We were lucky to catch up with Xhosa Fray-Chinn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Xhosa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

After I moved to New York, I just begun trying things out on my own and began to find my voice as more time went on and I knew I wanted to make films and take cool photos and it became just about me getting there. With photography, shooting on film really intrigued me because of that challenge of not knowing what the results are until after I get the film developed. There are plenty of bad rolls of film from the time I got my 1st film camera in New York in 2019. I didn’t really begin figuring that out until around the pandemic time. I was always out and about shooting things I saw in the streets but it became more intentional when the world forced me to slow down. There was a lot of trial and error and figuring out what it is I am drawn to shooting. For film photography, the most important skill for me was patience. Coming from a film school background, I was used to everything being in motion but in photos, you are taking one singular moment and honing in on what makes the moment special. Knowing what I know now in photography, I wouldn’t want to speed up the learning process for 2 reasons. One, I feel it’s a practice that requires time and two, I feel that I will always be learning about not only the medium but also myself so the process is forever evolving.

With filmmaking, I had a film school education but not a whole lot of practical on full set experiences. With this it was a lot of the same. Trial and error and just doing it over and over and finding your way through. Just knowing that I want to make art and having a vision is essential in this case. Having those films you love and film directors you look up to has helped me immensely because it just gives you a bigger pot to take inspiration from. In many ways photography has helped inform my filmmaking and filmmaking has helped inform my photography. While photography has forced me to slow down and look at each frame within a film as a singular moment, filmmaking has helped me look at photography as full cinematic frames with a story attached to it.

I feel all in all, all artistic crafts I hope to do at the highest level require an openness to continues learning and figuring out things as time passes. Being a sponge, being able to adapt and knowing that there’s inspiration all around at any given moment. The obstacle is to not be stagnant when things are going well.

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

My name is Xhosa, I’m an artist based in New York. While filmmaking and photography are my main passions, I love to dabble in any art form that helps me express. Just being in the scene in New York, you meet many people and if you follow those threads you eventually end up on projects and in environments where people are doing things you love and you want to be apart of it. I currently work at the Cooper Hewitt Design museum as a video producer but came from freelancing where I was a photographer, video producer, editor and director. Bringing ideas to life for clients that need video work done. A lot of work being behind camera and using engaging visuals to tell a story. I recently maneuvered to a more steady situation because I want to be able to fund my own projects while worrying less about where the next paycheck will come from which is a constant hustle in freelance. My end goal is to make films on a larger scale and budget and within that create photo projects where I am in full control of the creative side of things.

I’m most proud in the fact that I’ve been able to see through and complete projects. In 2020, I put out my 1st photo zine, in 2021 I published my 1st photo book, last year I made a film as part of my residency at the Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens and most recently I am co-writing/directing my short film that we are currently in production on. This being a project that has been in the works for over a year is hands my biggest project I’ve worked on and bringing it to life has been a fulfilling journey. Working with so many great people over the years and witnessing so many people you’re around continue to do their things is a dope things to see and be apart of. I feel like we’re in an artist Renaissance in many ways and we’re seeing people take control of their own destiny more than we ever have before. Creating out of love and passion 1st and money and ego last is something I always hang my hat on and it’s a blessing to be in environments where the people around you feel the same.

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

I’ll keep this short and say continue to give us space and opportunity (money) to tell our stories unapologetically. Especially artists of color and those who are underrepresented. There’s always room for new diverse stories.

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

I feel the goal or mission for me is to explore life, explore myself, continue learning new perspectives as well as giving my perspective. All things the creative journey provides if you stick with it. There’s so much out there in the world and when it feels like it’s becoming too much and overwhelming, art usually grounds and re-centers. It’s healing in many ways and I hope I can show that perspective to people. Not only that, it’s cool and fun to be apart of, especially when you are able to make a living from it. Truthfully, I have a lot of plans/goals/missions in my head but this kinda encompasses a lot of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://xhosafraychinn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemonadeonsundays/?hl=en

Image Credits
Dominic DiMaria Matt Kenny Xhosa Fray-Chinn