Value Art: And Its Many Forms with Linda Simien Kelly

Deneen L. Garrett: 00:02 01:31 Welcome to another episode of an intimate conversation with women of color. I am your host, Deneen L. Garrett. Today's guest is someone who is, she, we met last year. I was in Houston. I was at the breakfast club having breakfast, saw this beautiful artwork on the wall, asked the owner, you know, who was the artist. He connected me with Linda. And the rest is history. I bought my very first piece the next day. So thanks to Linda Simien Kelly, I became an art collector. And since then, I have actually purchased four other pieces. Two of them were commissions. So behind me, you see some of her art. To this side is a commission. And this piece over here, I had to have because my focus, or part of my focus for this year is on love. And so this one definitely represents love. So Linda Simeon Kelly, my beautiful sister friend, she is a Louisiana native, a proud graduate of Southern University A&M in Baton Rouge, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She is also a primarily self-taught abstract expressionist artist who has been pursuing her craft on a full-time basis for over a decade. Linda lives in Houston with her husband and is the mother of three sons. Linda, tell us more about you.
Linda Simien Kelly: 01:31 06:04 Okay. Well, you said a lot, but I am a lover of life. I am a lover of people. I love people. I love to connect with people. I love being around people. I don't care who they are. I enjoy living. And being an artist, to me, that is one of the major components an artist should possess. They should love life. They should love to express. They should love to share their inner thoughts, their mind, their soul, and their heart. So they can connect with people out there where you can support people out there through what you have gone through. So they, too, know that they are not alone in this world. And our artist is a communicator. We sort of bridge people together. We sort of are the shoulder for people to lean on. So I am, Dina said, I am a mother of three sons. Thank goodness. I came from a family of 10. Well, it was 10 of us, you know, from Louisiana, from the swamps of Louisiana. So everything was shared. And so I just prayed to God that I would have sons. And that way, I didn't have to share like I had to share with my youngest siblings, my youngest sisters, as well as share with my older sisters. So basically, I'm a trade, I am an accountant. And my doctor say, oh, you use both sides of your brain. And I'm like, oh, that's the way I was born. I was born a special person. But I've been in Houston pretty much for all my adulthood. And I graduated from Southern, and I came here and met my husband. He was waiting on me. Yes, I love that, waiting. But basically, I am an artist. I've always been an artist. So after I raised my sons, and well, maybe before the last one, left, I started messing with painting. You know, I always could draw, but I always wanted to paint. And so when I started, I just was on vacation one time and I started messing around. And I started with acrylics. But I just couldn't get with that. So I said, I want to do all. And I just fell in love with all because it was so challenging. Because once you start, it's really hard to redo. So to me, it built a skill in me. It made me say, hey, be prepared for whatever you do. Have some kind of strategy. Know what you want to do in life. So the same thing applies to painting. You have an inspiration. You follow through with that inspiration. You don't just think about it, dream about it. You have to be successful. move forward on it and don't be afraid because you are your own driver right you know you get in that car that you start that car you put gas in the car you turn it on and turn it off that car does not drive by itself so that's the way you are in control of your life you're like the car you are in control of that car you're in control of your life so being an artist you know, my artists, my self-taught artists, I'm in control. So no one has lived my life or experienced my experiences. I have met other people and that's how I connect, have experienced what I have experienced. So I just, and that's what I'm seeking. I'm seeking those people out that I know are my soul sisters or my soul brothers. They understand me. they know what I'm about. They don't condemn me or criticize me. They give me good criticism. So art is a communication and it's also a way to sort of smooth the soul, smooth the mind and smooth the heart and bring them together.

