Smith has spoken on her use of words in the past, stating that “I am ____ can be a powerful statement of self-declaration. Phrases from various sources like; “I exist as I am, that is enough…”Walt Whitman, Song of Myself; “I been comin’ to where I am from the get-go…” Pass the MIC, MCA from Beastie Boys; “I shall become a collector of me,” Wounded in the House of a Friend, Sonia Sanchez. Lines of lyrics, phrases of affirmation or praise poetry are layered within all my works of gestural writing. Together they form new mantras that guide my hand and affect the energy of my brushstrokes.”