To many, Dwight White was always destined for greatness, however, in the beginning it was not about art at all. Being the son of two extremely athletic parents in Texas, his life seemed predetermined. He was going to be a top tier athlete. Starting at the age of seven, his day to day revolved heavily around two things; football and school. On rare occasions, Dwight would have some down time in between. He often used this time to draw. Art gave him a different sense of freedom that didn't exist on the field. Regardless, his creative emotions were left on the back burner, as he reached for his helmet. "
"I've always been a creative deep down. I just never made time for it."
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The Hit That Changed It All
While the creative flame quietly burned, Dwight continued his pursuit for athletic excellence instilled within him from childhood. The story of his life was being written in a positive yet predictable fashion... that is until the unpredictable happened. During his junior year of college football, he was hit so hard that it caused internal bleeding. Upon further inspection, doctors discovered something unusual. Dwight White was born with just one kidney and it had already sustained some damage. At this point if he continued to play football the results could be fatal. Severely depressed, he was left with no choice but to walk away from the only life he knew.
"Super Lu" by Dwight White II
photo credit
You came to Northwestern as a student-athlete. How did you discover your artistic side?
Painting was one of the things that came about as I was trying to redefine and explore myself while also battling mental health issues. Art was the thing that got me out of dark places. I actually started painting during my senior year at Northwestern, just before I graduated. I took an intro to painting course, and that’s the only painting class I’ve ever taken.