Are you originally from Texarkana and/or surrounding areas? Yes, born and raised.
Can you share a brief background about yourself? I'm a disabled veteran who will be 38 in April. I am a Texarkana native, graduating from Texas High in 2005 as a Texas Scholar. I attended UCA on a partial track scholarship, but after a knee injury in 2006, I returned to Texarkana to receive an Associate's in General Studies in Spring 2008. In Fall 2008, I attended A Touch for Health School of Massage Therapy and became licensed in February 2009. In Fall 2009, I joined the United States Army, where I served in Ft. Riley, Kansas, as Military Police until 2012, when I was medically discharged due to knee complications and returned home in 2013. From Fall 2013 to Spring 2014, I attended Texarkana College, taking courses without a specific plan, and in Summer 2015, I graduated from Texarkana College with an Associate's in Welding. In 2016, I had the opportunity to attend Heavy Construction Academy in Brentwood, New Hampshire, and received a certificate in heavy equipment operation. In November 2016, I started working at Red River Army Depot, where I currently work today. In 2019, I attended Texas A&M-Texarkana, where I received a BAAS in Organizational Leadership.
What is your current role, occupation, business? My current occupation is a Materials Examiner and Identifier for DLA at Red River Army Depot. My current business is Inkk Lyfe TV, LLC, providing photography and videography services.
What inspired you to start your journey in this field or community service? My cousin Deserail Rose got me into podcasting, which eventually led to videography and photography. Photography is what really took off and became my niche. I still podcast and shoot visuals, but a picture tells a thousand words!
Describe a specific project or initiative you’ve been involved in that has made a difference in the community. I haven't been involved in any specific community projects. All of the projects I've worked on have been personal and focused on skills and creativity. However, I did capture moments from the Juneteenth parade, and I heard that some of my photos were used by the local newspaper, which I thought was pretty cool!
Who or what do you consider your biggest inspiration, and why? What inspires me most is the unknown and trusting the process. Most individuals look outside themselves for inspiration and motivation, while I have always looked within and competed with myself. I constantly ask myself how I can be better than I was yesterday or how I can approach my next shoot differently. I always educate myself in different areas to ensure my craft continues to evolve.
How do you measure the success of your efforts in the community? I measure success by the quality of my work. I'm big on quality; if I can provide that, I feel the rest speaks for itself.
What challenges have you faced in your journey, and how have you overcome them? The biggest challenge I face is time. Currently, I'm still working a 9-5 job, which takes time away from editing, shooting, and networking with other businesses and organizations. For now, I just make it work; no matter how tired I am, I keep going and strive to deliver.
Can you share a story that highlights a moment of triumph or joy in your work? Back in 2019, when rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed, he was working on a documentary about Dr. Sebi. Deserail and I saw that Nick Cannon was supposed to take over the documentary, so we did a podcast with one of my best friends, Stephan Nash. The podcast ended up with 15,000 views on YouTube without a major push. Dr. Sebi's videographer at the time, Abelardo Guerrero, who also does production for Wendy Williams, reached out to me about the podcast and expressed how impressed he was because he said it looked like some of his work! We talked for about an hour, and he sent me eight free books about his journey with Dr. Sebi; I kept one as a reminder to never give up on my craft. Another memorable experience was doing work for producer/actor Dean Butler and his documentary on women's basketball. Those two experiences made me realize that I have something special within that the world needs to see!
What advice would you give to someone interested in what you do or in making a difference overall? I would say to embrace all trials and tribulations that may come, always believe in yourself even if no one else does, never give up, keep going, and always compete with yourself—not with others!
Are there any organizations or groups you collaborate with? I collaborate with Betrothed Cigar Lounge and DJ Hollygrove on Da Track. These two entities trusting my work, and promoting them through photography has helped me gain clients.
How can the community support your efforts? All I ask from the community is to share the work that I do.
What exciting events do you have coming up that you’d like our audience to know about? RnB Night, hosted by DJ Hollygrove, is an event here in Texarkana that gets a lot of buzz! I'm always happy to work at that event because he brings in guests like Ladi Phat, Changing Faces, and Link to our small town!
How do you envision your work evolving in the future? I envision my work evolving to become one of the go-to photographers when big names or events come to town!
Is there anything else you would like to add or share with our audience? Be you, be original, be better, and be the person God created you to be!
What is your favorite thing about Texarkana? It's home and where the heart is!
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Awesome!!