A lonely girl in Barbados needed to draw. It was an “urgency,” she

says. Starting with one simple notebook, Sheena Rose would eventually

turn her house into an art-filled exhibition space, attracting hundreds

of visitors and international attention.

That was only the beginning. In a country without a modern art museum, Rose took her creations to the city streets, saw them featured on book covers and travelled south to create billboards in Suriname.

She exploded on social media, and her work eventually reached international collections and art biennales.

View this post on Instagram I give back to my old school Springer Memorial Secondary, thank you @gameondesigns for inviting me to paint the classroom with my little cousin Tiffani, Springer girls! #sheenarose #givingback #classroom #barbadosA post shared by Sheena Rose (@sheenaroseartist) on Sep 7, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT

Leading by example, Rose believes that the region’s talent can spur economic growth.

“I’ve been doing this for years to prove what creativity can do, to

show how to be successful,” she says. “Dream, don’t give up and keep

working. People are listening right now.”

The Caribbean has already distinguished itself on the international

scene for its creative flair, from festivals to food to music. It is the

birthplace of reggae and the source of inspiration for award-winning

writers such as Derek Walcott and Junot Díaz.

According to UNESCO data, cultural goods amounted to more than 16 per cent of Barbados’s total exports in 2016 – the highest percentage among all countries analysed.

Still, the business potential of the region’s creative industries has not been fully realised.

According to Launching an Orange Future, an in-depth IDB study about creative entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 40 per cent of business failure among those surveyed was due to lack of financing and strategic planning.

It’s a reality that Rose has had to contend with, too. She says she had to learn from friends about how to register her business, handle taxes and build a solid foundation for her creative work.

“Artists don’t see themselves as business, we just see

self-expression,” she says. “You need to understand the nature of the

business and make the right decisions for your career… Artists need to

promote themselves and get more critical. We need to be educated, to

have workshops and advisors.”

View this post on Instagram Wistful #surrealism #romanticism #agony #classical #beauty #ugly #hopeless #filmnoir #noir #black #sheenaroseA post shared by Sheena Rose (@sheenaroseartist) on Sep 16, 2019 at 6:12am PDT

For Rose, part of the effort to rewire the local art scene is to accept the island’s potent touristic lure, but to not have it condition the country’s creative products. She argues that tourism could be used to show Barbados and the Caribbean beyond just leisure, and instead expose people to an alluring creative and cultural landscape.