r e p p issue three
MAGAZINE
spring/summer 2018
all about She’Chinah M EET SH A E C OL E
TH E EMPO WE R ME NT IS S UE
ME E T T HO MA S A HN Y VON
Small town native and
Our readers showed us how they
Photographer, Thomas Ahny Von’s
photographer, Shae Cole inspires us
feel empowered in this issue with
“punchy” style is sure to keep you
with her ambition and dedication to
their amazing submissions.
intrigued.
her craft.
Photography by Yomira Arrese
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empowerment ( no u n) • th e pro c e s s of b e comi ng s trong e r and m o re co nf i d e nt, es p e ci ally i n controlli ng one ’s l i f e a nd clai mi ng one ’s ri g h ts .
About us No one can tell our stories better than we can. our voices, our lives, and our art-forms matter. representation shapes our culture and influences the world around us. Which is why it is ims e nd us yo ur s ubmis s io ns portant that we’re seen.
Who are we?
Wanna be featured in the next issue of
Repp Magazine is an online mag providing a space for black creatives to express, connect, and share their art with the world. It is important that we see ourselves in these spaces, showing that we do exist and we’re not going anywhere. not only for ourselves but, for future generations to come. Let’s Repp!
Shoot us an email:
Repp Magazine? contact@reppmagazine.com __________________________________
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What’s inside?
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Thomas Ahny Von
The Empowerment Issue
0 8 Empower me! Playlist We’ve curated a nice playlist to keep you empowered.
2 0 The boy on the train Impeccable photography by Saint Hale featuring model, Tyler Bruce.
2 4 Live feed A creative writing piece by Momo the Poet on police brutality.
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Tyler Novi
Chidinma Obinnakwelu
3 8 Meet Shae Cole Small town photographer Shae Cole talks about support from the black community and more...
4 4 All about she’chinah Meet our issue three cover star, She’Chinah. Get to know this creative.
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CONTRIBUTORS v is u al artist Celeste Lindsey Erin Mitchell
PH OTO G RAP HER S É me r a ud e Mbuku
Yomira Arrese Thomas Ahny Von
Émeraude is a graduate student at Ryerson University
Shae Cole
studying Documentary Media. In her spare time, she
ArielBrianna Gary
enjoys writing, discovering new music, and watching movies.
Ashley Wolve
@labaguettenoir
Courtney Little Saint Hale Chidinma Obinnakwelu
A ma nda Jo ne s
Tyler Novi
Amanda is currently a student at JSCC majoring in art. She is a God-fearing young woman who is a time
Mo dels /s t yli st
traveler when it comes to music and enjoys painting and drawing in her down time. Her motto is to always
Brittney Clark
be true to yourself and others around you.
Aleena Bright
@z.esta
Sarah Latham Nard Geia Tyler Bruce Jerome Parker
Writers /P oets Yrebiyam Darien Whitfield Émeraude Mbuku Momo The Poet
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LETTERS FROM EDITOR
“ A s cre a ti ve s, a mazi ng th i ng s can b e b i rth e d th ro u g h f e e l i ng conf i de nt i n your work and yours e lf.”
There are so many moments in life that come in waves. The highs, the lows, the middle tides. I live for the moments that make me feel confident in what I do and who I am. Little things that make me feel empowered are those moments when I nail a photoshoot I was anxious about or when I stress out so much about a project and it’s well received. I believe we can find empowerment even through difficult situations. The key to empowerment is recognizing and owning your power. As creatives, amazing things can be birthed through feeling confident in your work and yourself. I hope that we will all continue to empower each other in this season, because we’re all we got.
