Nashville At Home: Artist Cymone Wilder Puts Her Imprint On Music City<br/>

Cymone in her home office/studio (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

Original art made by Cymone hangs above the bed in the primary bedroom (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

Nashville isn’t just a music city, it’s a mural city AND Where I live in East NashvillE, MURALS ARE on nearly every corner, every building, AND every surface that would otherwise be a big BLANK wall of blah.

ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND STRIKING MURALS I’VE COME ACROSS IS THIS ONE PICTURED BELOW BY ARTISTS CYMONE WILDER AND SARAH PAINTER CALLED “SEEDS.” IT WAS INSTALLED AT THE CORNER OF 16TH AVENUE NORTH AND CLINTON STREET IN MARATHON VILLAGE LAST YEAR AS PART OF THE WALLS FOR WOMEN PROJECT, A MULTI-CITY FESTIVAL HONORING SUFFRAGETTES, HOW FAR WE’VE COME AS WOMEN AND WHERE WE HAVE YET TO TREAD. “SEEDS” ILLUSTRATES A TRUNCATED QUOTE FROM POET DINOS CHRISTIANOPOULOS, “THEY BURIED US, BUT THEY DIDN’T KNOW WE WERE SEEDS.”

THIS masterpiece is but one work of Cymone Wilder’s impressive portfoliO WHICH YOU CAN SEE ON HER COMPANY WEBSITE, SIMONANDMOOSE.COM AND INSTAGRAM @SIMONANDMOOSE. CYMONE is a Lettering artist and designer whose clients include Nickelodeon, HBO, Netflix, Target, Cosmopolitan, Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential Campaign and the list goes on. She was amongst THE ARTISTS who created the striking lettering for Megan Thee Stallion’s powerful performance on SNL last year. If you didn’t see it, watch it on Youtube. It will give you chills.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with 28-year-old Cymone at her home in East Nashville where we talked about art, life and what home means to her.

Primary Bedroom (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

CYMONE, When did you realize you had artistic talent?

My dad was very creative and into music and art. He could draw, too. He loves music and when I was young, I was inspired by his listenings, which led me to the art of jazz albums. That had a huge influence on me.

My dad didn’t get to pursue art because he was busy taking care of us. He worked at State Farm Insurance. He’s a singer and he’s now learning to play the piano at age 62. At first I thought I was going to be a doctor when I grew up but then I started getting into art in college. Lettering had become a popular art movement when I went away to school.

Cymone painted this graphic pattern on her primary bathroom wall (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

Living Room (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

I realized in making art no one call tell you what to do. I don’t love being told what to do. I love that my art gives me a chance to experiment and I’m not held back by anything. I was able to take this thing that started out as a hobby and that I really love and turn it into my job. I started my business in college and have been working ever since.

You have a lot of big name clients. How did you get “discovered?”

Most of my work lives on Instagram and it’s easy and free to access it. Last year, with the social justice issues and Black Lives Matter, my studio just blew up.

My agent recently asked me what brands I wanted to work with and I named a few. A week later I got an email for a project working with a couple of those same brands.

Do you think that was a manifestation moment?

I think it was more about hard work.

Tell me about some of your favorite projects.

I did some branding work for Nickelodeon. I created a logo for a show about a young black girl called That Girl Lay Lay. I also worked on a fast and furious project for HBO’s Between the World And Me.

PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MURAL, “SEEDS.”

It was a part of Walls for Women—a mural festival in celebration of the centennial of women’s right to vote. I love where it was placed at the dividing line between a historically black area and a tourist destination. We got a lot of press and attention around it. My partner on the project was Sarah Painter.

HOW HAS THE BLM MOVEMENT IMPACTED YOU PERSONALLY?

I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood in central Illinois. I had a group of friends and I was the only black kid. My parents warned me about racism and told me to be careful but I thought it was a generational thing. You could say I lived in a bubble. I had cousins who lived on the south side of Chicago but I was pretty sheltered from the kinds of experiences they had. When I moved to Nashville, it was the first time I had traveled outside of that bubble.

The past several years have been a real wake up call for a lot of America and me. I’ve been waking up to some of these issues of social injustice and activism the same time the world is.

A George Floyd Tribute created by Cymone (@simonandmoose)

I’ve gotten a lot more work since the murder of George Floyd and I can’t help but wonder, had I been getting actively overlooked previously because I was black? Was I now being seen for the first time because I’m a black woman?

When are you most content?

I love being in community with my friends. Deep conversation is my sweet spot. That’s the thing that fills me up. I’m always trying out new hobbies and I’m thinking about taking music lessons to mix things up. I love pursuing things that aren’t about making money.

Living Room with art created by Cymone. I love how she elevates ordinary items like this basket of shoes. (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

Dining area (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

What do you love about Nashville?

I love Nashville because I grew up in a small town and I get that small town feel here as well as some of the energy of the city. There’s not a lot of diversity here but East Nashville, it’s at least 10 percent more diverse than other places. It feels like East Nashville has a soul.

Guest Room with original art created by Cymone hanging over the bed (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

If you had to pick one thing in your home that means the most to you, what would it be?

Probably this framed piece. I lost my grandfather this past year. The handkerchief is one he carried with him and the flower is from his funeral. It reminds me of him every time I see it.

Tribute to Cymone’s grandfather (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

What does home mean to you?

Home is a safe place for me. A place that asks nothing of me, and does nothing but pour into my soul.

HOW DOES YOUR HOME SUSTAIN YOU?

My home is a place where I have total control, which is not necessarily a thing I can say about any other part of my life. I get to make decisions about the decor and organization of the space that primarily brings me joy. And if someone else enters my space and feels that same warmth and joy, that’s a bonus.

Cymone at home (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

Banner hanging in Cymone’s living room window (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)

To learn more about CYMONE AND HER COMPANY, head to simonandmoose.com.

thank you, CYMONE. This was an honor and a pleasure.🏡

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A Nashville Muralist Puts Her Mark on Music City