Deneen L. Garrett: 06:04 08:10 I love all of that. And that's really what has happened between you and I, because again, I met you, you know, and we sat down to have a conversation. So we talked for a while before any transaction took place. We were in another venue where you had some other art around asking questions about that. We were connecting through your art, connecting with one another. And like I said, today, we call each other dear friends, sisters. You share with me when you're doing something new and different, and I support that. And even with the podcast, because you were we met before I even launched the podcast. And so, you know, you were pretty much along for my journey. And so now is the time for us to talk and have that conversation. And so for our audience, an intimate conversation with women of color is available on your favorite podcast platform, as well as YouTube. So for those that are watching, you see what I'm referencing when I'm pointing at the art behind me, right? So part of it, let me give you a little bit more of a visual. So there's the couple, the love. And then this is a piece that I commissioned. And so this piece was, I commissioned it specifically for Intimate Conversation. And we had it set to where I have these little cards and I share those with my guests. So they get a print of this piece of art after, you know, we have a conversation. I send it out to them and here's the artist. So for my previous guest, And those to come, here's the artist. She created this for you. So this piece of art, you have a representation of art that was created from the heart. You know, we had a conversation about what I wanted, my vision for the podcast. It was just a podcast at the time. Linda asked questions and what you see as a result of that conversation. And it's a mixed what do you call it, mixed media, mixed art?

Linda Simien Kelly: 08:10 08:15 Yeah, it's mixed media and what you have with awesomeness, yes.

Deneen L. Garrett: 08:15 09:09 Yes, yes, so the flowers that you see, those are added, that was added, so that's part of the mixed media. So Linda, like when I'm, you know, looking at your art, again, I love it, I have five pieces and I had to stop myself from like, you know, getting more and I'm getting you right now. Don't stop yourself! I'm getting you now, I'm looking at the You know, like, uh-oh, uh-oh, probably going to be time for, you know, a couple more pieces soon. But it's obvious in your art, you know, Black identity, cultural solidarity, and ethnic perception are important themes in your work, right? And again, women. So women is very strong, as I mentioned, most of the pieces that I've seen are of women. So other than the Black identity and the cultural solidarity and ethnic perception, Why else is it important for Black women to have a platform to use our voices?

Linda Simien Kelly: 09:09 11:19 Well, as you know, they'll say that we have to work 10 times harder. OK. So it's so important to have a platform to have confidence in yourself to promote who you represent, who you are, your qualities, your skills, your contributions, your achievements in order for you to be successful for whatever career contention you have in mind. So you have to have a platform, especially black women. We don't get, in my lifetime, the opportunities, the platforms come to us. So we have to work a little harder. And once we get those opportunities, we need to be prepared. We need to be ready because we know that we are qualified. intelligent, we are organized, we're supportive, we're reliable, but we have to, when we get that platform, we don't have to magnify that. We're going to have to amplify that so we can be heard. Okay. We have to be ready to shout it out. Hey, we've been doing the job. We're here. And we're going to continue to be here. And we are the one that qualify. And so if you want to accomplish success, either in your personal life or your professional life, you need a platform. We as black women also need a platform because, you know, again, like I stated, they don't always come our way. So when they do, We better make it extraordinary. We better let them, our audience, know that we are the one. We are the best qualified.

Deneen L. Garrett: 11:19 12:16 I love that. I love that. And so, you know, art is how you use your voice for women of color, right? For Black women. Through your art, you're speaking for us and you're speaking to us. The piece behind you, You know, I asked you, I'm like, hey, have I seen that on social media before? And your response was like, oh, no, I just started working on this Monday. Tell us about that piece. Tell us about the inspiration, because everything you do is an inspiration. So let me share that as well. So for those who are listening or watching, every piece, there is an inspiration behind it, right? And it's not just, oh, I just, you know, started painting, which is fine if you did. but there's an actual true inspiration. And so Linda actually, she writes it up. It might be a few sentences. It could be one sentence, whatever, but it's definitely something behind the art. So what's behind the piece behind you?

Linda Simien Kelly: 12:16 12:54 The piece behind me was, it was like Labor Day night. I started on this and I was sort of feeling like, you know, I am worth a million. You know, I am beautiful and I am worth a million. You know, I, and I use my bright colors to make that statement. Okay. And I'm sexy. And I don't know if you noticed in the painting, but you notice the, um, the slip, the broad strip. Okay. I see the strip.

