And with that, we’re wrapped on shooting this month! We had eight portrait shoots today, a full slate. My team and I had high hopes, at least we thought we did, but we’ve been blown away by the outpour of support. Everyone who signed up was a blast to have in the studio. Thank you to Mars and back for contributing to the cause. On a special note, my team and I really appreciate you guys abiding by our Covid protocols and helping maintain a safe environment. We had individuals

"That's what we need... it starts with a conversation," said, Jamie Blunt the founder of Brown Girls Mentoring. We sat in my studio and discussed ways that we can help bridge the gap between races. Don't let the picture above fool you, Jamie Blunt means BUSINESS. You have to know your "stuff" when you have over 50 Black girls and their families looking to you for guidance. Jamie grew up in the King-Lincoln District and knew that she wanted to invest in her community and speci

"I wanted a name that tied me back to my Nigerian roots and settled on Julie Mango, which is the type of tree that sits right in front of my grandparents’ estate in my mother’s village back home," Vivian told us in the studio this past weekend. She stole our breath from the first. Vivian Edoja, a 31-year-old stylist, model, and owner of Julie Mango, was born in Columbus, Ohio to Nigerian immigrant parents. Dawned out of a desire to not only share her love for the timelessness

Joseph Holbert is Joey Aich; Aich is Holbert. The Cleveland (Woodmere) native, started performing in 2017 locally. His music is a satisfying mix of backpack and jazz rap. He brings a youthful spin to that old, soulful sound. Being a rapper and the son of the Mayor of Woodmere Village, a vision of his style starts to take shape. He takes on a litany of themes in music. From his first Single release “Rope Break,” a track about overcoming doubt and tough circumstances to find su

As the Brooklyn-based educator and author, Cornelius Minor said, "It is not how do we return to normal, but how do we return to better?" We can only do this by amplifying, centering, and celebrating our Black Community 365 days a year. #CenteringBlackVoices This is how we enact meaningful change, together, as one. We have reached out to local Black creatives who we feel everyone should know. This month we will be using our platform to highlight their art, stories, beauty, an

Columbus artist Lisa McLymont is an inspiration to all those who know her. She was the obvious choice to kick this portrait series off. Our paths crossed a few years back, and I think of her often. We had a ball at our photoshoot. We asked her about her year in review and where she sees her art and business moving forward, and we’ll try our best to share her thoughts and amplify her stories. Lisa’s 2020 had challenges known to other artists; however, she’s always had an inter

This Black History Month it’s important to remember that these celebrations of the Black Community can’t just be confined to February. I celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community year-round, not just in June (that’s for sure). If we want to enact meaningful change, we have to acknowledge, center, and celebrate the Black Community 365, but while we work towards that, maybe more ears and hopefully more wallets will open this month in 2021, and if that’s the case and we can help out more n