We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Najee Wright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Najee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’d like to think that all my creative work is somewhat in its own ways my version of taking risks. Growing up in the household that I did was very restraining for me because although there was love at home there was also hate. I’m a bisexual man and I’ve known since I was young my family wasn’t excepting to queer folks. This later on impacted my work because I always felt any work that I made needed to fit the “standard” of what others perceived it as and that made me break into very strong people pleasing, but lately I’ve been taking more risks with the work that I’ve been producing. I haven’t asked anyone for an opinion or a thought about them because I want myself to love my work and I think that learning to love my work and yearning for people to also love my work has made jump at the opportunity to use my art to make people think, ask questions, and maybe not understand but come to a compromise. The photos and videos that I used to take always posed a risk. “What will people think? Will they understand the message?” Now I know im willing to take that risk. I came out to my family and surprisingly got acceptance. So I know that no matter what my art will be too no matter how many people accept or appreciate it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I first got into videography and photography when I was kid watching my older cousins just discovering YouTube and I wanted to join them in video making! Along the way I ended up getting obsessed with acting and musical shows which had inspired me to perform! After a dramatic experience in my life I stopped performing and grew a love for fashion, drawing, animation. I started to realize that a lot of my interest were connected in some ways! So I decided to do my best and combine all my hobbies and talents into a magnum opus! I wanted to find a way I could incorporate all my different ideas into one place. How do I mix fashion, music, animation, dance, acting all in one place? I’m still figuring that part out of course but I do have an idea of a story I’d love to bring into reality. I feel like there aren’t a lot of black/queer super heroes that kids can relate too. I know media is focused on how kids shouldn’t be engaged with the topic of sexuality in media but I feel there’s a way to let kids/teens/ young adults know that no matter what they are going through they matter! And that they should live their lives bold without having to hide themselves, and that even though it’s scary it can be so worth it in the end

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Since I’ve been doing photography work since I was little younger I thankfully had the idea to ask for equipment on Christmas’s and birthdays! My family didn’t come from a wealthy background so I would watch reviews learn about different pieces of equipment and how they worked to make sure I knew I was sure of what I was getting to add to my arsenal! Eventually when I got older I started getting part time jobs and instead started funding my own work and projects! I still do to this day.

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

My mission is to convey understanding to others. I know that might sound really weird but I think that everyone on this earth deserves to be happy. Maybe the unfortunate light of life got to some people and made them sour and that’s why we have so many problems going on. I think once you take the time to sit down talk to others get to know peoples stories you start to understand each other and the beauty and heart break that could be called life. I want my work to help people get different point of views on things. Maybe hearing or it seeing it could help change the way so many people think in a positive way! I love to take inspiration from the film “everything everywhere all at once” a beautiful masterpiece that I think to me transcends the word “film”. The movie is able to depict a family and their hardships and not only how they can overcome them but also how those hardships bleed into each others lives. I love the movie because it’s not just the main character who gets the help they need, everyone does! And the details in the movie from the sounds to the different shots were absolutely incredible and i want to create art that makes others feel the exact same way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: 10waterboy01, 10watershots01