Deneen L. Garrett: 12:54 12:55 A few weeks ago.

Linda Simien Kelly: 12:58 14:42 And I'm like, girl, I'm OK. Exactly. I am sexy. I am beautiful. And I feel like a million dollars. I love that. And so see me, OK? So basically, I was just thinking about, you know, I remember, you know, and I never thought of this. But it was a guy who was admiring me. And I used to ride the bus to work. It was a parking lot because we lived way in the spring. And I worked downtown. So we used a parking lot, so transit. And so I got off the bus. And then when I got back later on, the bus driver said, you're so sexy. And I'm like, whoa. And he said, well, I saw your bra strap. I'm like, oh my gosh. You know, and I never thought, you know, as you say, like someone, normally someone tells me, oh, your bra is showing, you know, a strap or your slippers showing. But, you know, guys see that as being sexy yeah you know seeing and so i guess i guess when i was thinking um you know um that night is you know i'm beautiful i'm sexy and i am a million yeah i'm worth a million not you know dollar wise yeah but I felt about myself that moment, that I am sort of indispensable, you know, and I'm so loved. I'm like, go. I'm like a million dollars to my husband and my son.

Deneen L. Garrett: 14:42 15:30 That's so nice. No, that is absolutely nice. And so, I mean, I, you know, like I said, I fell in love with your art. I have five pieces and had to like say, girl, okay, pause, right, before you buy any more. And so my dining room, which is where I am right now, is my art gallery, which you know, right? You know that, and again, those who have listened from the beginning and or watch, I've talked about this before, and I so love this. I love the space. It's a beautiful space for me. Here's the, let's see, mother and son, and being a single mom with a 19-year-old son, of course I had to have that. And yes, I probably am going to be like, OK, Linda, let me see what else you got going on. But there is something behind you, kind of on the floor.

Linda Simien Kelly: 15:30 15:50 What's that? Oh, yeah. That painting is Don't Judge Me. Let me see if I can show it to you. I don't know if you can see it. I was told that you could see it.

Deneen L. Garrett: 15:50 15:51 Oh, my God.

Linda Simien Kelly: 15:52 17:56 okay it's huge i don't know you can see it but um it was uh considered to be my edit i had a little art exhibit here um about a month and a half uh currently i'm at a at max wine dive restaurant okay i have like um i think eight or nine pieces there, and so I sort of had an art exhibit in my place here, and the owner of the restaurant wanted to come and see a lot of my paintings, so I set it up in my home little area, which is this part, some more parts, and I had that particular painting to showcase. I just haven't returned it to my storage, but that one is, don't judge me, I'm just a little impaired. And so at that time, you know, I felt like I wanted to express myself, my whole self. And sometimes you want to get in a space where, you know, you know, I want to be me sometimes. And I just want to be, as you could see, and I'm going through some things. So sometimes you feel like you have to throw everything out in order to, have a sort of a restart or refresh or start again. And you have to just be like almost you born again. Okay, so pretty much, I was in this space and I've done this a while back, but I was in that space where I was soul searching, you know, and had some challenging things going on. And I felt like you know, all the world, I was up against all the world, including, you know, family members, the job. And I was trying to go through which road should I turn, you know, which way should I go? Where's the right way I should go with my life? What should I do with my life?

Deneen L. Garrett: 17:56 18:04 Yeah, like a fork in the road. So you were kind of at a fork in the road and you were able to express yourself artistically.

Linda Simien Kelly: 18:04 18:57 Yes. And that's the thing I do as an artist. I mean, most artists do, you know, as your painting, Oxygenousness. I saw myself, and when you requested it, and I listened to your podcast, and I saw myself as a beautiful flower. So all my paintings are sort of like expressing the moment, the space I'm in, and what happens when you have a collector like yourself you know, you guys sort of understand where I'm at, you know, and I, because I think we are spiritually connecting because you've been there before or you knew someone that's been there before.

Deneen L. Garrett: 18:57 20:13 Yeah. And, you know, so I'm looking at the art, I'm thinking, and I'm thinking about how, you know, for me, when I talk about the power or you're using your voice, is not just speaking, it's also artistically, like with you, you know, drawing and painting, it could be writing, it could be acting. And I so love that you are an example right in front of us of someone who's using their voice through art, right? You just shared with us that, you know, it's a reflection of how you're feeling, what you're going through, what your family may be going through. Somebody that you may even see, right? You may see a person out and something about them strikes you, And then you may go and paint that or it inspires a painting. And that's exactly what I mean when I say, you know, using your voice. And so, you know, some women don't recognize the power of their voices. They don't recognize that they can't speak, that they can go ahead and, you know, and speak and share and say what's on their mind, that they can write about it, that they could blog about it, that they can draw about it or, you know, however they want to express themselves. What do you say to women who have an, quite recognize the power of their voice. What do you tell them?

Linda Simien Kelly: 20:13 23:01 Don't be afraid. There's someone in that world that's in your same space. Believe in yourself. Don't be afraid to fall. As long as you can look up, see the sky, and have the support, you'll be okay. You're gonna survive. If you have the qualifications and you know you do, don't be afraid of what others may see. Just be comfortable with what you see in yourself and knowing what the qualification you possess and go with it. You know, I can relate to myself when I began artist, how I didn't know what direction to go, but I wasn't, I wasn't afraid, but I went out there anyway, and I got knocked down many a times. But what I did was, I pulled myself up and I thought about the positive things of people that were in my, my world. And I leaned on them and believed in them what they said about me. And then I just, you know, say, hey, okay, I can do this because this is something I want. But what I say to them, you have to want it. Yeah. You have to want it. You have to want it bad. Okay. All the greats wanted it. And I'm pretty sure all the greats encountered so many obstacles. And what they did is they stuck with it. They pulled themselves up, and they probably failed many times like I have. But the thing that kept me going are people like you, people who believed in me. So I just focused towards those people, and that's where I got my strength from. And that's why I am where I'm at now. I have had many young women artists and male artists come to me and say, how did you do it? Because they knew I didn't go the routine route. That's because I was unknown. I just started this on my own. But what I did was I came up with a strategy, how I can accomplish what I wanted to be, where I wanted to be, how much money I wanted to make, how famous I wanted to be, but most of all, how satisfied and completed I wanted to be. So my advice to anyone, young woman, is to

Deneen L. Garrett: 23:02 23:58 have self-confidence and if you don't reach out to someone that loves you and believe me once you know that someone loves you it could be just one person right you are going to survive you're going to accomplish your dreams absolutely absolutely and so you were there um you know virtually if you will um in spirit um when i lost my sister yes um and so uh my sister saw a true artist poet. Yeah, she wrote the book Dreams Deferred. And when I was reflecting on that, I was thinking about if there were any dreams that I deferred. And I wanted to encourage other women to think the same, think about dreams they may have deferred and then to take action. So with you, you know, has there been a dream that you deferred, delayed? And what have you done about it?

Linda Simien Kelly: 23:58 26:02 Okay. I had a dream that I deferred, and that is to become an artist, okay? So, and the reason why I deferred that is because I decided to be a full-time mom and a professional career woman, okay? So, as soon as I, but I had that plan. I knew I was gonna become an artist, but I had to defer for it. But you should never, ever, indefinitely defer your dream. Okay, you know, you may have, you know, you just have to have that strategy, that plan, but you should never, ever defer to your dream because you know what? In order for you to be a completed whole person, you have to be happy and you have to be happy in this world for what contributions you make to this world, what love you give to others, when you're supported or you support others. So you have to be happy too in order for you to be anyone's supporter or shoulder to lean on. You have to pursue what makes you happy, but you have to be committed. And, you know, I have a time frame. It doesn't have to be, you know, a short term or intermediate term or long term. You will know when it's best, but just make sure that you're prepared. You know that you're qualified to do this and do some research. Use resources as much as possible. I did that a lot, you know, reaching out to artists that I knew that were professional artists. I just made myself available. I asked questions. So you have to do your part, but a dream, accomplishments, success, it's just not one person. It's like a team. Yes. And you have to make your contributions.

