Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jahmeir Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jahmeir thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Honestly, I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a creative path, but I didn’t commit until the summer of 2021! My first “artistic” step was learning the art of dance. Before, I was always the quiet kid that sat in the back of the classroom and stayed to himself. However, dance allowed me to express myself and quickly became my ‘superpower’. I joined a dance studio called Philly movements, where I learned to B-boy and learned other forms of dance. During this time, I met my close friends Andrew and Jaelen who were also interested in B-boying as well. We all clicked instantly and began terrorizing the neighborhood anytime we heard a beat or our favorite song! My ability as a dancer grew more and more, and I even wanted to become a dance instructor one day. I loved break dancing and at this point, I only wanted to get better. But as I got older telling people I wanted to be a professional dancer wasn’t going to fly; they said I had to be more ‘Realistic’. This was the first step of my closing off of my creative path, and this ultimately pushed me to stop dancing. I went through high school struggling to understand who I was, and trying to adapt to the traditional system. I thought I wanted to become an engineer, but in reality, I only chose that major because of the money involved. So I went to college and quickly learned that it wasn’t for me, I changed my major to DMT which reopened my creative mind. This change gave me the tools to be creative again and to build my business from scratch. But I didn’t take that creative step until the summer of 21. That summer was influential for me, I was still in school but my friends were making a name for themselves in the art scene in Philadelphia. They pushed me to use my talents and even connected me with other great artists. Without them, I wouldn’t be who i am today!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I became interested in photography and graphic design in high school, where I would take photos of everything on my iPhone. However, I didn’t get an actual camera until my Junior year in college when I took a photography class teaching me everything I know today. As you can tell, photography and graphic design are my niches of choice. I didn’t take photography seriously until 2020 when I learned about the famous pop artist Andy Warhol. I studied his Polaroid photos and artwork, which hugely influenced my photography and graphic design.

I think what sets me apart from other photographers is my ability to implement and enhance my photos through my knowledge of graphic design. My approach to photos or a new project is to bring the viewer into the mind of me/and or my client, which is why some photos can be more vibrant or distorted. One thing I’m most proud of is my ability to adapt to different styles of photography. My ability to shoot fashion, landscape, street, portrait, and other styles of photography is my biggest strength as a photographer. In addition for each project I finish, I try to create at least one poster for my client to use for a poster or just to keep for them to remember our work together!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think the school system should stop killing creativity; let me explain. From an early age, we were asked what we wanted to be growing up. Some of us wanted to be astronauts, basketball players, cowboys, etc. But, as we get older, we are constantly told that we need to pick something more realistic and that the things we want to do are out of reach. The school system has lacked creativity for years, college included, turning the most creative and energetic students into a cog in the machine. This strips creativity from students and only leads them into careers they don’t enjoy. For example, a poll taken by Gallup uncovered that out of the world’s one billion full-time workers, only 15% of people are engaged at work. That means that 85% of people are unhappy in their jobs.

There is no perfect way of teaching, but because of our teaching style here in the states, we strip students of individualism. Instead of making art an elective, it should be ‘taught’ as a core subject. This would open up students to be more creative thinking and innovative.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

To keep it short and simple I want to be seen as an artist. I hate being categorized as a photographer or graphic designer because it puts me in a box. In reality, I want to do everything, I want to expand to fashion, film-making, modeling, etc. The ultimate goal is to create the art I want to make instead of working for someone and giving them what they want. All artists want to live comfortably and still do what they love..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Meirphi