Miko Bee Studios

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  • Educator by day and an artist by night

    Educator by day and an artist by night

    There I was. A 24 year old, Black African American woman who is almost done with her MBA program but still works part-time in an after school. Then boom. Fast forward a year and I became a RHOyal member of the illustrious Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., earned my MBA, and landed my first full-time as an after-school program coordinator.

    It was first overwhelming, given that we are currently in the midst of a pandemic and that students who have been remote or hybrid for the past two school years are now returning to traditional schooling with covid restrictions. I may just be the coordinator of the after-school program and not an instructional teacher, but I am Ms. Kimiko, an educator. I consider it my responsibility to support them in learning as well as to learn from them. I had no intention of becoming an educator, I was chosen by it.

    I try to encourage young artists to feel secure in their artwork, I’m there for individuals who need to vent or cry for a minute, I provide a little additional assistance to those who need it, and I acknowledge those who don’t believe they are being seen in my current role. I’m not kidding, it’s been psychologically and physically exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world when I see my students’ faces light up when they see me.

    When I go home from work, I am an artist. I don’t want to do anything after a hard day except shower, eat, and watch TikToks till I fall asleep. Though it wasn’t simple for me to break that habit,  I devote considerable time drafting posts for my business Instagram, updating my website, painting a little portion of the painting I need to finish, watching Adobe Creative Suites how-to videos, and so on. Who will believe in or invest in me if I don’t?

    Photo by Z. SHII on Unsplash

    This is the mentality I want to instill the most in artistic scholars. To have faith in oneself and their talents. Believe it or not, this blog post was inspired by a student who gifted me one of her paintings because in the beginning of the school year she didn’t think she was worthy of her creative abilities, but I encouraged her to try painting and apply to art high schools.

    She was extremely grateful for this. The message “Love a black woman to infinity” was signed on the backside. I’m going to keep this painting for the forever! We’re still waiting for her results, but I’m confident she’ll be just fine! I was never able to attend the art school of my dreams, so when I see their skill and potential, I try to push them outside of their comfort zone. Moments like these serve as a reminder that I am exactly where God wants me to be.

    **I wish I could show you some of their artwork, but I will not for the sake of my scholars’ privacy.**

    One mark of a great educator is the ability to lead students out to new places where even the educator has never been.

    Thomas Groome
  • The Genesis of Miko Bee Studios

    The Genesis of Miko Bee Studios

    Hello beautiful humans,

    I choose to make my first blog post about how I became the artist that I am today so y’all can get to know me a bit better. I believe it’s principle since its my first time running my own blog! My journey as an artist all started when I was in elementary school and I had a best friend who was into anime. I will never forget his pretty handwriting, anime sketches, and the numerous amount of manga books he had in his possession. The first manga he introduced to me was InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi. (He even let me borrow the DVDS.) From that moment forward, InuYasha was my drug. I began to draw scenes from the anime and to be completely honest, they looked horrible!!! Absolutely horrible. As a novice that was to be expected. Eventually, I got better and remember spending Summer 2010 drawing Inuyasha fan favs and Twilight Saga comics. I also spent countless hours downloading music off our beloved Lime-wire and YouTube. During this time period, my art mediums were pens, pencil, colored pencils and markers.

    Fast forwarding to my high school years, I always carried a sketch book and drew in class but when senior year came and it was time to choose a college along with a major, I just knew that I didn’t want to go to school for the arts. I wanted to learn more about running my own business because I always had a little entrepreneur in me. During junior high school I would always sell baked goods and candy to my classmates. (The real ones know I was a hustler.) I finally made it to college and graduated with my associates in business administration. That wasn’t enough for me so I pursued my bachelors at the University at Albany, where I met a very impulsive roommate of mine (who is now one of my best friends) wanted to go to Walmart and buy items for our very own paint and sip so that’s what we did! My first painting was an animated version of Kanye West in a Ye mask and it turned out well if I do say so myself. I ended up painting a few more pro bono pieces for friends on campus before I decided to officially start selling my art work. I now paint on canvases, denim jackets & jeans, and paddles.

    Since then I’ve made an Instagram page for my art and enhanced my artistic skill. I’m currently working on digital illustration & fashion design while also managing my presence on social media through quotes and photography. I used to randomly post finished artwork but I’ve discovered what I want to establish as a brand. This led to the creation of my website. I tried to keep this a very short story on my road to becoming an artist and the business woman that I am today. If you have any questions about the work I do or would like me to post business tips, feel free to send me an email.