Deneen L. Garrett: 26:02 28:41 Yeah, and you know what? And that's something that I'm focused on now. I'm bringing on the team, right? So doing what I'm doing, you know, it's something that you can do solo, but in order to go further, you do need other people, right? Or just take longer, right? You could still just kind of do solo. It's just going to take longer and, or you're going to spend your wills in some areas where it's not necessary that you need to do that. So that's where a team comes in, right? You know, they can like, you know, and I'll even just maybe even flip it around what I'm thinking about, even for you. You're an artist. Your thing is on creating. Right? So you're not really necessarily wanting to spend the time also on the business side of it. Right? Like you can. I do both business. Yeah. Right. And you do, but you don't have, you know, with a team, if you had a team, somebody can take care of that and allow you or free you up to do the art piece. And like thinking about myself for me, I look at myself as a creator in the sense of the content, like coming up with people to talk to and have those conversations and and where I want to take it. So those are the things that I want to focus on as opposed to some of the other stuff, let's say editing, you know? And so that means get somebody for the editing piece. And that's what you have to do sometimes. You may need a team. You may need to bring in people to pick up the areas that you don't do as well or you don't want to do. But who says that we necessarily want to? You know, like for me, I really want to devote more time over here. And so in order to do that and really to grow, I do need to have a team. So a team is very important. Of course, we can't get it done on our own, but we can definitely go further with other people. Yeah. And so, um, I read, um, an article about a woman and I can't, her name is Frida. I can't think of her last name, but she started an organization. I think it's like PISA. K-I-S-S-A or something like that around art and it's about collecting art, right? And I did reach out to her and I'm like, hey, you know, this intrigues me. You know, I bought my first piece of art, you know, mentioned you, of course, told her how, you know, I started as a collector and I'm really looking to, you know, to as an investment. And that's kind of like what her organization, they're focused around that. So around wealth, let's kind of talk about that. How do you define wealth? what is the relevance of wealth building or generational wealth, and then how do we invest in art to make money, if you will?

Linda Simien Kelly: 28:41 33:52 Well, I'm going to start with the last statement, invest in art, okay? It is a major investment when you invest in art because you know what you are investing in is something that is really you can't really put a price on it because this can be so unique so so that's the pricing of it and if the artist is consistently you know creating and if the artist is out there in the mainstream and if the artist has many collectors, then the art community is really looking at that artist. And you may not know it, but you're investing in something that is going to value as much as long as that artist is continuing and is in the mainstream and is consistent. And you are investing in something that may you work much more, three or four times, much more in years to come. But you have to, you know, do your resource on the artist. It could be a newcomer, and you sort of want to monitor that newcomer, or it could be someone that's already established in the mainstream. But a piece of art is so valuable because, like I said, that that it will reach its peak in maybe, you know, years to come. And you may have a piece that you may have paid $200 for. And maybe if that artist goes into a museum, you know, a gallery, especially a museum, then that art is going to really escalate. Because like, and when I have been in galleries, You know, the paintings are so, so much, and they have collectors. And as soon as those collectors have started showing an interest in that artist, then whoever has on a piece of that artist's artwork has a major investment. It's just like putting money in the bank and earning interest. And over time, that interest is going to increase, and then you're going to have your returns. that's the same way with a piece of art, because it's unique. And it's some art, you can't find a duplicate of it. Right, right. So it's important to me, you know, winning my strategy, I do have a goal on how much I want to make from my art. You know, I am accountant, so I know, I sort of like monitor my expenses, and I sort of like have a goal of how much I want to make per year, and I have my strategy of how I'm going to make it. So in terms of wealth, you have to determine if, you know, art is going to be your livelihood. And so if it is, then as you mentioned, you need a team. You know, I need, like I have someone, I have someone that have represented me and got me into galleries, got me into exhibits. And that's my platform. And that's my financial. That's how I know I want to meet my financial goal is getting in certain galleries or certain restaurants where I know that the turnaround, there's a lot of traffic, that what area of town it is. And if I put price in there, what I'm going to get for it. And then when you price your art, for me, you price it on what is worth to you. I mean, I always look at it as my heart and my soul and my mind is worth a whole lot and my experience. So it's like writing a book, except for I actually create it on a canvas. So it's like selling a book where you are selling that canvas. versus a book. So that canvas, you have to price and what is worth you? What are you willing to let go? What part are you willing? So, and in terms of that, the collector also is buying a part of you. That's very valuable. I value my life. I value my experience. And I, some of my experiences are very high price. And I think every artist should do the same thing. They should not just say, oh, you know, I let it go for this. They should step back and think about what are the work of yourself that you put into this piece.

Deneen L. Garrett: 33:52 35:27 Absolutely. Thank you so much. And, you know, a word that you've used a lot, and so that's key for us to pick up on, is strategy, strategizing. And, you know, I would have really never thought of an artist talking about strategy, right? I'm just thinking, oh, you're create, let me get out there and let me paint, let me draw, et cetera. But again, you're an accountant. So you have both sides and it is important to strategize about anything that you want in life. And that's what I say to people, whatever your goals are, first of all, what do you want to do? I think you even said that, what do you want to do? You have to know what that is and then you have to work into it. So you need to know like, where do you want to end up? Okay, I want to end up on this particular street or I want to end up here. at this address, okay, well, how do you get there? And so that's the part to work on, but you at least need to know where you're going in order to get there. And so that's where that strategy comes in that you've mentioned a lot. And then even in the very beginning, the whole, the planning, right? Cause you even talked about the planning. You even talked about how, when you're going to create something that you kind of plan and like, I'm looking at those floors and they're beautiful and they're shiny and I'm like, oh yeah. So she's real, real serious about her work because look at those floors. And her painting is right there, so she is really about her business. But that's key, strategizing, knowing where it is you want to go, and then putting in the work to get there, knowing what it takes to get there, and going on that journey. And again, it's best when we bring other people along. So Linda, Simi, and Kelly, before we say goodbye, what would you like to leave our audience with?

Linda Simien Kelly: 35:30 35:43 I would like to leave that I'm here. I'm an artist. If you ever want to just reach out, not just about my art, but just to talk, okay?

Deneen L. Garrett: 35:43 35:58 I, you know, I've done. Cause like I said, she's a friend, you know, she mentioned she has three adult sons. I was talking to her, you know, about some things with my son, you know, she's a confident. So I definitely appreciate that. Thank you.

Linda Simien Kelly: 36:01 39:02 What I want to leave my audience just to remember, when you have the opportunity to have a platform, and you can either seek your own platform or wait on a platform, but you need probably more than one. You need to be prepared. You need to know what you want, what are your skills, where you want to go, how you're going to get there, as you mentioned. You want to use as many resources. You want to get out there, do some research before you start, you know, figure out if this really is what you want. And then once you do that, utilize anything that's available, you know, grants, financial, people that have the wisdom, people that have the wisdom, the resources that you can utilize. That way, you'll make that path, that travel a little easier and you get there a little quicker versus trying to spill the well and trying to figure this out. Because in today's time, you have all this social media, all this platform that's out there can help you get there. But be careful, okay? learn a lot, you know, again, you know, I have the business accounting background. I had a lot of account, I mean, artists come to me and say, how did you do it? You know, you promoted yourself, you did the art, you know, I did the show, you know, I didn't talk about that. I created this production because one reason, main reason, there's two main reason why I did that is because when I went out there, You know, I was not welcome. I was not embraced because, you know, I do believe because I did not, you know, I'm self-taught. And which is understandable. You know, you're taking a risk on someone. I can understand that. But that didn't stop me. So what you need to do is find a way, find a platform. So I came up with the strategy. I always loved to write. I love poetry. I want to always be a producer. for my dreams when I was a teenager. And of course I had a best friend that died of sickle cell. So what I did is one day after I got turned down, I said, I'm going to create something for myself. I'm going to make myself known. I'm going to put myself out there in the mainstream. And I'm going to utilize. So I came up with a production. So I did scouting. I went to all these productions, all these plays, all these dances. And I just came up with a plan. And I took my own resources, my own funding initially to start. But I wanted to accomplish my dream. So what I'm going to leave with the audience Don't never give up on your dream. Don't let one roadblock stop you. There's always other roads that you can take.

