A Private Party for Forever Tiffany Marie: Painting with Purpose, Trusted with Vision

Feature | the read | Keyona Porshaà

Inside Tiffany Ragin's world, colors are as vibrant as the sun shines, and no canvas is off limits. Where some children may have felt bound to the four walls of their childhood homes, she found an expressive escape through the art of drawing.

In a loving home in Raeford, North Carolina, a young Tiffany Ragin etched lines on anything she could get her hands on, from scraps of paper to the white walls of her childhood home. Surely alchemists remember the repercussions suffered for drawing stick figures, suns, and clouds on their parents' walls growing up. For Tiffany, her parents saw a treasure chest of potential. Her father, in particular, poured into her talents by providing fundamentals. Mr. Ragin invested in Tiffany's skill by showing her how to draw structures with shapes like boxes and rectangles. Her mother later matched his enthusiasm at Tiffany's kindergarten debut, when she drew a duck that would be the match to set her artistic fire ablaze.

Pleased with her mother's response, Tiffany, also known as Forever Tiffany Marie, devoted countless hours through various art classes to honing her artistry. As she progressed through the halls of Hoke County schools and eventually the campus of North Carolina A&T State University, she continued exploring artistic methods and vibrant colors. Class and campus became a living canvas for the artist known for her bold, shining personality. Naturally, her paintbrushes and pencils expanded to a variety of expressions, including fashion, hairstyling, and singing.

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Equipped with faith, talent, and confidence, the visual artist pairs her lived experiences with visions from God to create meaningful masterpieces that resonate deeply with others. She considers her painted interpretation of Psalm 23 her proudest creation.

Alchemy: How did Forever Tiffany Marie find her way to artistry? Tiffany Ragin: Well, I found artistry through loneliness. I’m not an only child; I have an older sister, but we were sheltered. We were home a lot and just couldn’t do a lot of things. I discovered things that I liked by being home all the time. I drew, and I painted on everything. Paper, walls, everything. I noticed I was actually really good at it, and I thought, why not continue to pursue this?

Alchemy: Who, if you can credit anyone, was instrumental to the start of your journey into artistry?

Tiffany: My dad. My mom and my dad [were supportive], but my dad was instrumental because he would sit down with me and show me how to draw a boxed car, for example. Let me show you how to draw a duck. So, on my first day of kindergarten, I drew a duck. And I drew it without erasing it. It was just straight pencil to paper, nonstop. My mom was with me and was so excited. She was telling everyone, ‘Oh my God, my baby. She drew a duck.’ And just watching her be excited at seeing that I could draw something made me want to continue to learn more, and I just kept at it from then on. And that was the start of it all: kindergarten. 

Alchemy: What gives you the confidence to use art as one of your styles of expression?

Tiffany: I feel like it's my loudest form of speech. This is how I can really [express myself], talk about something, and people actually hear me. And they can hear me through seeing me. It’s how I show up.

Alchemy: How do you feel people receive your art?

Tiffany: People often tell me that my work is amazing and that the colors are so vibrant. All I hear when I hear people say things like that is what I believe my personality to be. I am vibrant; I mean, I try to be, for the most part. I try to bring good energy to people. I try to be the light in the room. So the fact that I [my art] come with such vibrancy lets me know that I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do. I love the feedback; it makes me feel good.

Alchemy: At what moment did you decide to be faithful to creating art?

Tiffany: You know, art and I have a somewhat toxic relationship. We're off and on. But even when we’re off, I’m still on because I’m drawing. If I’m not painting, I’m drawing. If I’m not painting and drawing, then I’m probably writing, which is another form of art. Or I’m thinking about my next painting. Or what I would love to see other people paint. That’s the relationship–it’s up and down, but I love my art. We have a bond.

Alchemy: Can you talk through your creative process?

Sometimes it’s dreams that I have. (She points) For instance, when I did that painting, it was actually a dream that I had. Other times, it’s a prophecy or a vision. It could also be something I wrote in my journal, and by the next week, I’m painting about it. It’s sporadic. Sometimes, I’ll ask, ‘How did I human today?’ Because it all comes from a human experience and being organic. For me, everything is a part of the process. Just existing and living.

