I don’t have the cure to racism and discrimination, but I will say this. At 12 years old, my mom sent me to China for three weeks in a program for kids to experience a world beyond their own. I played soccer with Chinese kids, stayed with a non English speaking Chinese family of 4, and experienced a group of college students taking a big group picture with me because they’ve never seen a person with my skin or hair before. I grew up in an extremely diverse community in Northern Virginia where every culture, color, and language made up my High School population. My friend group was never just black. They were asian, African, middle eastern, hispanic, and white. We never were disturbed by our differences; we embraced them. One time my friend from Algeria showed me the Qur’an for the first time and translated some of its text. I thought it was beautiful. I know everyone didn’t have such a diverse upbringing and your friend group may consist of people who mostly look just like you. However, I highly encourage you to get to know somebody who looks different than you do. Someone who eats food you’ve never tried, listen to music you’ve never heard, or watch a film in a language you don’t speak. You may find beauty in a different land or culture. You may find a new really good friend. You may even fall in love.

As positive as I usually am about life, the struggle of my people this past week has left me emotionally exhausted. As much as I will be active in this fight, I need to breathe for my mental sanity. My art is my number one way of expressing myself. That being said, this Sunday I’m going to pour into my fellow black artist and have a free and open shoot for black artists, dancers, photographers, designers, musicians, ect. I want to boost your professional pages with visuals to help brand yourselves. To help the world see how beautiful you and your black art is. To control the flow while being mindful of Covid-19 please DM me for details if you’d like to participate. #blackartmatters 🤎

It could have been me. It still could be me. #blackouttuesday

I’ve always loved my brown skin. I’ve never & will never understand why its color brings anger & hatred out of others. In another frustrating time, I wanted to share a small collection out of a plethora of brown skinned bodies I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating through photographs. How could one not love this brown skin? My skin is brown and I love it.

We fly high, no lie, and you know this ⛹🏽‍♂️🏀

Till the next adventure💭

To answer the same question I’ve been getting a ton in the DM’s & in emails, YES I am still shooting in the pandemic. You can still book a shoot and be safe. I have plenty of lenses to stay 6 feet away, trust☝🏽 😆Outdoor shoots are officially legal again in Chicago now so let’s create some fiyaa and make life feel normal and exciting again! Art survives 🥳 Also, I want to thank everyone that has continued to book me or give me fun editing video projects to work on. It means the world as a full time creator when so much is uncertain right now. Photo by @shotbyboc !

Quarantine Birthdays 🎈

Welcome to my puppy portrait collection😍🥺Which one is the cutest to you & deserves all the snuggles?