Deneen L. Garrett: 39:02 39:08 Right, that's beautiful. And so you mentioned your art right now is, where did you say it is?

Linda Simien Kelly: 39:08 40:46 It's right now at Max Wine Dive, restaurant on Washington Avenue. And again, that's in Houston. Yes, Houston, Texas. I have, I think, eight large pieces, very large. She selected large paintings. And so I think I sent you a flyer, the one, the heart we shared. So it's, you know, I am so blessed. I have been given, you know, this talent that my parents instill. passed on to me. I don't know which one it came from, but I thank God, I thank them. I honor them for giving me, passing this talent to me. And one thing I'll leave with everyone is that I was always taught a talent is a gift. And a talent is not just artistic. Now people think you're a painter, you have talent. But no, If you're there for someone and you can support and hear somebody, you got a talent. You got a talent that you can help someone feel good about themselves. If you can make someone smile, you got a talent. So whatever talent you have, search inside and utilize that talent because it is a gift. And somebody out there is waiting on that gift.

Deneen L. Garrett: 40:46 44:17 And you know what, that there is what I went ahead and launched a podcast. I was hesitant, but my coach was like, hey, somebody wants to hear what you have to say. And that just helped me get over. It's interesting that you mentioned your parents and getting this talent from them because this morning on my daily walk, I was, you know, praying to my dad and I was saying, dad, you know, I have a lot of you in me, you know, like this entrepreneurial spirit, the grind and et cetera, I get that from you. You know, I don't fully have it yet, you know, the way that he had it. But I was just praying, you know, to be able to have more of that, right, to really tap into more of what he put in me so that I can accomplish more of what it is that I want. And so I, you know, of course, you know, like you said, spiritual connections, that's why we're talking today to say that. And so what I want to say to those who are, watching or listening, as it comes to that, think about those talents that you've got, like from your family members, like pieces, the good pieces of family members that you have and tap into those pieces, you know, draw on them for strength and go ahead and make those things happen that you want. I love that, wait on it or create it yourself, because that is it. Either you're gonna wait for somebody you're going to not do it or you're going to make it happen. And so I'm good with making it happen. And sometimes it's exactly what have to do often. That is what we have to do. And we are seeing it so much recently and lately. So Linda Simien Kelly, I thank you so much. More ways to connect with Linda will be available when the episode publishes. If you're in the Houston area, Max Wine Dive, make sure you go and check out her art. Like I said, that's how I was introduced to her. I went to the breakfast club to eat and saw this beautiful, colorful, I love colors, all around. I'm like, who is this artist, right? And again, that kicked off me as a collector because I had not purchased art before and definitely not You know, art, right? Of course, you go to different stores and you pick that thing up. But everybody, you know, multiple people have that thing. But like you said, unique. This was my first time actually purchasing art from an artist. And it's not going to be my last time. I appreciate that. And learning more about your process and learning more that I have pieces of you, you know, in my home. And that's an honor to have that. So again, Linda Simien Kelly, I thank you so much for your time, for lending your voice, again, for being that example of using your voice through arts, and enjoy the rest of your day. You too. Thank you. Thank you, my beautiful sisters. Bye. And again, for our audience, you can find an intimate conversation with women of color on your favorite podcast platform on YouTube. Make sure you check out YouTube because you get to see us. You get to see Linda's art and just connect that way. And I want to hear from you. So make sure you go to deneenlgarrett.com. You're able to access everything there. Leave voice messages. Leave other messages and connect. So again, thank you all and enjoy the rest of your week. Thank you for coming back and being loyal. Bye, everybody.