"I'm not one to wait for others to give me permission."
This week we're joined by Latasha Dunston, AKA Jitterbug Art. Latasha speaks about negotiating with brands as an artist, how she broke into the outdoor industry, and how her hard work has allowed her to become a full-time artist. We hope this episode serves to brighten your week as it did ours.
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Episode Transcript
Iris: Hi, everyone. Welcome to Outside by Design. This is Iris coming at you from WHEELIE. Lisa is tied up in a bunch of meetings and prepping for a big shoot at the end of this week. So I am going to be introducing our guest by myself this week. And today we have a wonderful conversation with Latasha Dunston, AKA Jitterbug Art on Instagram. You've probably seen her work, especially her most recent piece that she shared, the In Solidarity piece that she created in tandem with Teresa Baker and Kula Cloth.
And for her and for everyone, this is a really strange time, a difficult time. An emotional time. This interview was recorded a few weeks ago, so we do not get into the current events, but Latasha in an email this week said that even though this is such a strange time for her, that this podcast being released is going to be a bright spot in her week. And I hope that it will serve as a bright spot in your week as well because Latasha has so much important information to share in this episode.
So Latasha gets into how she got started as a creative and how she broke into the outdoor industry. And she also is unafraid to talk about money and getting paid for what you're worth, which is a really important topic that's happening right now is - allies, you can listen up on that - pay for the information that you're getting from Black voices and paying for content that you're getting from Black people. Using your dollars to support Black voices and Black creatives.
So I hope you enjoy getting to know Latasha if you don't know her already. This is such a wonderful episode. Here we go.
Lisa: Thank you so much for being here today, and I'm so stoked to have you on the podcast.
Latasha: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Lisa: And so the first question we ask everyone is to describe where you are and what you're looking at.
Latasha: So I am sitting in my bedroom in Denver, Colorado, close to downtown, and I am looking at all my plants, always surrounded by plants.
Lisa: I really like that about you. I was watching one of your vlogs where you traveled to, I think, San Francisco and you went to a plant store right away.
Latasha: [laughs] Yeah, I'm always trying to sniff out - as if I can take it on the plane - but I'm always trying to sniff out a plant shop. I'm just curious to see, like, what other cities carry. And I specifically love walking around neighborhoods and kind of seeing what plants grow outside. Living here in Colorado, we have like a lot of cacti and things like that. And when I always go over to California, if I go down South, I'm looking at like huge palms and monsteras and I'm just like, Oh my gosh, like this stuff is growing on the sidewalk and we pay so much money to get them at the store in Colorado.
Lisa: That's true. [laughs] Man, that's awesome. So I'm curious, what's your story and how did you end up in Denver as a freelance illustrator and muralist, like how... yeah. Tell me about you.
Latasha: So it's, it's kind of long, but not that long. But I'm originally from Baltimore, Maryland, born and raised. And then I graduated high school, moved away to Richmond, Virginia right away to go to art school there. And it was quite the journey. Richmond is a really fun city. I love it. I miss it a lot. And college was super difficult, to be honest. I had a degree- I earned my degree in scientific and preparatory medical illustration. So I had a double major in the art school and also the biology department, like the science school and it was a lot to balance. Especially because I was putting myself through school, with some help from my grandma, but I was working like four part time jobs at a time or something like that doing like 19 credits. It was a lot. But five years later I graduated - super excited about it, but I was extremely burnt out. Like had absolutely no creative drive, no will to be an artist at the time. I was just like, I just need to like, relax for a second, because that was a lot. College was so much. So I took like a year, I would say, to just work like, as a bartender, I'd always worked at restaurants, that was always a consistent thing.
And I was just working and saving money and just... living my life, having fun with friends. And my partner at the time was going through flight school. So I was kind of supporting us in that. And then we were choosing between some cities to move to because we decided that Richmond wasn't really a place where we were growing and we wanted to move on. As much as we loved it, and it was super fun. So we had some cities in mind and we chose Denver and that's because even from Richmond, Virginia, when I was online searching for different art opportunities or mural festivals, or just any type of creative opportunities, I was seeing so much stuff in Colorado. Like, so much stuff.
