At first glance, the individuals who make up Small World International stand out from passersby. Most of them carry themselves in such a way that their “freshness” is almost palpable.
Most of the individuals that comprise the group have adopted their artist names and will rarely go by their real names.
Small World International is a group of artists founded in 2012 by LSU alumna and former women’s basketball manager Ebonie Mathews.
The origin of the group comes from Mathews’ love for sports, music and the arts. She was first introduced to the art scene by University alumnus Patrick Melon. Everything happened organically after that as most of the members grew together as individuals at LSU.
On paper, Small World International is an entertainment label, but according to University graphic design junior and member of Small World International OeauxNeal, the group is a collective of individuals who are building a foundation, and they want to be self-supported by giving back to their community and their hometowns.
Together, they are pushing culture forward and building with the people around them.
For photographer and former University student Shagari Jackson, the organization is more of a networking group than anything else.
“We have a music side, we have an art side, we have a professional side. We have doctors we can recommend to you, most of us went to LSU. So we have an extensive network of people that we’ve met,” Jackson said. “Any field you can name, we have someone that we can reach out to sort of point you in the right direction. All of our friends are into the arts, all of them support what we do.”
For Mathews, what this group does differently compared to other entertainment companies or labels is focusing more on art as a development and not the actual product.
Small World International’s headquarters is located in downtown Baton Rouge, but according to visual artist and creative director Lord Huey, Small World International is a global organization.
Jackson said the collective’s inner circle is a tight-knit group of 13 to 15 people, but it also has a vast number of people they recommend.
OeauxNeal said one of the biggest priorities for the group is to stay relevant, to stay alive and to stay “fresh.”
“We kind of have the leeway because we do have so many talents and so many different individuals from all over Louisiana who are into so many different fields that it wouldn’t make sense to just stay in one lane,” OeauxNeal said.
To be able to stay fresh today, OeauxNeal said people have stay in tune with themselves and not be influenced by what’s happening around them.
“We believe in energy, we believe [in] thinking positively all day,” OeauxNeal said. “If you are comfortable in your own skin, there should be no problem. People should accept you if you accept yourself for who you are.”
On the art side, Jackson said, in order to stay relevant, there has to be the need to learn new techniques, and there is always something that can be learned from peers and new and old artists. The key to receive positive information is to stay humble, grounded and openminded.
The members of Small World International meet mainly on campus, but they also have met through friends. OeauxNeal said one of the main reasons the group was created was that Mathews’ energy and vibe is so contagious it allowed current members to want to follow her lead.
Members of the collective also have learned from past mistakes. They all agreed that at times they have let the wrong people in and had to push some members away.
“It’s hard to just let anyone in, for me it just [has] to be organic,” Mathews said. “We are firm believers of vibrations and of energy, and if it aligns, I’m open to it.”
The direction the group is taking might seem jumbled at times, but they all have one common goal — longevity.
Mathews said everyone might have different goals when it comes to individual creations, but they all come together to form a bigger picture, which is building a nation through creation.
“We think bigger,” OeauxnealNeal said. “We want to change people’s mind states and lifestyles and make them realize what’s good for their mind and body.”

Gallery • 2 Photos

Javier Fernández

Core members of Small World International host “Live in The Sky” arts and performing show on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at the Shaw Center.