Diona Reneé Diona reneÉ
@dionareneee 7
Empower me! Playlist
Curated by Julia Burow & Diona BAllard
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10 Songs that are sure to make you feel like a champ and get stuff done! • Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine • The Middle - Jimmy Eat World • Coming Out - Diana Ross • Bounce Back - Big Sean • Warrior - Chloe X Halle • Unstoppable - Sia • i - Kendrick Lamar • I Like That - Janelle Monae • Feeling Good - Nina Simone • Titanium - David Guetta ft Sia
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Photography
Meet Thomas Ahny Von T h i s F l o r i d a ba s e d cre ati ve de s cri b e s h i s work a s “ pu nch y ” l i f e style and fas h i on p h otog rap h y. Ge t to k now m o re ab out th i s dazzli ng cre ati ve .
What’s some background information about yourself that you don’t mind sharing with our readers? (Where are you from? What’s your story? What makes you YOU?)
All of this was on a whim; my subconscious was leading me on a profound journey. When my first camera arrived in the mail, sparks of inspiration pushed me to go out and take photos more and more. That’s when I knew I loved it. From there, researching the culture and the icons of
I am simultaneously a full time student of life
photography and cinematography further
and a creator. For me, it’s really important
deepened my romance. Photography
to be introspective when creating art. I’ve
is also a real challenge for me. A photo
been an artist for as long as I can remem-
happens in a fraction of a second. Trying
ber. I was born an only child, so I grew up
to hit the shutter button at the “right
making drawings and paintings to entertain
moment” makes time stand still as I’m
myself and make sense of my take on life.
peeping through the viewfinder.
I’ve always used my imagination as a tool to
How would you best describe your style of photography?
explore and come up with new ideas.
How did your love of photography come to be?
My own brand of high culture with a cerebral edge.
My affair with photography was completely accidental and totally spontaneous. I had a strong and random urge to buy a camera. So, when I had the opportunity I saved up, did some research and purchased a camera that I thought would be best for me.
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What are some challenges you’ve face so far in your career so far? Did you overcome it?
“ I’ m l ea r ni ng th a t i nsp i r a ti on
Staying on top of projects and keeping up with appointments was
c om es a n d go e s, a nd i t’s be st to
brutal early on. It’s the tedious stuff that everyone hates. I just
d ee p l y a cce p t th a t.
like being able to create, but there’s a huge business side to being an artist. It’s like 50/50, I would say. I’ve had to learn not to resist the times where I have to sit and do things that I may deem as boring or mundane. It’s all a part of the art.
What are some short/long term goals you have for yourself?
How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you’re uninspired?
My short term goals are to continue evolving and growing as
I’m learning that inspiration comes and goes, and it’s best to
a person. To continue praticing love, acceptance and focus.
deeply accept that. When I’m inspired, I try my best to ride that
For me, this is the place where truth and art will originate.
momentum into creating something beautiful even if its only a
This is a lifelong journey, but a short term goal because I
sketch. When I’m uninspired, I don’t freak out like I have many
have to work to practice it everyday.
times before. I live my life and do things that fulfill me. I eat lots of fruit. I go and hang out with my friends and trust that the next wave of inspiration will hit me. Everything works in seasons.
My long term goal is to have my art recognized around the globe.
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Do you have a fellow photographer that you admire or are influenced by?
As a black creative, why is representation important to you?
I’m a huge fan of Gordon Parks. I think he’s one of the best
There’s so many facets and layers to black people and
artists that ever lived. I love everything Andy Warhol ever
black culture. It’s pivotal that the world gets to
did. His photography of celebrities is great and nothing like
understand and experience the beauty of it all.
my own. My favorites were the shots he took of Muhammad Ali.
What is your favorite subject matter to shoot? I love street photography and I love portrait photography. Two totally different genres of photography, but I love them both! So I don’t know which one I like shooting more; the grungy
Our theme for our third issue is empowerment, what makes you feel empowered? Lately what’s been making me feel empowered, is maturity and growth. Being able to not let negative vibes affect my own energy. You can convert negative energy into positive energy! Just being on a natural high makes me feel empowered. Staying conscious and aware of my body, the foods I eat, and energies I consume is
inner workings of city life, or my beautiful model friends.
empowering to me. Knowing that everything is connected, and by that same rule; everything I do fuels the art I’ll create next. Also, seeing others create and reach their goals is really empowering to me.
