We were lucky to catch up with Roxy Young recently and have shared our conversation below.

Roxy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would have to say the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the one I’m currently working on. It’s a film exhibition, the first I’ve undertaken so far. My goal is to always create something meaningful, innovative, authentic and unique. I’m hoping this will be a chance to show more of my work that not everyone gets to see. I have given myself a year to plan and execute the concepts I want to showcase. Instead of walking into a gallery full of paintings and photos, you’ll be walking into a space full of film.

I was inspired when I visited the Hirshhorn Muesum in Washington, D.C.. At the time, John Akomfrah had put together his largest video installation called Purple. It was an immersive, six channel work and I thought it was the coolest thing! As I sat and watched, it immediately got my creative wheels turning. It inspired me to look at my own creativity and how I would really like to present my work.

When you walk into a museum, you see wonderful, exquisite paintings and photos hanging in galleries that represent a time that has passed. I would like to replicate that in terms of gallery design, but in a very avant-garde type of style through film. What makes this a little different is that everything will be shot, edited and created on an iPhone.

Roxy, 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 Roxy Young. I am an artist, creative, filmmaker and videographer. All of my work is completely shot and edited from an iPhone.

I’m originally from West Virginia. Seven years ago I packed my car, with $70 in my bank account, and moved to Virginia. Growing up in West Virginia taught me resilience, how to survive and how to be resourceful. Those skills have carried me throughout my career as a creative and artist. To me, less is sometimes more. Anyone can create great works of art with a million dollars worth of equipment, but I think by not having that at your disposal a person’s creativity, skill and imagination can be challenged even more sometimes.

In 2020, when the world was overtaken by covid, I really developed a passion for film. When covid hit, I didn’t go many places because of how locked down everything was. At the time, I had an old Samsung Galaxy phone that was falling apart. It was very sentimental to me and I didn’t want to get rid of it. It was old as dirt, had wires coming out of the bottom and wouldn’t charge properly at times. Even with the phone in terrible condition, I started experimenting and creating videos with it, trying to make the best of my time. Eventually, I had some friends pull me aside and say, “ Rox, I think it’s time for a new phone.” I broke down and was soon after introduced to the world of Apple’s iPhone. I started with the iPhone 12 pro max and was blown away with the cameras for video, so I began creating and experimenting. From there, I started a business called iLox-a creative video and innovative artistic film service where everything is shot and edited by iPhone. I shoot short films, submit to film festivals and create social media content for businesses. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of filming some pretty cool stuff, both personally and professionally. On a content creator level, I’ve had the privilege to work with White House press secretary Karine Jean- Pierre, Glamour Magazine, make up artist Derrick Rutledge, Motives Cosmetics, the cast from the Netflix hit series Dance Monsters, AF Talent Management, and Mood Wellness Lounge.

I enjoy creating with all my clients and collaborating on projects within my community. AF Talent Management and Mood Wellness Lounge are among some of my favorite people to work with. Mood Wellness Lounge CEO Jessica Dennis has done some amazing work with her clients. Jessica and her team are extremely professional and offer a variety of really great services. It’s always very rewarding to watch a business you work with shine at what they do best and it’s even cooler to film it. That goes the same for AF Talent Management. They run a fantastic modeling agency. CEO Chelsea Cushing, CO Founder Kenny Cushing, and Senior Director Kiara Lu are exceptional people to know and work with. They have been a big part of my creative work within the modeling community. I always want to strive to support and help my clients and community in any way that I can. I think as an artist and creative it’s very important to give back, support and champion each other.

I’m an aesthetic type of girl, so I’m constantly inspired by what’s around me. Two of my favorite artists, ones I’m constantly gaining inspiration from, are Nadia Lee Cohen and Samba Films. I also very much enjoy the visuals that Beyoncé and her team develop when she goes on tour or drops an album.

I don’t think iPhone will ever truly replace something like a Sony camera, but in its own respect I think the more technology advances, the more the envelope is going to be pushed in terms of what something that small can truly capture. I often get asked “ Why won’t you film with a regular camera?”, and to that I reply “ Because that’s not what I’m trying to do.” If I chose to shoot on a Sony, I’d like to think I could do some serious damage, in the best kind of way, but I would rather create from a tool that is underrated. Many people can take a digital camera and film quality work. Not everyone can do that with a phone (respectfully) and I think that’s something that sets me apart as video girl. I’m self taught and constantly striving to learn more in terms of how I can push the limits of my creativity to be exceptional. You never want to stop learning your craft. There will be times you think you know everything and, from my personal experience, I can say that you will never know everything. I’m always learning something new every day.

I think so far, as an artist and creative, I am most proud of the work I put together last summer. I shot a short film completely underwater by myself. I ordered a phone housing case so my phone would stay dry as I filmed in an outdoor pool. I will say, filming yourself in a pool underwater absolutely has its challenges. I submitted the underwater short to the Adobe minutes to movie film festival in September. It passed submissions, but was not a selected as a winner. Nonetheless, it’s still a body of work I’m proud of.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect about being a creative is showing people what you see through your eyes. As an artist, your job is to reflect the times, create and provide works of art that evoke a feeling or help shift perceptions. Art and creativity inspire so many people, places and things. For me, one of the things I love about being a creative is the ability to live life on your own terms. To have the ability to answer for yourself and then go out and make something with the gifts god blessed you with. On a business level, it’s really rewarding for me to see my clients succeed from something we created together. I really enjoy seeing them happy, thriving and pulling in more business from a video capturing their hard work. I love when people will say, “I can’t believe you shot that off your phone.”

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

Oh, absolutely! My mission is to always be authentic, innovative and to make an impact with everything I do. God gave me a source of inspiration to tap for a reason. I’m a big advocate for creativity and I think you don’t have to have a million dollars worth of equipment to make something meaningful. Those things absolutely help, but you can be creative with what you have at your fingertips.

The end goal I’ve set, in terms of my career, would be to produce a meaningful, award-winning feature length film all shot and edited from iPhone. I believe in Hollywood there are somewhere around 13 award winning films shot on iPhone. It is something that has been done already, but nonetheless I would like to add to those numbers. I’m also hoping to eventually create advertising and content with Condé Nast. I think that would be a perfect fit for me. This year, the biggest goal I would like to achieve is to shoot an Apple campaign. I especially LOVE the #shotoniphone campaign. I would love to be in Times Square and look up at a billboard showing a campaign I shot on the same device I started my career with. That would be top of the mountain for me. Last, but not least, I would like to produce a successful film exhibition, which is what I’m currently working on. I have a lot of big goals, which is going to take a lot of hard work, but I’m always up for the challenge.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ilox_by_loxystyles
• Other: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGbAOSXh8E/2DjGeB9X-pp39V230DoJUg/view?utm_content=DAGbAOSXh8E&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h6e7b390dfa#11