I have to write it down, which goes back to my first love: writing. I have to write in my journal. So I don’t forget, first of all, because I will forget. And then I think about it.

I think about what it means to me. How it affects me. And I’ll think about it and write about it for so long that I’ll begin to tell myself, ‘let me go ahead and paint this.’ Maybe I’m supposed to paint this so someone else can see it.

Alchemy: Can you talk about the transition from your initial idea to what you describe as God adding his final touches?

Tiffany: It goes back to faith because that’s just really what it is. It’ll take me so long to come up with an idea for what I’m going to paint or draw–I mean, I stress about it and everything before I finalize it on the paper. And then I get to the canvas or the wall [referring to murals she’s painted] and start drawing what I saw, but then it’ll just turn into something much bigger and better, more colorful and more vibrant, that starts feeding my spirit in such a profound way that it just takes on a new life. I don’t really know how to explain it other than to credit God because it is certainly not me.

Alchemy: How would you describe your artistic style?

Tiffany: Girly. Colorful. Vibrant. Inspirational. All the things.

Alchemy: What piece have you created that you are most proud of?

Tiffany: The painting that I drew based on the scripture Psalm 23. I enjoy people’s response to it because it looks like one thing, but it’s something totally different. So, it’s an image of a black woman that I painted purple to represent royalty. That also plays off of being picked on when I was younger and kids saying that I was so black I looked purple. She’s sitting on her knees, naked, with her head tilted back, and you can tell that she feels freedom, which is what I was going for. And she’s in the midst of this field, with open grass, still water, and darkness. You can see the moonlight against the water. Behind her are colorful, vibrant butterflies. The butterflies represent freedom, edification, and vulnerability. And that’s why I named it Psalm 23. Read it so you’ll know what it is, and then look at it.

Alchemy: Where do you draw inspiration from when it's not a vision?

Tiffany: My life experiences. For instance, that painting is from a photoshoot I did with other plus-size women. It was about body positivity. We decided we would paint something from the photoshoot, and I decided that I would paint myself. And then, this painting, which I’m also very proud of. This painting I did of myself was from a time when I was going through some stuff with someone. I named it “Queen Me,” and I drew myself sitting on a checkerboard because she thought she had one up on me, so I had to show her, like, girl, bye. 

So others may not see it, but these are the experiences that I’m having. And I paint out of said experiences. So, just life.

Alchemy: How much inspiration derives from music?

Tiffany: Lots. I love India Arie–I love her; I love Cleo Sol. I feel like Summer Walker is the ratchet version of me, but she’s still soft at the same time. I love her on my ratchet days. I’m inspired by artists who speak about positivity, love, and good energy.

Alchemy: Can you think of a lyric that you revisit for daily affirmations?

Tiffany: There are a few, but I’ll start with India Arie because she’s my favorite. It’s from Private Party because that’s my favorite India Arie song–she said we’re going to look at ourselves in the mirror, and we’re going to heal the disconnections. 

Literally, I’ll look in the mirror, and I’ll remind myself to heal the disconnections. Sometimes I’ll get naked, too, because that’s what she says in the song. Get naked in the mirror, and we’re going to have an honest conversation about what we’re looking at to heal the disconnections. Sometimes I struggle with certain things about my body and identity–I’m human, and I’m a woman. 

And even Cleo Sol’s “know that you are loved” lyric. I don’t have a partner, and I love that because you need to hear those words. Her creating a song with that as an affirmation does something to my spirit. 

And Yebba, the affirmations that she sings on repeat! Stuff like that helps me and hits to my core. As an artist, I have to work from the inside out–my insides have to be positive. I have to feed my insides good things, and I try to do that through good music.

Alchemy: What's next for Forever Tiffany Marie?

Tiffany: Private Party is my favorite song. I feel like it's an ode to women becoming. I'm working on a collection that centers on that. It'll embody the lyrics and essence of the song.