And I thought that was so odd. Like it would be like New York, LA, like, very little stuff going on in Virginia. And it was so much art stuff happening in Colorado. So that was a very... that was like a red flag for me. And it was always on my radar because of that. So that in combination with the airline industry having multiple airlines hubbed here in Denver, we decided to move here. So that's kind of the decision making process.
And at the time I had never been this far West. And that was really exciting for me. I was super excited to see a different type of landscape. I was very used to playing in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the time, along the Shenandoah Valley and… that is a lot more like big ills compared to the Rocky Mountains. [laughs] When I first saw the Rocky Mountains, my jaw hit the ground. I was like, Holy moly. But, yeah, it was a big boost of inspiration for me. And I came to Denver with a goal in mind to be a freelance artist and to do art full time and to be outside. And somehow I pulled it off and I'm still like, like my partner and I… we like still are super shocked by that today. Like, we're just like, wow, this is really crazy. ‘Cause in reality, next month will make my one year full time artist anniversary. At the beginning of June.
So when I moved here, I got two restaurant jobs. ‘Cause the cost of living here in Denver is more expensive than Richmond. So I got two restaurant jobs and I was rocking that out for the first like six months. And then that's when I kind of got my, my business plan together, my head right. And I was like, alright, this is kind of the... there's like a... there's a method to the madness, right? Like, being an artist is not really about... at least being an artist that works in a commercial space, ‘cause I do do a lot of commercial type art, like editorial illustration and brand work and stuff like that. Like, that takes strategy. Like there's not really a way to like, flaunt any type of art degree and just nail stuff. You know what I mean? Like you have to have a portfolio, you have to make the work that you want to be hired for. And you have to know people. Like networking obviously in any industry is extremely important.
So I took that first six months to like work two jobs and save up money and get a game plan going like, alright, what industry do I want to be in? What type of art am I going to be focused on? What type of demographic is here? Like how, like, where am I going? Who am I doing this for? And, you know, so.
Lisa: Yeah.
Latasha: I know that with my niche of like doing scientific art and like natural science-type art that I wanted to stick to things dealing with nature and plants. So I was kind of doing some research and I stumbled across the Outdoor Retailer convention. And this was January 2018 when I'm sitting on my computer doing this. And at that point I'd been in Denver for six months. And I'm looking on a computer and I see Outdoor Retailer is coming to Denver and I'm like, what is this? I had never heard of it before. Didn't know an outdoor industry was a thing and I clicked on it and I'm looking around, poking around. And then I somehow ended up on Something Independent’s website, which is a organization, I believe based in Golden.
Lisa: Yeah, that's Chuck, right?
Latasha: Yeah. With Chuck. Yeah. And so I stumbled across that. And Chuck had... he was hosting some talks in the gallery across the train tracks from the convention center. And there were like lots of industry people on these panels. And I was just like, dope. This is my way in. Because I realized that - I didn't know that you needed like a pass to get into OR.
So I had ridden my bike down there and I had - I worked downtown at the time. Like, I worked at this restaurant right on 16th street mall. So it was a day when I had work that evening. And there were talks like, all morning at that gallery with Something Independent. So I got up early, packed up my stuff for work, hopped on my bike, went down there, and I sat in that gallery all day until I had to go to work. And I went back the next day and the next day and sat in there all four days in between my shifts. And I just took notes, listened, learned a lot about the outdoor industry, gave my card to people, took numbers. I believe I met the owner of Icelantic skis there. I met Jen Gurecki from Coalition Snow. I met Andrea Slusarski, hopefully I’m saying her name right.
Lisa: Love her.
Latasha: Of @drawingfromnature, yep, but I met her. I met Gale from She Explores, I met Amanda Goad from Bold Brew, who does Project 16x. I literally met so many people that to this day are like great friends of mine and have given me so much guidance and so many, like, helpful tips and jobs. And I'm just like so grateful to... it's almost like my starting five is what it feels like. [laughs] Like the people that I met first, who kind of like gave me that access and that insight to the outdoor industry. Especially Andrea, like she's my girl.
