We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Naomi Ivy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Naomi below.

Hi Naomi, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is my SoundCloud platform, Ghetto Gold Tapes (hosted by Naythizzle). On the surface, it’s a collection of mixes, but to me it’s a living archive of my growth and evolution as a DJ and a person.

Long before I had any technical skills, I was curating and made playlists that were themed. That turned into making playlists of songs I felt belonged together, whether because they shared a mood, a rhythm, a cultural connection, or it was something just buzzing in my head. At first, I was matching instrumentals and acapellas then layering them over each other on iMovie. One day after breaking my arm, I got the crazy idea to download a DJ app and after toying around with it for weeks, I made my SoundCloud and posted my first full length set.

What makes Ghetto Gold Tapes meaningful to me is that it documents a journey that isn’t perfect. You can hear me learning, experimenting, butchering, and developing confidence and skill. It’s a blend of nostalgia, cultural references, personal memories, and contemporary influences. Every mix captures a moment in time and reflects where I was creatively when I made it.

More than anything, this project taught me to document the not so pretty parts. I’m not a fan of every mix I’ve done. I can tell when I didn’t know how to EQ or when the vocals were too soft. Instead of hiding that aspect of my legacy, I choose to let it stay because it’s real. Some of my best work has come from ideas that didn’t necessarily make sense on paper but felt right creatively. The Ghetto Gold Tapes gave me a space to explore sound without limitations, and that’s something I’ll always be proud of and grateful for.

Naomi, 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?

I’m a multidisciplinary creative from St. Louis whose work spans photography, DJing, and cultural curation. At the center of everything I create is a desire to document, preserve, and celebrate people, places, and experiences that shape us.

Photography was my first creative language. Through it, I learned how to slow down and pay attention to the details that often go unnoticed—a unique facial feature, an abandoned building in the neighborhood, the way light falls across a room, or just the simple beauty of everyday life and people. DJing came later, but it expanded that same passion for storytelling into sound. Through mixes and music curation, I explore nostalgia, Black cultural memory, and the connections between generations, genres, and communities.

Much of my work is inspired by my Southern roots, Black culture, spirituality, community, and the human experience. Working in emergency medicine has also shaped my perspective in profound ways. Spending time with people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives has given me a deeper appreciation for connection, resilience, and the stories we all carry.

What sets me apart is my perspective. I don’t approach creativity as someone looking for perfect subjects or ideal conditions. Some of my favorite work was created with a secondhand camera, a phone, limited resources, and a lot of determination.

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

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is creating connection. Whether it’s through a photograph, a mix, a conversation, or a larger project, I love seeing people recognize themselves in something I’ve created.

I’ve always been fascinated by stories, curations, and the things that connect people across generations, cultures, and experiences. Creativity gives me a way to preserve those moments and share them with others. There is something incredibly rewarding about introducing someone to a song they forgot they loved, capturing a meaningful moment through photography, or creating something that makes a person feel seen and understood.

I also appreciate that creativity allows me to constantly learn and evolve. Every project teaches me something new about myself, the world around me, and people I encounter. In many ways, creativity has become both a form of my self-expression and a way of documenting human experiences. Especially Black ones.

At its core, the most rewarding part is knowing that something I created things that will live on even after I’m long gone. My lil stamp on the world if you will.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is that I needed to have everything mastered before I started sharing.

Whether it was photography, DJing, or any other creative pursuit, I spent years thinking I needed better equipment, more knowledge/skill, more money, more experience, or some kind of validation before I could take myself seriously. I didn’t even feel comfortable calling myself a creative until a few years ago.

The truth is that almost everything I’ve built came from doing things before I felt ready. I learned photography with a camera that I got in exchange for doing essays in high school. I learned how to DJ on my phone. Some of my favorite work was created during periods when I had very little besides curiosity and some sort of vision.

I had to unlearn perfectionism and the belief that only polished work deserved recognition. My growth happened in public. My embarrassment happened in public. My evolution happened in public. I have mixes that aren’t perfect, sets that are mid, and out of focus photos however, they all are a part of my story.

Once I stopped waiting to feel ready, I started creating more freely. Ironically, that’s when I started putting out my best work.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghettogoldtapes/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ghettogoldtapes?si=SjBkk3qvVmmMuo-L
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/naythizzle_mp3
• Other: personal IG // @itsprollynay