My name is Shaneen Phipps and this is my new website, I’m SO excited!
It’s a bit of a long one! Have you got some time? I like tea, do you like tea? Well go put your kettle on and come back for a chit-chat!
If you had visited my old one, please let me know what you think of our new space!
If this is your first time here, it’s swonderful to meet you!
I hope to share some amazing things with you here! I hope to inspire you, motivate you, educate you and entertain you.
To start, I am an Educator, Creative and Certified Life Coach. My passions have always been rooted in creativity and helping people.
I was born and raised in Newham East London. I come from a highly creative background; my entire immediate family have all worked in education, but we all have a creative flair to us. I have been extremely fortunate to be born to two, youthful, supportive, Black parents who literally fed my creative madness and never held me back. From dance to swimming, martial arts to getting every edition in the Art Attack folder series weekly.
I started dancing when I was three and stopped in my early twenties. I danced for groups such as Graffiti, Boy Blue Entertainment, Rhythm Junkies and Zero. X. I competed from a very young age in gymnastics, ballet, tap, jazz, swimming, karate. I then moved onto G.W.I, performing at Sadlers Wells and Stratford Theatre Royal, The Royal Albert Hall and the list went on… let’s just say, I was booked and BUSY! Whilst with Rhythm Junkies, we were spotted at an event whilst messing around. It was well weird at first. (knowing what I know now as an education and youth work professional!) but it actually changed the course of my life. That could never happen now, but I will never forget his face and stop being grateful to that opportunity, as well as to Danielle, our choreographer at the time. I was a backing dancer for two years with The Go! Team, when I first had my make up done for the Chanel 4 music awards. I was still a bit of a tomboy and I wasn’t sure how I felt, but, having studied art in school and always been creative, I went with it. We had a show in Hollywood for the Jimmey Kemmel Live Show. That was my first ever lock in and is when I fell in love with make-up! All the colours, I was in heaven! After freelancing, I then began studying to become a teacher. I struggled. I was told that I wouldn’t pass due to my “writing skills” and that there was “no space” for teaching make up and I would need to gain experience. It knocked me back, especially having no real knowledge of learning differences, the studies on that had only just started and I didn’t realise that I had learning differences until much later on through experiencing my students. I “completed” that course on a Level 3, absolutely gutted. Then, I decided to try again and qualified on a Level 5. Whewww the tears I crode! I left my job at MAC in 2012 to volunteer as a Make Up teacher in East London and I never.looked.back. (well once when I did night shifts at Primarni! shhh I’m a grinder!).
In 2018, I was involved in a car crash which I was in recovery for a year and a half and unable to work. I was terribly depressed. Once I started to heal and was able to stand for longer periods of time, I remembered that my mother had bought me paints that I had never used. This is when I began panting, it became a form of art therapy. I could paint my loneliness onto a canvas and transform it into something beautiful. Having the car crash gave me purpose and everyone would be shocked when I would tell them that, because a crash is a terrible thing and it was, at the time. Being unable to stand for long periods , I could no longer teach make up. The pain was incredible and who had a car?? NOT ME! I still wanted to work with young people though, that’s when Pastoral work came into play. 2023 had been an amazing year for myself and my artwork. I had exhibited for Artistic Challenge Leaders: Sustainable Art with Royal Docks & UEL, Newham Kaleidoscope with Firehouse Arts, Populo living, London Festival of Architecture & Applecart Arts, The Trade Union Congress Windrush 75 exhibition for Roots, culture & Identity and most recently, The Tower Gallery Summer Exhibition. That year, I also certified as MOE Coach. I was now qualified to do the work I was already doing. It was a wonderful experience! Whilst working with my young people, i always wanted to do so much more but i was never able to. Having to fit into the confides of time and tick boxes, i constantly felt let down and in return, that i was letting my young people down. In 2024, I was a guest speaker at The Youth Empowerment Night – Cut Above The Rest & Youth Zone Stratford (The Source), which was phenomenal! I then began working with a Youth Justice Service which was eye opening and showed me the other side of the coin. Since then, I have been working with young people, providing coaching sessions, workshops, and so much more.
The Multicoloured Space, aims to highlight black art, and collaborate with at risk and vulnerable groups in a creative way. My art style has been said to be unique to who I am. I work with oil on acrylic. I like to bring my imagination to life especially being slightly dyslexic, it can be hard to see the world when it is grey. The main focus of my work is to remind people from my Black African & Caribbean community of their own imaginations and to inspire both youth & adults. I want adults to remember who they were when they were younger, and I want children to hold onto their imaginations for as long as they can. I also use my art as a way to express what I see in my minds eye, physically with the world. TMCS is a safe place for education, encouragement, access & continued support. My main motivation for creating an art career that I would love is, to be able to do the two things that I love the most and be HAPPY and IN LOVE with what I do. Most of all, to be able to support and educate as many young people as possible.
Being a Black female who wears her art in her hair and on her skin, I have faced discrimination on many levels. I have been underestimated and been made to feel less than in my field of work and in the society in which I live, but, I have also had some amazing experiences and met some phenomenal humans, who have the same passion and love as I do. I aim to dissolve stereotypes, educate others and provide a safe space for those who may not feel as though they have one via my artwork, no matter what race you are, gender, age.
Here’s to a new beginning!
See you all soon!
If you would like a website built, use my link!
Click here
STAY ARTY|STAY CREATIVE|STAY MULTICOLOURED|KEEP TAKING UP SPACE