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Artwork by Celeste Lindsey 16
The
empowerment
Issue
So many of you sent your best submissions for our theme this month: empowerment. It was the most submissions we’ve ever had. We love you, guys! Enjoy some of our top submissions by amazing and diverse creatives.
featured work: Celeste Lindsey (@ cece.draws.stuff) is a twenty year old multimedia artist from san antonio, texas and her piece centers the strength and fierceness of black women.
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“Power Over Evil” We delegate amongst ourselves the dehydration of demons They gets no living water, the well Filled with plenty pennies but the mirror, The mirror seems clearer when the light is on And windex provided, yo sight ain’t gone Stop grieving dead weight, keep fighting on They gets no possession Although pressure pressing heavy, these levys don’t break They come with hell fire, we swerve on ice skates This message penetrate, craniums Crack open ya heart Relax yo soul God gave you power For this I know
Yrebiyam (@yrebiyam) is an upstart hip hop artist out of Tennessee. His origins of music come from spoken word. His piece is all about God empowering us to fight not only literal demons but also our figurative demons.
“Kinship” Originating from Birmingham,AL, Erin Mitchell is an artist, educator, and resident artist of AMFM Gallery, Chicago,IL. Her work focuses on the representation of black women in art. More from Mitchell can be found at www.erinleannworks.com. @itserinleann Photography: Ashley Wolve
Models: Brittney Clark (@iambclark) & Erin LeAnn (@itserinleann) Photography: Courtney Little (@fmlivenow
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“Empowerment, in my opinion, is self-confidence, passion, and partnership. In most cases, two are better than one, and it’s important to have a support system around to help motivate and support your efforts. Love makes me feel empowered, because although I receive it on the outside, I know that I AM LOVE on the inside, which is the source of all things. Love is my power.” – Arielbriana Gary, broadcast media professional from Birmingham, AL.
Subjects: Aleena Bright & Sarah Latham
“Micah Njeri Traylor” My name is reminiscent of God. It holds the weight of burden Cast by the tasks he gives me. An everlasting appreciation evokes a Holy consecration of my temple. Never will I forget what he went through for me. Juxtaposing himself with evil so that I may see Eternity and dwell in his presence. It is only Right that I bound myself in righteousness. I was bred for a greater purpose, his service. Tis not my intention to be pretentious, but Rigorous in getting you to understand that A warrior of God is before You. Let it never be misunderstood that I bask in myself. Only through him do I acquire my confidence and Regalia because he has given me a kingdom that I will cherish forever. Amen.
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Darien Whitfield is a twenty year old writer from Jackson, TN. He writes short stories and poems to fully express ideas his heart and mind won’t let him understand in regular, everyday language.
The Boy On The Train Photography by Saint Hale (@sainthale)
Stylist: Nard Geia (IG: @nard.geia) Model: Tyler Bruce (IG: @sirtyjuly)
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Photography by Chidinma Obinnakwelu 24
Live feed
We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special news broadcast. What you are about to see is graphic in nature, but it is not new. Only a continuation of yesterday’s news. This will probably also be tomorrow’s news too. Today, another black body was killed. We have the footage here. If you listen closely you can hear him saying “I can’t breathe” “I need my inhaler” “It’s just my phone” “Please don’t shoot” “Don’t shoot” “Don’t shoot” “Don’t shoot” The internet is in an uproar calling for another protest. Calling out the politicians. Going unheard. After all those are the 99%’s problems. We got 99 problems and all of them were caught on camera. I swear one day this gon be a 60 Minutes special. Here come the hashtags. Here come the poems, please hold all the art until further notice. If you wait until tomorrow you’ll have another name to weave into your work. And we have more footage like this in the archives. More murders caught on camera, more thoughts and prayers instead of changes, but I guess if it ain’t broke you don’t fix it right? You know paid suspension don’t fix it right? We both know how this story will end. This happens so often we won’t be outraged for too long. We’ll go back to our regularly scheduled programming. Change the channel. Put on a football game and try to ignore the irony in that. Anything to clear the air of static. Anything to drown out the sound of a final breath. This has been a special broadcast. We will have more on this developing story at 7. Mo (@momothepoet) is a 21 year Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. old poet, who is an avid reader, and
This piece discusses police brutality and its publicity. This is my truth as I have experienced it. 25
lover of all things art; Her passion has always been music, poetry, and the arts as a whole. Poetry is her truth. Being able to find healing through her platform as an artist, is a gift that she is truly thankful for.