Lisa: Yeah.
Latasha: After that, I ended up... and this is like, seriously, such a hilarious story. So after that, this was January OR, 2018. I want to say like two weeks later, I'm laying in bed and Andrea shoots me this screenshot of a tweet from this, this girl who's looking for a woman of color creative to submit to this scholarship to go to this like, outdoor creative retreat. And it's called Lodged Out. And I don't know if you've ever heard of that. It's like an outdoor retreat for creative people and- really all people - hosted by this woman named Bobbilee. She's dope. Lodged out is dope. Definitely should look that up. And so, I was just like, Hmm. I’m not doing anything. Laying here at 10 o'clock. I’ll write a passage really quick and send it to this thing and see what happens. And I sent it in like right then and there. And I would say two days later, the woman from the tweet messaged me on Instagram telling me that I had won.
Lisa: Woo!
Latasha: And that I would be going to Washington at the end of February to attend Lodged Out for a weekend. It's like this unplugged - like no technology - like, creative retreat, where they have talks, like people come in and give talks. And we do... like, you just hang out, you do whatever you want. They provided the cross country skis and sleds. ‘Cause we were up in Leavenworth, Washington, and it was like 14 feet of snow on the ground. I had never been to the West coast before. I've never seen that much snow in my life. I had never like, done anything like that before, it was insane. I was just like, I cannot believe I'm doing this. Like, when I was getting on the plane, like “I do not even know what's happening to me right now, but let's just see what happens.”
And when I went there, I met Katie Boué who is a very close friend of mine. I love her. And that was her very first time teaching her outdoor advocacy workshop to anybody. So that was a really interesting experience for me because it opened up this whole world that I was unaware of when it comes to public lands, when it comes to outdoor advocacy. And like, she seriously like lit a fire in me to be like, damn, I want to like do this. Like, I want to join this industry. I want to work with these people. I want to like, make a difference and like change some shit, you know? And so I sat through Katie's workshop and got super inspired and had a really amazing time. I met so many inspiring people who like had their own businesses or they were writers or they were engineers or… you know, they were just everyday people and it was just so cool to be in that type of environment. Like I said, I had literally never done anything like that before, and it was super scary for me. But that year, like 2018, is what kind of started this like year of yes type of situation, which is this kind of like Shonda Rhimes thing. And I just started saying yes to stuff, because there's so many opportunities that I feel like we block our own blessings from receiving, if that makes sense, because of imposter syndrome or fear or what have you. And it's just... I truly believe, like, the universe brings things your way for a reason. Like, let it be you're going to succeed or you're going to fail and learn something, but you shouldn't not give yourself that chance. So I just started saying yes to everything and literally by summer, I had been invited into OR with a badge to work for a brand, thanks to Katie who was hired by said brand, and then hired me as the artist to make four large chalk murals for the nonprofit booths that they had during summer OR.
And that was like, kind of like the spark that kind of got me going. And I was just like, alright, this is awesome. I want to keep doing this. And it's been uphill and super awesome ever since, hopefully I don't jinx myself, but yeah.
Lisa: Wow. You have so much fire. Like, I love it. I love, I love that you're just like, yep. I'm going to go to these talks. I'm going to just go do this. I'm going to jump in. I'm going to learn about this. Like. Wow.
Latasha: Like, I've always been very spunky and very like, you have to get shit done no matter what. And like, I'm... I'm not one to kind of like, wait for others to give me permission. That's never been the way I've been, like, I was not supposed to go to VCU. I could not afford that school at all. I had no type of college savings. I had nothing. But I got accepted. I applied and I got accepted. It was the number one public art school in the nation. And I wanted to go to it and I was like, I'm going to work my ass off and I'm going to go to this school. And yeah, it took me an extra year and a whole lot of tears and a whole lot of stress, but I did it.
Lisa: Hell yeah.
Latasha: And that type of, like, fight mentality is like, what I try and continue to like carry throughout my entire life. ‘Cause I've always had it since a kid.
