pride and hope that we, as we have throughout history, will get through this. Say It Loud was my way to say 'keep fighting' through this sometimes scary period of social and cultural awakening.
We Gonna Be Alright by Ryan Adams
Say It Loud by Ryan Adams
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