3.15.2026

The Story of the Streets Gets Told on the Streets

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The Story of the Streets Gets Told on the Streets

A studio conversation with filmmaker LeXander Bryant about art, memory, and the streets as history.

Shabazz Larkin

Mar 15

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There’s something special about having artist friends. The kind of friends who believe in you. The kind who see the work before the world sees it. And the kind who show up with a camera and say, “Let’s get it.”

Recently, I got to talk with my friend LeXander Bryant. He’s that kind of friend.

LeXander has been traveling through the Global South filming life, neighborhoods, and artists. It’s part of a project he calls We Are the Archive.

I’m grateful he pointed the lens toward my studio in East Nashville.

Thanks for reading The Path of Shabazz! It really helps this work when you share this with someone that may appreciate it.

“The story of the streets gets told on the streets.”

Shabazz Larkin

Part of the conversation happened while I was doing finishing touches on some huge portraits of artists with roots in Tennessee. Which, BTW, will soon live inside the Bankers Alley Hotel, here in Nashville.

“Nikki Giovanni” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on Wood Panels — “Nikki Giovanni” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on Wood panel

Zora Neale Hurston mural painting by Shabazz Larkin — “Zora Neals Hurston” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on wood panel

Standing there, looking at these works, I started thinking about how art begins to live once it leaves the studio.

People will walk past it.

People will sit underneath it.

People will make significant memories around it.

Few will stop in awe.

It’s a pity. But there is a reward for those that do.

Mural Painting Little richard by Shabazz Larkin — “Little Richard Peniman” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on Wood Panels

That’s how the archive grows. It becomes a backdrop for the germination of rememberings, ideas, and conversations.

LeXander put together this short film.

I’m excited to share it with you.

“Miss Tina Turner” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on Wood Panel

“Jimi Hendrix” 2026 - 7’x9’ Acrylic on Wood Panel

The archive keeps growing.

For the first time, I’m opening commissions for walls and public spaces that need art.

If you know a new building popping up, a school, a park, a hotel or any place that deserves a story on the wall — send it my way. Email my studio at studio@larkinart.co

Or visit my online gallery www.Larkinart.co

Message Shabazz Larkin

Or just tell someone about what we’re doing:

This work is shared freely, in the original spirit of the dharma. Paid subscriptions help support my practice as an artist and lay practitioner, and as a gesture of gratitude to my patrons, I send seasonal art prints through the Art Mail Club.

Also, Don’t hesitate to share with someone you love. (Or just like a little.)

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2.17.2026

Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

Hello, and welcome.

You’re receiving this because you were part of a community or list I’ve been connected to in the past. I wanted to personally welcome you here and briefly share what this space is about, so you can decide if it’s right for you.

This Substack is where I share art in progress, meditations, writing, and reflections from my studio and mindfulness practice in Nashville. It’s less about finished work and more about the path itself—how creativity, stillness, discipline, and compassion shape a life over time.

I’ve maintained a daily meditation practice since 2018, and I’m walking the Bodhisattva path through art and practice—not as a teacher or authority, but as someone committed to paying attention and sharing honestly along the way.

Part of why this space exists is personal. I’m in recovery from an addiction to social media, and this Substack is an experiment in finding community off those platforms—slower, quieter, and without algorithms shaping the conversation.

One small thing to know about how this space works. In the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, there’s a practice called dāna—the idea that teachings are offered freely, and support happens voluntarily, in relationship. That spirit shapes this Substack. Nothing here is locked. Everything is shared openly. Some people choose to support the work so it can continue this way. Others just pass through. Both are welcome.

You’re under no obligation to stay. If this resonates, I’m glad to have you here. If not, you’re free to unsubscribe at any time, no hard feelings. Either way, I appreciate the time and attention it took to read this.

With gratitude,
Shabazz

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