Pharrell: My Inspiration

I have, over the years, battled with the idea that I should pick one creative medium, one approach to creativity and stick to it. I have often considered that being a multi-disciplinary artist is to be greedy or unfocussed and I will therefore be perceived as such; However, over the years I have become more comfortable with the reality that being creative does not mean I would need to limit my creativity or force myself to be more focussed in my creative approaches and urges. Much of this realisation, and subsequent acceptance, has come from watching the professional journey of Pharrell and the varied nature of the projects that he continues to pursue.

It cannot be disputed that Pharrell is a multi-disciplinary artist, in the best of ways. Beginning his journey in music as one half of the duo The Neptunes and following on with N*E*R*D we all became accustomed to Pharrell “the musician”. It was clear however that from the offset there were no boundaries in his artistry, with blending of genres and a simple confidence in his musical abilities without needing to be strictly defined. Laughably, I was not alive at this point, but years down the line the impact remained the same, both for my parents and for myself there was no need to limit the experimentations of my creativity.

Throughout his career there has been a very clear desire to stick true to his unique creative language, something I never knew possible across such a multitude of mediums. Language is important, with the slight nuances speaking the most truth for the vast majority of circumstances. It is in the nuances that we begin to understand the art or the artist and it became clear that my goal was not to create multi-award winning work but instead work that reaches people utilising my own developed artistic language. Moving on from music it was difficult to imagine how Pharrell could keep this signature language in fashion, for example, but really there was a very clear point that this was exceptionally portrayed. We all know and loved or hated pharrell’s iconic hat, and this was but one sentence in his creative linguistics. What this really showed us is that is simply does not matter what you’re doing as long as you are doing it for yourself.

Often it seems that as a person of colour, and particularly as a black person, you aren’t afforded the same levels of freedom of expression as our white counterparts, instead these types of expression are met with resistance and simple misjudgments. For me, Pharrell so constantly acts as a reminder that that is not the case. From music, production and fashion to education there are no limitations to how one can and should be free to express themselves.

All of these ventures are wildly different in their sectors but what is clear is that the approaches are consistent with Pharrell’s vision. Their differences are not by any means weaknesses but instead an inspiring panorama of how many exciting and successful ventures can be created and collaborated on when you allow yourself and your creativity full freedom with no boundaries. For me, having seen all of this makes me feel more confident in my own ability to means to experiment and explore the ways in which I navigate the world. With every day seeming to become more complicated Pharrell has taught me that I do not need to add another layer of permissions or rules to my life and enjoyment but instead should be encouraging myself to put my fingers in as many pies as possible. In seeing these possibilities, I have achieved things that, only years ago, I would never have dreamed of. More importantly, I would never have had the confidence to even imagine.

He, for me, continues to act as a reminder to be wholeheartedly my own favourite creative, my biggest inspiration and my own reminder to leave the preconceptions of others at the door and instead create my own artistic language, embracing the nuances and inflections that are unique to me, no matter how they may be perceived by others.

Written by Di'mond Qai Sharma-Joseph

As a writer and multidisciplinary artist, Di'mond currently works within the arts, culture, and heritage sector in London, exploring the variety of ways the sector can become more accessible, representative, and engaging for all. When she's not working or facilitating Zine-making workshops, you can find her writing poetry, creating artworks, and bombarding her friends, family and strangers on the internet with articles and movies they will never read or watch. https://www.instagram.com/d_qai/ https://twitter.com/dimondqai