We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Kandé recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

How did you learn to do what you do?: So, I currently draw and do photography. I am self taught in drawing and learned how to draw through daily practice! I am also self taught in photography and I learned a lot during the gaps of time between my several photoshoots I’ve done so far. Observation, building and developing my taste by reading plenty of 00’s hip hop and fashion magazines across different eras (VIBE, Spin, XXL, Bibi, Replica man), the many photobooks I own and find in the library, and studying favorite visual artists such as Gabriel Moses, Renell Medrano, Cassia Agyeman, Obi Agwam.

What could I do to speed up my learning process?: I would like to surround myself with more artistic and ambitious peers and take on more projects that can challenge me, and expose me to the vast amount of possibilities within creativity and art.

What skills do you think were most essential?: For drawing, I would for sure say the literal fundamentals. Learn how to draw from real life references before drawing from animated, already drawn out references. For photography, STUDY LIGHT. STUDY LIGHTTTT! Observe light in your every day life. Screenshot everything. Find people to break down your favorite shots with. Understanding light is the best and perhaps fastest way to evolve as an artist.

What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?: My ego prevented me from leaving my comfort zone for a very long time. Primarily with drawing. I let my ego convince me that I am too good to fail. To fall short of my initial vision. I let my ego make me forget where I came from artistically. It’s an every day challenge to get over, for sure. That’s what perseverance is for.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

About myself: I am a 22 year old photographer born in Atlanta, GA, raised in Chattanooga, TN, now living in Chicago, IL. I have been creating art since I was 11 years old through various mediums such as graphic design, drawing, and as of February 2024, photography. I am also very into music and prose poetry.

How I got into my craft(s): I owe a lot of my influence to the internet and proximity to my mother’s artistic materials on hand. I grew up homeschooled and isolated, which lead to me using the internet as a tool to learn myself, and what I was into.
This lead to me discovering artists that encouraged me to try out graphic design at 11 on my crappy android phone and eventually, a computer.
I picked drawing at 15 when my mother gifted me a drawing material set and a sketchbook for Christmas, and I RAN with it.
I got into photography February 2024 during a period of no creative output for several months. I was inspired to pick up photography after seeing the work of my friend Cassia Agyeman whose skill and creative vision at the same age, made me realize that I can do it too.

What I want people to know about me and my work: I want people to know that my work is as much a product of my environment of my mind, and very relative to who I am as a person. You may be able to tell why my creations look the way they do after after having a conversation with me. My art isn’t made with any specific vision or intention at this point of time. I go for what looks cool and makes me feel good, rather than pursuing any underlying meaning. It just flows out of me.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I would say the most rewarding thing about being a creative is me being able to marvel at my own work and not be hyper critical of it any time down the line. The way my admiration for other artists is so sincere, so potent, being able to see myself in this same light, to pour this love into myself into myself is a blessing. I am someone who spends a lot of time in his head. I can be insecure. So for me, this is an air like no other. I know who I am and where I am going.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I would say my mission on my creative journey, is to be a light for people who come from small cities to know that they are incandescent and can go beyond the limiters placed on them whether by proxy of peers or general aura of their environment. As an artist and person, I want people to see me and realize themselves at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kanderain.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanderain/
• Twitter: https://x.com/kanderain/media
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Kanderain

Image Credits

All photographs and drawings courtesy of Brandon Kandé