Lisa: Oh man. That's awesome. I started WHEELIE, I put myself through college as well and worked three jobs. I was cake decorating at 4:00 AM, I’d go open a bike shop, go to class, and then I'd go be on the cleaning crew in the Noodles and Company in Fort Collins. [laughs]
Latasha: Nice. I love a good, like, crack of dawn start. For me, it was, I was a bus driver for a high school.
Lisa: Oh, what!
Latasha: And I would get up - Yeah girl! I drove that bus and I would be, I would go pick up my girls to drop them off at school, but I also coached volleyball at the same school. So that's kinda how I got that gig. Yeah. Would go, literally drop the bus back off at the school by 7:30 and have to be at my lab, like my science lab at like 8:15 or something. So I would hop on my bike and like book it. [laughs] People ask why I'm so thin, like, I didn't have a car until I moved here, like, last year. I would book it on my bicycle from all these jobs and that's just kind of how I kept... kept myself together.
Lisa: Oh man. So you were a bus driver.
Latasha: Mhmm. Kept my scarf on and everything. No, it was so boring. It was so boring. I would just literally roll out of bed at like 4:30 in the morning. I would roll out of bed. ‘Cause the school was luckily on my street, but just like one or two blocks down. So I would roll out of bed, hop on my long board, roll down there, get in the bus, all sleepy eyed. Just like, so zombie, it was like, not... and the, and the girls were like in their own world. And it was only like maybe five or six of them. It wasn't like a whole bus full of... cause this was a private Catholic school. So they were very quiet, very... reading a book, sleeping. Like, it was super boring.
Lisa: Wow. That…
Latasha: But one time I did run out of gas and that was interesting.
Lisa: Sure. I can't even imagine. [laughs] Oh, wow. I like that. And I'm actually really shocked to hear you, uh, are so new to... January, 2018 was your big breakout year. Because to me, you just seem like a fixture in the outdoor industry.
Latasha: It really does feel that way. And it's been such an open armed experience. And I know it's not like that for a lot of people of color in the outdoor industry. So I feel very lucky to have been so well received and just, like... and I don't know if it's the artists’ community, because in my opinion, like the outdoor artist community is legit. Like, we look out for each other. There's no competition. There's no bad blood. Like, everybody, like roots each other on, everybody shares opportunities. Like, it's really a welcoming, everyone-rises-together type of environment in my experience.
Lisa: Big time. Big time. And you're everywhere. You're drawing on snowboards at Coalition, like, I have seen your work everywhere.
Latasha: [laughs] It's been a busy couple of years. When I first started in 2018 in January, I think I had maybe 700 something followers on Instagram. And today I'm all... I'm so close to 10k.
Lisa: Wow.
Latasha: So close to 10k. Like, that's insane. Like, to me as a regular person who like, I'm literally the most like weird, regular, like dirt bag type of person. [laughs] So it's like, so like, interesting to see this community come together around, like, my artwork and my messages. And especially here in Denver, like, I'll be at Whole Foods and have like a random person come say hi to me at the climbing gym, like it's super fun.
Lisa: Yeah. So I'm, I'm really curious because as an artist, like the stereotype of artists is like being more introverted and awkward at negotiating and selling your work and selling your worth. So how has that journey gone for you as an artist, as a woman, as a person of color? How... how's the negotiating in the outdoor industry been?
Latasha: So that also has been A) a learning experience and B) pretty positive. I would say. I have been able to negotiate multiple contracts that I feel like, you know, like I want to make this amount of money - and I feel like, I feel like I can say this now ‘cause it’s already passed, but I'll give an example.
So I did the Merrill Trail by Design competition last summer, which was very pivotal for me. My design was this like solidarity fist that had four different colors and four different landscapes, and really spoke to a lot of people. And it was doing really well for the first month. And then all of a sudden there was another design that kind of shot up out of nowhere and started like demolishing me. And then for the rest of the summer, we were going back and forth and back and forth, and it was this whole thing. And it was so exhausting to be honest, but, um, at the end, the girl ended up winning first place by about a thousand... Well, honestly, I don't even remember. I just remember it being like, lots of votes. And I was so devastated.
