Hello
My name is Rheyna Antoine. Through my artwork, I am called RheyMonet. I was born in Texas with creole roots from Louisiana. As a child I was very adventurous and believed it followed me into adulthood. My desire for new and exciting things drove me to become an artist, but it was not always this way.
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At the age of 5, my mother passed from Lupus. At such a young age, I never understood what any of this meant or why it happened. So I chose to express myself through artwork. I often drew pictures surrounding that subject matter to cope. As an artist, your mind views everything in the world differently than “normal”. Which often leads you to feeling alone or by yourself. No one else feels like you or thinks like you, resulting in natural isolation.
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My Story
I did not always want to be an artist. My first career of choice, at the age of 7, was to be a marine biologist followed by a vet. When I hit age 12 I began to create again. This age was one of my artistic peaks. I was given a Spin Art Machine, it ignited a flame inside of me. I utilizd all of the supplies that came with the machine within 3 days.Later at this age, I also began to design and draw clothing. My Grandmother gave me a small sewing kit. I then taught myself how to sew and brought my designs to life on my barbie dolls. From that point, I wanted to be a fashion designer. That was my career of choice for quite some time.
As most teenagers do, I began to get bored again. I wanted something new and different. For a while I stepped away from art to get experience in “more professional” career fields. This became a continuous pattern. I would step away from creating artwork then I would come right back.Although I took breaks from creating, when I did return, I was better. My ideas, drawings, designs, thinking, and methods were all better than before.
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“You can take a break from your art, but your art can’t take a break from you. “
Moving towards adulthood, those breaks went from months to years because of personal battles. I was struggling trying to understand my purpose with this talent I possessed. I wanted my art to help others the way it helped me. I wanted the chance to save others through my openness and vulnerability. I wanted the opportunity to convey emotions and feelings in a manner that could mutually benefit myself and others.
At the age of 28, I could firmly that I was going to be an art therapist. Art is descriptive, based on an individual's personal experience. One individual sees beauty where there is pain and vice versa.The truth is, they are synonymous. And, I am not as alone as I thought. As of right now, I spend most of my time exploring different mediums. I have created a variety of installations as well as pieces involving methods of alternative drawing. My goal is to utilize my knowledge of artistic expression to ease the symptoms of mental illness. As well as educate those about Emotional Coping Mechanisms with Positive Psychology.
