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Leeaux sold his most profitable artwork in June, but by December he still did not have a place to call his own. Using a pile of his clothes as a pillow, he secretly rotated between sleeping in his art studio and weekly hotel rooms. Bills began racking up. DoorDash was expensive, and having no fridge led to diets sustained by gas station faire and coffee shop food.
With less than 72hrs before the new year, Leeaux and his friend J. Henny spontaneously hopped in the Jeep and drove south from Shreveport to New Orleans. Their eyes were set on a Billy Strings concert, along with all the touristy things they hoped would ignite their new year with boosted spirits. But this trip to New Orleans was more than just a trip to see a band and party on Bourbon Street. For Leeaux, it was a moment to gain hindsight and clarity.
Upon arrival, they serendipitously stumbled on the same parking spot Leeaux would often park at as a young artist pursuing his dreams in 2015. With this familiar magic that lives in New Orleans’ dense air, they explored the area together passing by places where Leeaux frequented and displayed art during his time living there between 2016 & 2018.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a building that used to be vacant, but now housed a magic shop. In this exact location Leeaux seeded his career by setting up art and hustling his creations on the street.
The two continued on their walk, but several blocks down the road, he couldn’t contain himself.
Henny pulled Leeaux to the side with tears in his eyes: “Brother, God is telling me that we need to leave. New Orleans is trying to kill me, and I can’t be here. I’ve got to go back.”
The city is eerie, but Leeaux was not convinced… “That’s how New Orleans is supposed to feel.“
Yet, nothing could change Henny’s mind.
The next morning was New Year’s Eve. Leeaux felt inspired to start his day by visiting a fellow artist friend working at a coffee shop that just so happened to be across the street from Eiffel Society, where he hosted his first artist residency. Feeling nostalgic from yet another serendipitous encounter, he decided to take a walk down memory lane.
As he walked through the city, he passed by old haunts that shaped him. These were places he lived and displayed his art, coffee shops and restaurants where he met key figures, and streets where he was rowdy but determined to make it as an artist. It was a stark reminder of how far he had come, softening the feelings of imposter syndrome that occasionally crowded his mind.
By the time he reached the end of memory lane, he was too tired to go to the French Quarter for New Year’s Eve. Without friends the motivation to go out had faded. In its place was the peaceful satisfaction of feeling re-inspired.
In a 3AM twilight, he woke up to notifications that there had been a shooting on Bourbon Street. Knowing how wild NOLA can get, he assumed it was the typical rowdiness he was familiar with. Yet, as more news was released on his X feed, he discovered it was much more serious.
Leeaux immediately thought of Henny’s premonition at the magic shop, and with watering eyes, sent an apology to his friend. The year began with the sobering realization that they could have been in the thick of danger, and Henny most likely saved their lives.
It was a glitch-in-the-timeline moment that course-corrected fate, leaving him feeling vulnerable to the uncertainty of life.
Only weeks away from the Lunar New Year, this moment catalyzed the year-long journey leading to the release of Leeaux’s latest work of art, “YEAR OF THE SNAKE“.
This drop was inspired by the fragility of life and the choices that alter its course. Yet this is no fairytale with a happy ending. This is a homage to the powerful and painful process of surrender initiated when he chose to face his truth and shed all that is not aligned with who he is meant to be.
Since he survived, there was an innate responsibility to fulfill the purpose he has always felt through his ability to create worlds with paint.
2024 closed with questions, “When is my time?” lingering in his mind, he realized he did not want to leave this earth without building a legacy rooted in what he started all those years ago in the very place he found himself standing that day.
Looking back at Leeaux’s last year as an artist, it is clear he has alchemized the feelings of uncertainty and despair into determination and momentum. Fueled by a hunger to rise above comfort and reach new heights.
“Once I realized that you’re responsible for your story, you’re responsible for all your art as an artist” — LEEAUX