But Merril ended up printing my shirt anyway, because they saw the real life visible community that was rallying behind this shirt. Like, I was getting hundreds of like, reshares a day and like, big brands really pushing for this t-shirt to support me like OtterBox and things like that.
And so they decided to go ahead and make the shirt. Now, what they tried to offer me at first was… I want to say the grand prize was $1500 and then they got $7,500 donated to a charity of your choice. They offered me less than 1500, I don't remember the number exactly right now. And then also more than half less of the charity money, it was like, it ended up being like $2000 or something like $2,500 to my charity or something like, like not even half.
And so I negotiated back with them. I was like, “Oh, I super appreciate you guys still wanting to print my t-shirt and seeing the like community that's come around it. But I believe that if you're going to print my t-shirt next to this other person, I deserve $1,500 as well. Because my art is not worth less.
Lisa: Yes!
Latasha: Do you get what I'm saying?
Lisa: Yes!
Latasha: Like, you're not going to print my shirt, which has clearly - and DID clearly sell more. Mmkay? I sold out of multiple sizes and this is... and I know I sound shady and I'm sorry, I'm childish, but the numbers don't lie. Okay. And so I asked for that $1500 and they said yes.
Lisa: Of course they did.
Latasha: And that was one of my proudest moments last year, because I was so nervous to do that. ‘Cause I'm like, who am I to take second place and ask for first place prize, but shit, you know, like it's worth the same, if not more.
Lisa: Yes. That story makes me so happy. How, like, how did you do it? Where you just like, Oh hell no. And then, and then just like practiced what you were going to say, or like took a day to respond to an email or like…
Latasha: So I talked to my partner... I talked to my partner about it first. ‘Cause I was just like... ‘cause it instantly, that's what I thought in my head when I saw that I was like, well, shit. Like, you're essentially... what they're doing is licensing the design for a certain amount of time.
So if you're... you're saying like you're going to license this girl’s designed for $1,500 for a certain amount of time and you're also taking my tee shirt for that same amount of time. Why would I not get paid the same amount of money if my t-shirt is going to make y'all the money, if not more, than the other girl’s?‘Cause I knew for a fact that my design was better, like, sorry about it. But I knew it was. Like, everybody made awesome stuff, but I knew that my design had the message, it had the community behind it. So I felt strong about that.
And like maybe my confidence comes from the fact that I'm a Leo. That could totally be a thing, but I've always been a very confident person. I'm not afraid to stand up for myself because the least they could have said was no. And okay, I'm gonna take my little thousand dollars or whatever it was, 750, and put my tail between my legs and walk away. Okay. But like, it never hurts to try.
And there was another time when I was working on a mural project and I had seen the site months prior, and then I get to the site and it was not what I remembered it being. Like, the wall was way more textured. So I ended up spending like multiple more days on this project than I expected in my head and what I quoted them originally. So mid-project - and this, I was so nervous about this one too - but I sent an email mid-project and I was like, look. This is my situation. I'm noticing that like the wall is way more textured. It's taking way more paint. I've had to go buy more materials. I've had to extend my stay by multiple days to finish this. I need 3000 more dollars - or whatever - like, to finish this project efficiently. And they were willing to give it to me. And I was like, well, damn! [laughs] Like, it's just always shocks me. ‘Cause I'm like, well, shit, I didn't know, like, you can really do this. But like, if you, if you are professional, if you're good at your job, if you know your worth people will pay for... like, you get what you pay for.
Lisa: Absolutely.
Latasha: So, yeah, it's been... it's been a learning process and I am not... I feel like I did not know. I had that type of like, business spunk in me, but to be honest, like it's a... it's a white man's world, okay? And if movies have taught me anything, you walk in a room and you say what you want. And so I just try to channel that inner confidence, that inner boss man, and ask for what I want.
Lisa: Absolutely. I love negotiating. I do, like, I think at first... because they don't teach you that in art school.
Latasha: No, they don't. And I took a business class for my art school and they did not teach me that. [laughs]
Lisa: Right. And so, yeah. So, I mean, I think, I think it's actually kind of fun to explain what goes into the work, like the pre-production, you know, the vision. Even if something takes you, you know, an hour to do, it still took you 10 years to learn how to do it.
Latasha: Exactly.
Lisa: And so, you know, I don't... I can't stand as an artist, working time for money. Like, “this will take me four hours so it is X amount.” Because like, if I'm more efficient, I make less.
Latasha: Yeah, no. Yeah, I switched out of that mindset after like my first year, I would say. Not 2018, but even before that, because 2018 is really when I started my like for real career, like I'm going to try and do this full time, but I had been, you know, working as an artist part time, like all throughout college. Even before that, technically, like I tell people that I've been an artist for like 26 years as a joke, because like, I've literally been an artist since kindergarten. My grandma has all of my artwork. Like she has a museum of artwork and it's all... it's all I've ever wanted to do. Like since I was a wee, wee baby. So it's pretty sweet to like, be able to live my literal dream right now.
Lisa: Oh, I am just so happy for you.
Latasha: Thank you. I mean, it's a lot of fricking hard work. Like it's definitely not like easy breezy lemon squeezy, everybody's giving me all the things. Like, no, it's lots of... lots of corresponding, lots of getting out of your own way. Cause I find that I talk to so many people who are scared of networking. And if you're scared of networking and talking to people, you're not going anywhere. Sorry to say it. But like I saw a stat online the other day that says something like 60-something percent or 70-something percent of positions are filled, like, word of mouth. Like not even on that stack of resumes and stuff like that. So it's like, you have to... like what I try and tell my friends is like, you have to attend those events in your industry. Like. you have to leave your studio, you have to leave your office. You have to get from outside of your computer and actually talk to people.
Lisa: Mhmm. And it's so obvious you're not scared of hard work.
Latasha: No, I am not. I will take the extra way around. You should have seen me peeling baby potatoes the other night. [laughs] My boyfriend was looking at me, he's like, “that seems like a lot of work.” I'm like, this food about to be delicious and I'm gonna peal these potatoes ‘cause they're gonna be delicious. And I don't want the skins. I'm gonna put in that extra work.
Lisa: Uh huh. I love that. So what's, like, what's next for you? Do you know?
Latasha: To be honest, no. I'm definitely... well, no, and yes. I kind of want to keep building on what I'm doing now. Like I said, I'm about to hit year one of doing freelance full time. And I just want to make this sustainable. I want to keep it going. I do have so many avenues already, and I want to expand on that by adding like books in the mix and... ‘cause you know, having that passive income is super important. So I do things like putting prints and local shops here in Denver. I have my online store. I have my retail collab, like merchandise collabs with other brands like Kula Cloth, for example. So like that stuff is like making money while I'm not there type of deal. So I would love to add books to that list. I would love to make a illustrated cookbook. It's been something I've been saying out loud for over three years, probably. And I feel like next year is the year that I'm going to try and make that happen.
Yeah, there's just so much to be done as an artist. I definitely want to get into more murals, which I started doing last year. And I had some set up for this year - I had a lot of stuff set up this year, but obviously as, you know, the world is changing and things are different. A lot of things were canceled. And I have not been one of those people to like, post on the day that I'm like missing out on something, because I was just like, what is the point in that?
I've moved on. And I've just tried to... I'm trying to find ways to maneuver through our new reality. And one of those is like, my workshops. Like, I was teaching workshops all over the country last year, had a bunch of them set up this year too. And now I'm kind of trying to figure out how I can offer this digitally. I mean, not digitally, virtually. In a way that is sustainable for me, it doesn't require me to like clock in, in a way. There's a lot of thought... I feel like I spend so much time thinking about things before I execute, but I just try not to waste my time because I'm only one person and I have so many avenues of my business and I... I don't have an assistant. I don't have an intern. I literally do all this stuff by myself. So it's just a lot and I just want to keep it and make it sustainable.