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Iche The title of this project is “Iche” which means “different” in Igbo. This is to showcase the diversity among Africans. Photography by Chidinma Obinnakwelu
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Lounging in black Photography by Tyler Novi (@sustopramen) In childhood, Tyler was enamored with story telling. In his adulthood, it still is a driving force in his art. “Being a black artist, it’s almost a duty to create black art from the perspective of black people. As photographers, we are given the opportunity to capture a moment and evoke a barrage of responses from that image.”
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Music
Meet Shae cole S m a l l tow n g i r l wi th b i g dre ams , Sh ae Cole i s re a d y to ta ke th e world b y s torm. You’ll want to k now th i s amb i ti ous cre ati ve .
What’s some background information about yourself that you don’t mind sharing with our readers?
I also played instruments but, not that well. Photography was on the list and at the time I couldn’t afford a camera so I was using my camera on my android device and I started out taking
I come from a very small town, Tren-
pictures of family and myself, doing
ton, Tennessee. I’m a photographer
self portraits. I was using cheap editing
and twenty years of age. I’ll be twen-
software, from the app store. — 2017
ty-two on Christmas Eve of this year.
is when I got my first DSLR.
I’m a freelance graphic designer, and a photographer and sometimes, I do makeup and I’m also a stylist. [laughs] I do it all, I’m like a quadruple threat. I started photography when I was sixteen. [pauses] I was going through a rough patch in my life and was very depressed. I was coming off of a really traumatic experience that I had put myself through and my therapist had given me a list of things to look at so I could find a hobby and keep myself distracted. I always read books and I was always drawing.
How did your love of photography come to be? I realized that I didn’t want to work a day job anymore, I wanted to make this the only career I had and I’m set out to do that. I just lost my job, i worked at a factory and I spent my last paycheck on a new laptop, a camera lens, editing software literally stuff I’ve never had before. So all of this is new to me. I can see so much improvement in my work now that I’ve taken it seriously.
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Photography by Shae Cole 39
“– If I c on ti nu e to to wo r k and p u s h a n d str i ve , I ’l l be f i ne.”
What are some challenges you’ve face so far in your career so far? Did you overcome it? Challenges? I don’t have a car. So scouting and getting to shoots is very difficult. As I mentioned before, I’m from a small town so I live far away from people in larger cities. In the cities is where most of the work is. Agents, photography groups, models, etc. are all in the Memphis or the Nashville
How would you best describe your style of photography?
area. It sucks being told “no” a lot or that people can’t drive that far but, if i continue to work and push and strive, I’ll be fine.
I describe my style of photography as street-urban, a little bit grungy. I want to get into a little bit of editorial photography, and lifestyle.
What are some short/long term goals you have for yourself? My short term goal is to get published by the end of the year. So, CHECK. I want to be able to travel for work and get recognized for my work. I’ve been networking with people from all across the United States. I recently connected with a photographer from Los Angeles named Mickey Mars. She’s very talented and inspires me a lot. She’s only twenty and she’s a woman of color from Chicago. She moved to Los Angeles last year so she could do photography
How do you manage your time? I don’t have a personal life. I am an introvert. I prefer to stay in the house a lot and I don’t really talk to people…at all. My family is kind of the same way and I’m also an insomniac. I’m up editing photos until 5 am until I fall asleep. I take my laptop everywhere and I’m very dedicated to my clients. They’re my top priority. My time revolves around them.
