Name: Brandi Cheyenne Harper
Age: 36
Occupation: Interdisciplinary artist and knitting guide
Motivator: Joy
NYC neighborhood: Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Though she has been creating since an early age, when she made construction-paper murals on the walls of her childhood home, Brandi Cheyenne Harper probably didn’t imagine that knitting, a craft she taught herself at 15, would eventually enable her to make a living, create regenerative spaces for Black people and establish a considerable social media presence and devoted following. Harper credits the support of her mother, her partner and her circle of friends with helping her fashion a life and career inspired by joy, creation and community. Read more about Brandi’s journey and work below.
What brought you to NYC and what keeps you here?
I was born in Miami, but my parents came here when I was a year old. I grew up in Harlem, and then we moved to Brooklyn. My family and my friends keep me here, the community keeps me here. I can’t imagine moving to New York City, because as an artist it’s such an expensive place to be. And as a very introverted person, it can be very loud, very noisy. But this is my home.
What do you consider to be the greatest cultural contribution of Black New Yorkers?
Food. I mean, you walk down Church Avenue, you walk down Flatbush, you’re going to get some of the best food you’ve ever had in your life, and it’s not gonna cost you an arm and a leg. You can get some really beautiful homegrown food. Well-seasoned food. My whole life is in the pursuit of joy, feeling good and eating delicious food cooked by Black people. It’s literally the epicenter of my whole life.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Nature. I feel like my entire creative spirit opens when I am exposed to water, to nature. I feel like anything's possible. To take and to make something from nothing, allowing myself to be supported by what Mother Nature, God, has provided, I’m truly amazed at what I can accomplish.
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?
I wrote a book. It’s called Knitting for Radical Self-Care: A Modern Guide. It celebrates the work and life of revolutionary women of color who’ve had an impact on my creative career and inspired me to be a bigger and better version of myself. Not to live in fear, to embrace joy in all its forms.
What’s next for you?
Writing more books that talk about knitting as a form of rest and also as a form of proof of our capacity. Sometimes we doubt what we’re capable of, and when we can make something with our own two hands and see the product of what we made in the world, it encourages us and reverberates in all aspects of life. I actually feel like knitting is a gateway to creating the most beautiful life we can live.
[Also,] more knitting circles that center around and support Black people and creating a relaxing and rejuvenating regenerative space for Black people, using knitting as the medium. I’m currently working on this right now, to make knitting accessible, not only materials, but time and resources and space available for Black people to gather to make things. Knitting specifically as an act of meditation and joy creation—that’s what’s next for me.
What would you like your legacy to be?
One of my students said something that still touches me every time I think about it. They said, “In Brandi's classes, no one is left behind.” That makes me feel so good, you know. If I leave this world, and people talk about me, I want them to say, “Brandi was a light in this world, and she made it a better place. And when you spent time with her, you never felt left behind.” That is my legacy, hopefully.
To learn more about Brandi and her work, visit @brandicheyenneharper and brandicheyenneharper.com