Today we’d like to introduce you to Jahvae York

Hi Jahvae, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

Growing up, my grandfather had an old film camera in the house. Picture one of the ones that you’d have to crank to operate and that was my very first one. Shortly after, my love for photography and the arts skyrocketed, I was always drawing or had a camera in hand. In middle school, I had an art teacher who stressed the importance of art being “perfect” and if it didn’t fit those standards she would tear up said work. That experience changed my perspective on art in general and what I wanted to do with it and have my message be. Throughout my life my family always supported me, whether it was buying me cameras or talking through concepts with me. My mom has always made it a point to show me all the career paths available to me and instilled in me that I didn’t have to just fill a box and that I could do whatever I wanted. She took me on trips and tried to show me the world as much as she could. After graduating high school, I attended The New York Film Academy and just recently graduated as well. Now I’m trying to navigate my life as an artist and business owner, taking opportunities as they come and seeing what life has to offer.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

No I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road at all but I’m all the more happier for that. Coming from Indiana and moving to New York was a struggle in itself. From the journey to actually getting here to now learning how to survive here is a struggle. I am also in the process of trying to start my own business. I prefer to take the challenge than to take the easy road. I am a bit hard headed that way but I also feel like I learn so much more that way, by actually going through it and experiencing life, however difficult that may be.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

Today, I would consider myself a mixed media artist and that consists of multiple outlets; scanning, drawing, photography, printing. Most of the work I do is digital art and done on the computer. I understand most of the world may not take me seriously using this mode but with the messages and feelings my art provokes, they’re bound to. Going to the New York Film Academy I was able to hone and train my skills and allowed to get a lot of real world experience. I met great people along the way and received a beneficial education and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I think that the fact that I do digital work itself sets me apart from a lot of artists in industry as well as the messages my art sends.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?

I think my creativity and imagination are characteristics important to my success. My ability to adapt my thinking and actions while working on projects is what helped me create some of the works you’ve seen before. People would describe me as an out of the box thinker and problem solver which are both tools that I lean on in my day to day life. To me success looks like me looks like my impact, not just in the art industry but politically, and in terms of the whole world. I want the next generation to learn from what I’m doing and hopefully to inspire future artists and concepts. I want to see how my thoughts and art provoked someone else’s thoughts and their art and so on and so on. There’s something special to be said about the art community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahvaeyork/profilecard/?igsh=MW4zOXV3dTlxODF3Mw==
• Other: https://dot.cards/shopblackyankee

Image Credits

Jahvae York-photographer/mixed media artist

Mya Prescod-writer/photos Assistant

Shauna Persaud-photographer/photo assistant

Fili Dominguez-photographer/photo assistant