these are for you
I've been lucky enough to use art as an outlet to express what’s going on inside my head & my heart. Creating has always helped me release and see my emotions in a different light. When I first moved to NYC in 2015 I started persistently drawing these characters that I created for fun and people really seemed to like them, especially my younger brother, Karim. My true number one fan. The photo above is one of my very first Lil Cashews drawings from 2017, I made it for Karim.
3 years ago, I lost Karim. I lost my favorite person in this world. My baby brother, my other half, my soulmate. It felt like my whole world was taken away from me, like my life had stopped. I didn’t know how to do anything anymore. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I had completely lost myself. I felt like a part of me had died and the stream that lead me back to my childhood had dried up. Every hour of every day I was painfully drowning in waves of sorrow but somehow through all the suffering I still knew how to create. In a way, drawing these characters helped me feel less alone in all of the grief. I liked being able to see my pain on paper- my drawings showed me that my pain can be trusted and that trust made me feel more connected to Karim. So I kept drawing for Karim, and for me.
Over the last 3 years these characters gradually evolved into their truest, destined form- I created a world for them and called that world Lil Cashews. I’ve had so many beautiful people tell me that Lil Cashews looks like what they’re feeling on the inside and that is the most rewarding piece of feedback I could ever receive and makes my heart grow 10 sizes. My greatest wish is that Lil Cashews helps you feel less alone in your heartache. I only hope that my work brings you some comfort and sheds some light into the darkness of your pain so you feel more seen.. these are for you. <3
Love always and forever,
Lama