- By
- Emma Greenberg
- Photography by
- Hector Perez
Styling by Brett Bailey. Makeup by Scott Andrew. Hair by Joey George at ArtList. Colorist: Aura at Lalaland Artists. Special thanks to Alex Tinoco, Alex Moreno, David Sisko, and Leigh Lust.
SANDFLOWER
With a rock singer for a mother and a painter for a father, it’s no wonder that Sandflower (yes, that’s her real name) ended up an artist. A musician, fashion designer, and all-around creative badass, it’s close to impossible to categorize Sandflower as anything more specific than that.
“I am a musician,” says Sandflower, “but I do really think of myself as an artist or a creative person who just tries to be, create, and manifest in whatever way, whether it’s throwing stuff on shoes, making a ring, making a pair of glasses for that moment, or writing a song and then creating a show.”
The 25-year-old is doing it all: she’s working on her first full album and a performance-based line of shoes, making artistic, edgy music videos (just watch ten seconds of “Do Whatchu Wanna” and you’ll see what I mean), and performing at buzzy New York venues including Webster Hall.
This ceaseless urge to create art out of nothing is not new for Sandflower—she grew up watching her parents do just that. “It’s really a gift to have grown up around people who think in a way that means that they can create their ideas,” she says. “You could have no music and then, all of a sudden, have a song. I would see my mom tinkering around on the piano, a piece of blank paper in front of her, and then maybe that night she would have at least half a song done.” She continues, “Or my dad sitting in front of a canvas and saying, ‘Okay, I think I want to paint this and this and this,’ and seeing it grow over time into a full-out work.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the talented, inherently inventive Brooklyn native has only recently felt confident that she could really make it. “[My parents] weren’t telling me not to do it,” says Sandflower of the beginning of her career as a musician, “but it’s a hard road, and since my parents sort of lived that way, they didn’t want me to go through the hardship that they went through.”
But Sandflower persevered and has grown into a full-fledged, unapologetic artist. “I think the thing that has kept me going is close friends, and also meeting people after a show who are inspired by the music,” she says. “When you see that look on people’s faces when they are rocking out, you’re definitely like, ‘Alright, maybe I can do this.’”
One of the most defining aspects of Sandflower’s art—whether it’s her edgy, sci-fi music videos, her danceable music, her energetic stage presence, or her eye-catching late night outfits—is her coherent sense of æsthetics and style. “It’s usually some sort of character inspiration in that moment, and then I go on stage and it’s like an amplified version of who I am, a slightly more kickass version,” she explains.
With visual and personality inspirations ranging from Leelu from The Fifth Element to Cleopatra Jones, Tina Turner to Lara Croft, Brett Bailey to Katniss Everdeen, it’s no wonder that Sandflower’s image is eclectic and rebellious. “If I have a message,” she explains, “it would be for freedom—freedom to express yourself.”
Like her longtime musical inspiration Jimi Hendrix, Sandflower seeks to inspire others to express themselves—by acting like herself. “Here’s this guy [Hendrix] who plays blues and rock-and-roll music at a time when he didn’t look like other people who were playing rock and roll. For him to come out, go all around the world, be so in love with his guitar that he would sleep with his guitar and go to bed and wake up playing it—I was so inspired because he defies so many rules about what he’s supposed to be.”
While there is arguably more acceptance in 2014 for an aspiring artist to be whoever she wants to be, Sandflower still hopes to break any and all existing rules. “It’s all about trying to push yourself beyond even who you think you should be,” she says. “It’s not about performing for society or what your parents say. It’s not about any of that. We should really be who we really are without having to worry about if we’ll be accepted or if we’ll be safe.”