How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you’re uninspired? Pinterest. Every time before a shoot, I look at Pinterest just to motivate me.
and she’s making money. Which I hope to be able to do the same thing, if I just continue to push myself.
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Photography by Shae Cole 41
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Do you have a fellow photographer that you admire or are influenced by?
Our theme for our third issue is empowerment, what makes you feel empowered?
Mickey Mars, she gets to travel a lot. I’m so inspired and moved by her. One day I hope we can collab. Definitely
To feel empowered is to feel great about yourself. Being em-
check out her work everyone!
powered means that you have the confidence to do some-
What is your favorite subject matter to shoot?
thing. Like me, I’m pessimistic but I know what I want and if I want it I’m gonna try to get it. If it doesn’t work out, oh well, back to the drawing board. I had applied two months ago to a collective and I got denied. So I deleted all of my photos
People. I love the humans. *laughs* I love focusing on the
on Instagram and I didn’t put anything back up until I started
eyes. I love to play with eyes. You may have something about
taking pictures again. I started to see a lot more improve-
you that I’ll want to focus on, highlight and shoot.
ment in my work. After that, it made me feel so much better about myself. So last week, I went back and applied again
As a black creative, why is representation important to you?
and got accepted. The lesson is: If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. If you don’t get something the first time it’s the universe telling you that its not your moment, you need
There are a lot of talented people in my town and in the
to work harder or change the way that you’ve been doing
community as a whole that deserve to have spotlight, and
something. You may see a better outcome. I feel like being
deserve to have the same money and the same chances as
rejected by that collective empowered me to do better and
the other people out here getting pushed. Most of the peo-
now that I’ve been accepted I feel like…I’ve accomplished
ple I get support from are from the west coast. If it weren’t
something and it makes me feel better. It’s also empowering
for them I wouldn’t be working for Red Light Management.
when people who doubted me from high school are messag-
If it weren’t for them, I probably would stop photography
ing me asking me for sessions, and telling me I’m good at
right now. I’m gonna continue to push and strive to do better
what I do. So, it’s very empowering to see myself come from
so that the younger people reading this right now or people
where I was and grow with my work. If you would have told
following me on any of my platforms know that if i can do it,
me when I was sixteen that I would be getting interviewed
you can do it. Continue to strive.
by a magazine by the time I’m twenty-one, buying clothes for models, being messaged by brands and stuff, I probably would have laughed.
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All
about h a n i h C ’ She ( @ _ sh ec h i n ah)
Navigating artistry in the age of social media is no easy task, we sat down to chat with neo-soul artist, She’Chinah. by Emeraude Mbuku
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Music
Meet She’CHinah Fro m be i ng a l o ne to navi g ati ng arti s try, we s at d ow n w i th th e tale nte d Me mp h i s nati ve and N e o -S o u l arti s t, Sh e ’Ch i nah
Could you tell me a little bit about yourself? I’m twenty-two and I started my career at the end of 2016, but I’ve been singing all my life. I grew up in church so I had to deal with that battle of which way I would need to go if I actually had to choose [between the two], and I landed here.
And do you come from a musical family or are you the only one that was involved in music?
Gospel music is probably one of the most popular forms of music, especially for Black Americans. That’s where you can get people with power vocals like Whitney Houston and Jennifer Hudson. Do you play an instrument or are you strictly a vocalist? I just sing [laughs]. I tried to get into playing instruments; I went to the University of Memphis and they had us take piano classes in music so I played around with the piano. I got my first
No, everyone in my family does some-
guitar when I was seventeen after I told
thing. My mom sings, my dad sings,
my parents I would learn how to play. I
and my uncles play instruments - they
never did, but I still think about it from
all do something. I grew up around mu-
time to time.
sic completely - of course it’s all gospel music - but it’s still music.
