LaNia Roberts sits in her studio on the fourth floor of the Shaffer Art Building at Syracuse University, surrounded by art she’s created. Self-portrait paintings hang behind her, and on her left are caricature cutouts.

“(They) are reflections,” she said. “Reflections of myself, reflections of people who I see myself in.”

Something happened when she created her first self-portrait at 16, she said. She’s been creating ever since.

Roberts, a senior painting major, might be known around campus as the girl who posts weather updates on SU’s Snapchat Campus Story, but she proudly wears many other crowns — like artist, motivational speaker, storyteller and black woman.

She was bullied in middle school, which affected her self-esteem. At age 16, Roberts decided to embark on a journey of “resistance” — not with words, but with her art.

“At that time, even though I didn’t realize it, I was giving … other people’s opinions about my image more power than my own opinion about my own image,” she said. “And so that influenced my confidence and my love for myself, and I really just did not like the way I looked.”

Roberts, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, said she’ll never forget the first time somebody wanted to buy one of her self-portraits.

“I was like, ‘Yo, you know that’s me right? You want me on your wall, what?’”

The first time she heard people describing her paintings as beautiful, Roberts said she felt amazing — and that was where her journey of self-love started.

Lauren Miller | Contributing Photographer

The idea that she’ll be able to inspire someone with her art is what encourages her to get up every morning, she said. But still, she values her ability to question above all else — it makes her feel alive.

“I want my questioning to create a sense of freedom in somebody else as it has for me,” she said. “The art of questioning is so important to me in my life … and I have this desire to have an effect on people in as much of a positive way as possible with my art, with my work. Especially at this time where such negativity is alive.”

Recognized as “LaNia the Weather Girl” for her daily forecasts, she started giving motivational speeches, both via social media platforms and in person at a local school.

Since her freshman year, she has given two one-hour-long motivational speeches in Grant Auditorium. In 2015, she gave a speech titled “Motivation by LaNia: Loving Yourself Unconditionally,” which she said was attended by about 150 students and was very well-received.

She followed it up with another the next spring, titled “Motivation by LaNia: How I Got My Groove Back, And How You Can Get Yours Too.” She will be giving another speech in April — her final one before she graduates.

Lauren Miller | Contributing Photographer

Roberts said she’s also interested in storytelling and talking about concepts of blackness.

During her freshman year, she became a member of the Black Artist League, an organization that aimed to create a space for black creatives on campus. The group would meet up to share different ideals, understandings and concepts. Roberts was co-president of the organization for a year and a half, but the organization has since become inactive.

“We really tried to simply create a space for (black art),” she said. “To let artists know that they are appreciated and that they are desired … we want to create a space in which we can share your work with as many people as possible.”

Her identity, not only a woman but as a black woman, has been an integral part of how she views herself as an artist, she said. Last year, Roberts was crowned homecoming queen, and she could be seen around campus wearing her crown.

“I kind of wear it as performance art, because … I realized that was the first time in my life thus far that I had seen this image of a big black woman wearing a crown,” she said. “… If I’ve never seen that image before, there has to be so many other people that haven’t seen that either.”

Roberts still wears her crown.

“I do, every single day.”

Published on February 18, 2018 at 9:47 pm

Contact Jony: ktsampah@syr.edu