We recently connected with TyriQ Amerson and have shared our conversation below.

TyriQ, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve done to date is titled “Underprivileged (Almahrumin)”. Its a short writing about the underprivileged of Chicago, complimented by street photography photos. The idea for this project comes from a long history of every year my mother would make me go through my belongings to give away the things I don’t wear or use. It’s been a yearly thing since I was about six years of age. December 2020, Chicago was facing one of the coldest winters to date and all I could think about was the underprivileged whom only had the streets to call their homes. I went downtown and gave a winter coats, gloves, scarfs, etc. In the midst of doing so I was able to capture some of the amazing people I met and got the opportunity to witness the great sense of humility they all had regardless of their circumstances.

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 back background and context?

My name is TyriQ Amerson, im a street photographer and journalist from Chicago currently residing in Atlanta, GA. I go out into Black communities and document the people whom live there via photography and then write stories based off of the people that I meet and my experience. We live in a society where people only talk via phone, social media, etc. Through my work this allows me to stay connected to my roots and my people. Through the stories I tell, I aim to bring people back to a sense of reality of the things that are going on around us. I aim to inspire people to go outside and stay connected with their communities. Im most proud of the impact I have on people through my work. Simply talking to someone and asking to get to know them goes a long way. It’s the opportunity to make someone else day, that makes me look forward to going out into the streets and working. You can read my stories and view my work at freshfilmprojects.com

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect in what i do is that I can simply do whatever I want to do. There is no ceiling to what I can with my stories and photography. I don’t do many paid shoots due to the restrictions that come along with it. it doesn’t feel rewarding having to follow so many rules and regulations. But we street photography I have complete freedom and can do it whenever I want. Bringing your ideas to life and bearing the fruits of years of learning is super rewarding. Being an artist allows me to be my authentic self and express myself in ways that I verbally just couldn’t.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Donate to your favorite artist especially if they showcase their work for free via social media. Treat their Instagram as if you’re walking into a physical museum or gallery. You would pay $5 to $10 to go to a gallery so it would be a kind gesture to donate to your favorite artist if you’re always consuming their art for free. Share their work on your platforms and mention them in rooms that may get them more exposure. Don’t gatekeep an artist just for bragging rights to say you’ve been onto them. Give artist the chance to grow and connect with the people. Artist should also support other artist even if you all do the same things. Learn from on another, share resource, become true supporters of others and people will support you!

Contact Info:

• Website: freshfilmprojects
• Instagram: freshfilmprojects
• Linkedin: tamerson
• Twitter: tytoraw
• Youtube: freshfilmprojects
• Other: tiktok: @freshfilmprojects

Image Credits
All photos taken by me