We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful André Ramos-Woodard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with André below.
André, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Hmm.. well, I guess the most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on a project called “a mediocre-ass nigga”. It’s a project that I started in graduate school when I was kind of at my lowest. I had just moved from Texas to New Mexico, so I was in an entirely new landscape with entirely new people; not to mention it was the first time I’d lived away from my family and closest friends. I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Even though I had my husband by my side, it was rough getting used to a new life without so many of my loved ones. The city I was now living in was also only 3% Black, so my feelings of being the outsider were only amplified by the fact that I couldn’t even see myself much in the people I was interacting with on a day-to-day basis. All this loneliness along with school stress ramped up my depression; every day I felt like banging my head against a wall until I knocked myself out. It was in the midst of all this emotional struggle that I decided art would be the best way to get my thoughts out and deal with my current situation. After all, I’ve always used art to investigate my personal experience, so why not use it as a coping mechanism?
“a mediocre-ass nigga” essentially is a personal project that tackles my experience as a Black man in this world, the negative thoughts that ruminate in my head due to having depression, and the stereotypes placed upon vulnerable or emotional Black men. Aesthetically, it’s an amalgamation of various photographic explorations–still life, archival imagery, photo manipulation, and collage all live amongst each other in the series. My varied use of aesthetic techniques speaks to the complexities of what it’s like to constantly struggle with these negative emotions; in my opinion, the experiences of suffering from mental health problems and racial discriminations aren’t ones that can be encapsulated or explained simply.
Though the work comes from my direct experience with life, I hope that other people–especially other Black people–may relate to what I’m getting at in my work, and find some solace in the fact that they’re not alone in their suffering.
André, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is André Ramos-Woodard (he/they), and I’m a contemporary photo-based artist born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve always been a creative person; from re-drawing anime characters in my childhood to picking up my first camera in high school, I’ve always searched for ways to express myself and explore the world around my artistically.
To get more into what brought to where I am today, I took my first photography course in the tenth grade. To be honest, I remember disliking it a hell of a lot. My teacher was a great one, but he was [rightfully] focused on teaching us the mechanics of using SLRs and DSLRs, and I was incredibly eager to skip all that stuff and just make pretty pictures. In actuality, it wasn’t until the end of the school year that I became really invested in the medium. I ended up constantly spending my time on the computer looking through the “Explored” page of Flickr.com, being mesmerized by the various ways that people were using their cameras and Photoshop to showcase the world around them. I became obsessed. It was then that I knew I wanted photography to be a significant aspect of the rest of my life.
As a maker, I tend to use photography to explore identity. As a Black, queer man, I like to highlight the fact that I’m proud to be a part of the “othered” communities that I belong to, so these themes come through in my work a lot. Alongside this, I’m a bit of a nerd. I’ve always loved anime, cartoons, and varied forms of low-brow art, and I’m trying to find new ways to breathe that energy into my work as well.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I honestly think the most rewarding part of being an artist is being supported by and having camaraderie with other artists. ‘Cause man, being an artist ain’t no joke! It’s a constant struggle. I mean, it’s a constant push and pull between self-confidence and self-doubt. Not everyone is going to get (or even care about) what you’re making, so you’ve got to muster up a lot of self-motivation. Plus, a vast majority of us are doing this because we love it, not for a paycheck. No one quite understands and appreciates the ins and outs of that struggle like another artist.
I’ve made so many amazing friends and met so many wonderful creators through school, art openings, portfolio reviews, work, and even Instagram. When I feel down about my art, not only can I look at the work of some of my comrades to get inspired, but I can also rest assured that there are other people experiencing the same thing: having their own struggles, going through their own artists’ blocks. Nevertheless, they always push through. I find some comfort in seeing the resiliency of other artists in the community.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
When I was younger, I don’t think there were as many websites that compiled opportunities for artists–especially photographers–so it’s hard to say I wish I knew about them as opposed to wishing they were around. I used to use a sole website called Photo Contest Insider (which is still a thing) to find opportunities, but nowadays many more have emerged. Lenscratch, Glasstire, CaFE (Call for Entry), and NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) have become some of the best places to find all kinds of ways for artists to show their work and acquire funding for their practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andreramoswoodard.com
- Instagram: @andreduane
Image Credits
Artwork by André Ramos-Woodard