Young, Original & Black Aisha Oxley

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.

CONNECT WITH DAVON
Instagram: @daybydavon

DAVON’S “CREATIVES YOU SHOULD KNOW”
Toaster Henderson, poet and teaching artist: @hiimtoaster
Devin Allen, photographer: @bydvnlln
Dave Gaines, poet: @davegpoetry

CREDITS
Produced by Aisha Oxley
Audio Mixing & Engineering by Melody Rowell at Yellow Armadillo Studios
Original theme music by Jason Ivy and Chris Bivins
Original Music "Lapis Lazuli" by Sarah the Illstrumentalist

CONNECT WITH YO&B
Official IG: @young_original_andblack
Aisha’s personal IG: @aishainprogress

SEND ME A MESSAGE
aisha@alloriginalbyao.com

“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.

INFO ON DAMIANE’S SOLO SHOW “PASS WITH CARE”
Closing reception is today, July 9th, 2022 from 6-9 pm at The Martin in Chicago
Exhibition info

CONNECT WITH DAMIANE
Instagram: @notaplantshop

DAMIANE’S “CREATIVES YOU SHOULD KNOW”
IB, Founder of Refine Collective: IG @ibonitt
Lexander Bryant, photographer and visual artist: IG @orgnzd.visuals

CREDITS
Produced by Aisha Oxley
Audio Mixing & Engineering by Melody Rowell at Yellow Armadillo Studios
Original theme music by Jason Ivy and Chris Bivins
Original Music "Lapis Lazuli" by Sarah the Illstrumentalist

CONNECT WITH YO&B
Official IG: @young_original_andblack
Aisha’s personal IG: @aishainprogress

SEND ME A MESSAGE
aisha@alloriginalbyao.com

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.

CREDITS
Produced by Aisha Oxley
Audio Mixing & Engineering by Melody Rowell at Yellow Armadillo Studios
Original theme music by Jason Ivy and Chris Bivins
Original Music "Lapis Lazuli" by Sarah the Illstrumentalist

CONNECT WITH YO&B
Official IG: @young_original_andblack
Aisha’s personal IG: @aishainprogress

SEND ME A MESSAGE
aisha@alloriginalbyao.com

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:

@aishainprogress

@young_original_andblack

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:

on Instagram

Keep up with Aisha and the show on Instagram:

@aishainprogress

@young_original_andblack

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 Instagram

on Twitter

Keep up with Aisha and the show on Instagram:

@aishainprogress

@young_original_andblack