Lisa: Mhmm. Do you want to start hiring people?
Latasha: I do at some point, I'm thinking maybe by 2022, I could be in that position. ‘Cause right now I live in a 500 square foot apartment with my partner and my dog. And it is our everything space. Like it's our craft space, my workspace, our workout space, our, like, living and resting space right now. So it's, it's not really optimal for other people to be in the mix until I move into a bigger space. And this was our first time living this small, and I kind of love it to be honest. But yeah, when I have a bigger space or a separate studio space, I think I want to look into that.
Lisa: Cool, cool. Man. I... you've got a lot going on.
Latasha: So much going on and there's so much still to come. Like, most of the work, I would say 60% of the work I do on a regular basis is like preparing for some project happening in the future, or like making proposals to be... or like grant proposals, things like that to get projects and trips and things like that funded. So I always have so many cool ideas and I'm just so stoked to... for things to come to life.
Lisa: Yeah. I mean, your passion is so evident.
Latasha: Thanks.
Lisa: Yeah, it's cool. What... is there anything you want to tell our audience that I haven't asked you about?
Latasha: No, not really. I feel like, you know, this is, this is the information you've got in this time.
If you want to know more, you gotta dive into all of my other outlets. Like my Instagram and my YouTube or my website, my website has so many art portfolio's in it - like all of the projects that I do, commissions that I do are all documented on my website. It's really well organized and I'm proud of it. So you can always go browse that and learn more. And I love to talk, if y'all can't tell like, ‘cause I was a bartender for a very long time, so I'm not scared to talk to people. [laughs] And um, I talked to people in my DMs all the time. Like I have made dozens of random internet friends from all over the country. Like, I'm not scared to talk to people. So if you have a question or you just want to chat about art or getting outside or working for yourself, hit me up.
Lisa: Yeah. And so people can follow you... jitterbugart.com is your website.
Latasha: Yep. And on my website are like links to all of my social medias. And there's like an email submit form on there and all that stuff. So, yeah. But Jitterbug Art on all other platforms as well.
Lisa: And I really like your YouTube channel. I like spent quite a bit of time on there yesterday and today.
Latasha: And that actually makes me like my skin crawl, which is like, not... no offense to you, but like it's a neglected platform of mine that I want so badly to, to do better. So now that you've said that, I have like two vlogs that I've been just sitting on and I've been unmotivated to post to because of the pandemic hitting. So I really need to... my goal was to do one vlog a month, and I have the vlogs to make up for it. I just need to edit them and post them. So I'm gonna do it because Lisa is watching.
Lisa: I’m watching. And like, you're really funny. Like they're very entertaining.
Latasha: I think I'm funny. So thank you.
Lisa: Yeah, I thought you were funny.
Latasha: My friends don't like to laugh at me, but I think I'm funny. And again, that is the Leo in me. Just wanting to be a class clown and the center of attention because... issues. [laughs]
Lisa: [laughs] Well, I can't wait to collaborate with you at some point. And, I know that's, I know it's going to happen.
Latasha: Yeah, it's going to be awesome.
Lisa: It’s going to be awesome. And I'm just, I'm happy to be connected with you. Happy to know you.
Latasha: Awesome. Awesome. It’s great to hear that. And I'm happy to have talked to you too and get to know you a little bit, and I hope to see you in real life one day, maybe at OR or something like that, if that ever happens again.
Lisa: Yeah.
Latasha: Or maybe if I'm ever in your city playing around, if that ever happens again.
Lisa: Yeah.
Latasha: But we'll make it work.
Lisa: Yeah.
Iris: Thank you so much for joining us on the show, Latasha. Listeners can find her links in the show notes. And just a reminder to fund and support Black artists and Black voices, diversify your feed and take time to sit in some discomfort this week and take time to learn and grow both as people and as an industry, because we have so much work to do as an outdoor industry.
So with that, go follow Natasha and show her some support and let's keep making strides every single day towards equality and towards justice and educate yourself about Black Lives Matter. Make a donation if you can. And let's keep this movement rolling forward. Thanks for listening. Goodbye.
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