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[Laughs] Exactly! But when did you decide that you wanted to take singing outside of church and into a more professional setting? I really always wanted to be a singer, but wasn’t really encouraged to do so. I was going the whole pre-nursing route because it was just a safety net and I did terrible; my grades were bad and I was just like “this is my passion” and I decided to take a risk.
And what year did you decide that? The end of my second year. I went from a nursing major to a performing arts major, then I switched to a music business major.
So in comparison to a performing arts major, what does a “music business major” entail? Performance majors focus on the craft. When I was in the performing arts major, I was in the mindframe of honing in my craft; I wanted to learn how to sing rather than just doing it. The music business teaches you the business or technical side of the music industry like management, royaties, and distribution. After I felt like I had a good grasp on performance, I wanted to learn about all the stuff that go into actually putting music out. That’s really the difference: music business majors are more so focused on the actual aspect of putting out the music and performance majors are more focused on recitals and knowing repertoire.
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Speaking of collaborations who would be someone that you would love to collaborate with after the release of your EP? Dream or otherwise.
“T h ere’ s s o m u ch d i ve r si ty on my re c ord – I ’ ve re a l l y co l l a bo r ate d a l l m y f avo r i te g e nre s. ”
In regards to music, do you work with other artists - is it a collaborative effort - or do you write your own songs?
I would say it would be a dream to collaborate with Sade or Solange.
So you’re single Anti was released early this year and your debut album was released this month, how has the experience been of releasing an album? When Anti released it was just so different for me because, people can listen to me any time of the day, I’ve never felt what it feels like to actually have something out there. It was so weird
On my EP, Solitaire I wrote the songs. I think there are two
for me, it was like taking off from the starlight and inside it was
tracks made with the help of producers. Sometimes you
still nervous - I could be playing through someone’s speakers
can’t get out what you’re trying to say so you have to get
at any time of the day and wouldn’t even know.
help from other people, but for this project and for this song ing.
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never listened to you?
That’s incredible!
There’s so much diversity on my record - I’ve really col-
that came out, I really did ninety-eight percent of the writ-
laborated all my favourite genres. There are some gospel I’ve been trying to co-write with people and I think it’s im-
elements, some classical elements, R&B, hip-hop, and some
portant for me to learn how to collaborate and to see other
jazz. To box it all in, I’ve mostly been describing it as R&B
people’s minds work and how their wheels turn. So I’ve been
and neo-soul, but we’ll see what people say.
trying to do more collaboration but I’m just into putting up this practice.
What do you do outside of music that contributes to musicality? Writing. I like to write a lot. I also love conversations - insightful conversations because they really help me humble myself and I get to experience life with people. So when I’m not writing, I’m doing something that does contribute to the craft like writing my thoughts down.
Do you think that writing makes you feel more organized? An organized mess because I’m never going back to the piece of paper, I’m never going to go back to the way I did.
“Solitaire” is out now on all streaming platforms. 48
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“I g u e ss I wan t pe ople t o t ake in love .”
And how do you feel about the Internet and its relationship with the music industry? Being a new artist, it’s kind of scary. If Instagram one day decides to fall off or decides to quit like Vine did, I think that I might possibly be in trouble. So I think that finding a way to make a career not based off of social media is harder, but what I’m kinda doing right now. Though it is kind of nerve wracking; I got to figure some things out. People who have their whole career on Instagram is that your career is based that.
What is one thing you want to be remembered by? I guess I want people to take in love. I guess you could say that I want people to look at me or listen to my music or watch me perform and feel love however long they’re listening to me for. I want to spread that positive message of love. As for my EP, I want people to know that it’s okay to be alone. There’s such a negative connotation around the word “alone” and I think that when you’re alone, you really
It worked really well when it had an algorithm and was chronological, but it really makes or breaks people.
find yourself and the time that you need to let yourself grow and develop. During the course of the project, I was very much alone. But the songs are not depressing at all, don’t worry.
Sometimes you get like two hundred likes and sometimes you get ten and it’s just like “why?”
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