ISA🪶

I learned that sometimes people don’t see you, they see what they already decided you represent. Untitled, 2026. Acrylic on canvas 30 x 48 in. (76.2 × 122 cm.)

Most people don’t realize when they’ve already judged something. Some people don’t realize that they’ve already been judged. I know what it’s like to be assumed of. I know what it’s like to be labeled. People think they know you simply because of how you look, or what they choose to see. Around this time last year, I met someone who admitted that when they first met me they thought I was pretentious. I explored this perspective because I found it strange that anyone could think they have someone all figured out. simply by an initial interaction. In 2026, still judging by outward appearance is a disservice and in my opinion, dangerous. How quickly do we assign identity, value, even intention, based on what someone carries or wears? And what remains unseen when we mistake appearance for essence? There will always be the “other”. those that don’t fit in any one category, the girls that surprise you with their eclectic taste time & time again. And then again, here’s to letting em label you anyway cuz I never gave a phuck what you think. #WorryAboutWhatYouCanControl

Monogram #process of @louisvuitton papillon. What do you think my next piece will be about?

Thank you to everyone who came by “1st Stop: Marcy Ave” and showed love to my piece, Fast Asleep. Still on a high from all the beautiful faces and beautiful energy . Shoutout to @ampmgallery and all the artists involved in this exhibition! As yall know, l use the train as a gathering place in my works to analyze systemic and social issues but the subway really welcomes people from all walks of life! This theme was so spot on and I’m happy to see an ode to @mtanyc ❤️ (Slide 8 is a short film by @sophieming_ commemorating the metrocard, which went extinct on the first of this year. So good and I hope y’all get a chance to view it soon!) Here’s to the next one🥂 #Love

Production + Style assist for @neweracap @buttergoods x @storagebased Merch out now on storagebased.store 💥 Full cast: @nilewinchesterr @riversidedrive1 @tiny.nunez @maticghettoyouth @emmanuel_popoteur @panama_brim 📸: @215.photos 🎥: @cheerleaderpromdated

work in progress & unlocked characters 🔓

The experiences I have carrying my paintings around are unmatched. The compliments are nice but the conversations are everything. The amount of people that ask “Why a homeless person?”, The man in front of goodwill that says “I seen him before!” with excitement.. to finding JayR laying here on the bench, smiling ear to ear when I told him that I painted him. I don’t have all the answers but we can start small. Everyone can do what they can to start small. Downtown Brooklyn felt 10 degreez warmer on a cloudy day. Love.

Thug Life in D.C. (1998) a documentary surrounding the prison system in D.C., focused on the reason young black men end up there—survival. In the doc you hear Aundrey say “Our generation died before it was ever born”.. fast fwd to 2025 and here we workin on the next one but ain’t shit change. All these different complexities, obstacles and limited options lead up to the choices we make. This system been at works for too long.. The synopsis reads “In majority-black Washington D.C., fifty percent of young African-American men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five are either in jail, in prison or on parole.” Guess it’s no mystery where Chocolate City went huh? #marclevin #daphnepinkerson @blowbackproductions #hbo

Sitting on mta I see most people appear to be in their own space, lost in thought or… perhaps in a haze. We pass each other as if we’re invisible, avoiding reality as though we’re not even here. Those with no home to go to at night get overlooked the most.  It’s like their pain and their presence are too much for us to acknowledge, so we pretend they’re not even there, as if they’ve disappeared altogether. Around 60% of homeless people in New York turn to drugs as a way to cope with the trauma and isolation.—it’s a slow fade. The statistics in D.C. are 1in 6 to 1in3. And across major cities alike, you can guess the demographics… I hope to force others to confront the reality of struggle; to stop and acknowledge the lives we too often ignore. Even though I’m in NYC this feeling felt too familiar, and the @newbalance #s really took it home. Bring empathy, space and presence...How long can we ignore humanity? Invisible Man, 2025. Acrylic on canvas 30 x 48 in. (76.2 x 122 cm.) ©️ISA.

🎞️Celebrating @808sandmixtapes #bts Prod. @peopleimightforget 🎼: Oby Onyioha x Enjoy Your Life

A closer look… Fast Asleep, 2025. Acrylic and photo paper on canvas 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 122 cm.) ©️ISA.

Living between two cities, l’ve learned that every ride tells a deeper story - like these two girls on the J train, finding a small comfort in a world that moves too fast. Born in D.C., raised in Maryland - I know what it means to grow up too fast, outside all day, resting where you can and eating what’s available. At first, I thought they mirrored how I felt in that moment but the more I analyzed the image itself they mirror the world we live in; or the world the working-class minority lives in. Where kids make do with what’s available, and food choices are limited. Where corner stores outnumber grocery stores and what you wear often matters more than what you consume. Where balance between appearance and stance become a mechanism for survival. It’s about the quiet choices we make — and the loud ones we can’t. But here we are again, navigating another city built to overlook us. Xx Signed by just another girl from around the way