Young, Original & Black

What role does sampling or borrowing play in making art? Do you feel special pressure to reinvent the wheel or make something groundbreaking as a black artist? Should you make a burner account for your art? (The answer is yes.) I dug into these questions and more in this episode with Davon Clark, a poet, photographer and all-around creative. We explored all things form and function as it relates to being a young, black artist creating both the work and ourselves in the social media age.

“The inputs don’t go anywhere.” This is what visual artist and relationship manager, Damiane Nickles, discovered after several years when he wasn’t actively making art. While he explored careers in hospitality, food systems, and eventually launched his business, Not a Plant Shop, he was collecting some invaluable “inputs” that would lead him back to painting. In our conversation, we dig into Damiane’s journey as he found his way into the arts, out of it, and back again, how he balances his day job and career as a complement to his art practice, and his insights on creating in general.

What would your art diary sound like? How would you describe your process when you’re in the midst of it? What about after? I asked myself those questions (and more) and the result was a series of “dispatches” — raw, mostly uncensored voice notes that I used to track my artistic process and the contexts for it. In this season 3 opener, you’ll hear from versions of myself spanning over a year as my artistic perspective and priorities evolved with my life and the world around me.

It’s no longer black history month, but let’s be honest: black history is year round. In this special solo episode, I share fun facts about two of my favorite black creative icons, Sade and Nina Simone, plus my reviews of two TV shows rooted in black history that have been inspiring me, Snowfall and Queen Sugar.

Keep up with Aisha and the show on Instagram:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I chatted with some black creatives about what dating is like as a creative. In this second minisode, I talked to Morgan Jackson, an up and coming photographer and videographer, about why respect is the baseline for all her relationships, dating other creatives, and who gives the best gifts.

Follow Morgan and her work:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I chatted with some black creatives about what dating is like as a creative. In this first minisode, I talked to Lena Townsell, who’s both an art therapist in the making and a jack of all trades creative, about how she sets boundaries in relationships, what it means to be demisexual, how she lets people know she is not chill, and more.

Follow Lena and her work:

On today’s episode, we’re trying something different to close out the year! UK-based singer and songwriter Lucy DK joins me for a chat about the work from black creatives that has been inspiring us to keep creating. See below for our picks and their respective timestamps:

10:00  I May Destroy You, Michael Coel (Drama TV Series) TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT

16:49 Homie by Danez Smith (Poetry Book)

30:16 I Can Make You Feel Good, Tyler Mitchell (Photography Exhibition and Photo Book)

45:33 For Broken Ears, Tems (R&B/Afrobeats EP)

53:25 Portraits, Bisa Butler (Visual Art Exhibition)

01:02:24 Ho, why is you here?, Flo Milli (Hip Hop/Rap album)

Follow Lucy and her work:

In this episode, I talked with Nikk Rich, a beauty and lifestyle photographer whose gorgeous images center black women. We discussed:

• The sacrifices she’s made to pursue photography: from 4 hour bus rides to her internship in NYC and waitressing for a year to fund her move to LA
  
• The advice she’d give to younger black photographers
  
• Why she chooses to shoot black women
  
• How she approaches the conversation around representation in creative industries
  
• And much more…
  

Follow Nikk and her work:

In this episode, I was honored to speak with Aurielle Lucier, a poet and radical organizer whose resume has firmly established her as both. We discussed:

• How she uses storytelling to make the movement more relatable
  
• The role of artists in kick starting our collective imagination
  
• & Why pace is so important to the longevity of artists/organizers in the movement
  
• … & much more!
  

Follow Aurielle and her work:

In this episode, I share some solo reflections after my recent 26th birthday and other developments that have brought me peace in my creative journey. I recap my nonlinear career path in the first half of my twenties, my top 3 lessons from those years, and what I’m manifesting in my creative journey going forward. 

Keep up with me and the show:

We’re back for season 2! In this episode, I was honored to speak with bria royal, a quiet force. They’re a multidisciplinary creative whose work spans animation, visual effects, comix, zines, painting, and more. We talked about their journey to finding their voice as both an artist and activist simultaneously, what it means to heal radically, and why making the thing you really want to make can be hard, but so necessary.

Find bria:

In this episode, I welcomed the very first guest of the show: Jason Ivy! He’s an R&B singer, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, activist and generally a lovely person. We talked about his background growing up in Chicago, studying neuroscience, what manifestation means to him, everything he’s got in the works and much more…

Find Jason: