#youngcreativesofthedmv

Young Creatives of the DMV

Cecilia

 Cecilia is a photographer and the Creator of Our Dirty Youth.  I got a chance to speak to her on  a summer night in Downtown Bethesda over vegan gelato.

Me: What inspired you to create Our Dirty Youth what is its mission?

Growing up, my family was very conservative and traditional. We went to church every Sunday morning and prayed every night, but I knew that this lifestyle was not for me. On top of that, I’m a first generation asian American and the rules of the house were very strict. Communication wasn’t used casually in my family, but only really when needed, so I never learned to communicate and express myself verbally, so I had to find other ways to do it. Growing up I’ve always been interested in fashion and with that meant being experimental with the clothes that I wore, but that didn’t go well with my mom. There’d be so many outfits that I’d walk the stairs in and my mom would say “You can’t wear that because people are going to think you’re ‘dirty’” or “Don’t wear that because men will think you’re ‘dirty’” and for the longest time, I’d be so mad at my mom because she wouldn’t understand that the clothes that I wore was my form of self-expression and the fact that she would rather me tone myself down to abide with what other people think cut very deep. 

Now that I’m more grown, I understand that it was just her way of protecting me from sexual harassment, but that’s where it really started. Dirty became this word that angered me so much that I started to take pride in it because it meant that I was being unapologetically myself. 

Thus formed Our Dirty Youth-which is kinda abandoned at the moment. The idea for it though is to be a community for all people, but especially creators, who are defying social norms or people who aren’t afraid of the ‘new’ and ‘different’. I toggled around with the name a lot and came up with Our Dirty Youth, ‘our’ representing community, ‘dirty’ for the unconventional aspect, and ‘youth’ not meaning kids, but for those who with a childlike mindset and want to learn and have fun. 

Me:  What inspires your art?

My art mainly revolves around what I’m going through in life or what’s going on in the world in general. I struggle with depression so a lot of it reflects that and the loneliness I feel when I am depressed, but there’s also a lot of portraits of the beautiful women that reminds me how grateful I am to have these people in my life..on top of just showing off how gorgeous my friends are. 

Me:  So you do  photography , what is the process of developing and processing your photos  do you mostly do digital or film?

I use both digital and film, but for very different reasons. I mainly use digital, which is more for studio and planned shoots, but if I’m using film, that’s more so for street photography and capturing raw moments with my friends, and I just send that into a camera store to get developed and scanned. 

Me:  How does your art influence your personal style?

Neither of them really influence the other to be honest. They’re both just a reflection of who I am, which is all over the place, but in the best way possible because I try to be as well rounded as I can.

Me: You hosted your first art show not to long ago , how was it what was it like, highs lows everything?

Ahhhh that was a very interesting day. So it was my first ever art show and it was a solo art show meaning I booked the place by myself and it was just me-it wasn’t through a company/collective like I’ve been doing more recently. I wanted the show to embody me and everything I stood for and I think that was a big low for me because this pressure of it having to be fun but inspiring at the same time just made me really anxious. It wasn’t a big thing which was a little upsetting. I thought more strangers would come up to me and wonder what was going on (because it was at a coffee shop) and I’d get my name out more, but it was mainly friends which at the end of the day was the best part because so many people came out to support me-which is a big high. Not only that, but the satisfaction of knowing that I planned and set up the show and that the work was all mine was just a great thing to look back on and think, “yeah, I really did that”. 

Me: What is the one thing that ties all your art work together?

Me. I am the band that ties together my work. If you look at my instagram (@cecilia.newgian), you’ll see that I have this sad/weird conceptual piece next to a happy fashion portrait. None of it makes sense when you look at first glance, but if you step back to really see the whole picture, you see me. 

Me: What is your favorite thing to photograph and why? My favorite thing to photograph are my friends on film. Everything is so raw and authentic. Nothing is planned, what you see is what you get, which is something I like to practice when I’m around people. 

Me: Favorite art period and why?

My favorite art period took place around World War 1 when Dadaism and the revolution of anti-art began. This period’s most famously remembered by Marcel Duchamp’s piece titled ‘Fountain’, which was basically an upside down urinal. I just think it’s so funny and opens your eyes to the idea that literally anything can be art! 

Me:  Whose someone who inspires you in your field of art?

Someone who I look up to and admire a lot in the photography industry is Sarah Bahbah. Her photography looks like these beautiful movie stills that have a story throughout each of her series. 

Me:  If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be and why? Plus final thing you want to say?

This is a hard question, but the first person who comes to mind is Trevor Noah. I just think his comedy and storytelling abilities meshed with some form of visual art would be a really interesting combo.

Final thoughts would be to do what makes you happy in every way possible, whether it be how you dress, the way you interact with strangers, your career, whatever! As long as you’re staying true to yourself, that’s what matters. 

Young Creatives of the DMV

Caca$ian Drip

Caca$ian Drip is a group of seven young men who create satirical lighthearted rap music. I had the pleasure of interviewing them. 

Me: Whose in you group?

Me (Nick Murray), Jackson Maul, Nikos Cooper, Danny Ontiveros, and Ben Ehreinrich.

Me: What inspired the name?

We thought it was really funny and sort of satirical.

Me:  You create music that is park joke part serious do you plan to put out more serious work or mostly satire?

I like making the joke music i find it funny, as for serious work the most i could see myself doing is making beats/producing because i know im not a good rapper at all.

Me: Who is the mastermind behind all the beats?

Me, TMK, i started a little over a year ago and really liked doing it and now i even have a little home studio.

Me: How does everyone collaborate effectively  to create a song?

Alot of times ill send the group beats and some will really like it and want to write on it, other times we come up with a concept or a song title and make the beat and lyrics after

Me: How  does everyone personal style reflected in your work?

Everyone does their own thing for the most part and we all enjoy seeing it come together

Me:  What is you creative process of writing a song entail?

We listen to a lot of rap music and get inspired by things we do or think is really funny. usually when we write its just us in the studio listening to the beat and thinking.

Me: Would you ever use your songs for activism?

I feel as though we aren’t taken seriously enough for that.

Me: Favorite genre of music?

Xanman

Me: What is the last thing you want to say to everyone about the group and the music?

Makiyah is a 17 year artist she describes her art as sporadic, chaotic, and neurotic yet it is the one thing that centers her. Her art looks like something of a summer dream with rich colors symmetry and whimsical expressions. This is represented in her fashion design as well as she created her own prom dress.In this interview we will explore what inspires her and why her pieces are all untitled.

 Me:It is such an honor to interview you what do you think is your signature style that ties all your art together?

I don’t really think that there is anything that can tie all of my art together visually. It’s more about what it comes from but could maybe tie it together. And by that I mean it’s really all from just a place of me needing to find ways to kind of bring myself together. A lot of times my brain isn’t very quiet and I have to tell myself to kind of cool down but I find that when I am in the middle of creating I don’t hear a bunch of noise in my head it’s kind of just straight focus.

Me: What is your favorite art medium?

 Well I love painting, the cleanup can be kind of annoying and I haven’t gotten to experience oil painting like I want to so I’m reserving my number one spot definitely for design and fashion. I feel like fashion is an art form which a lot of people don’t recognize the importance of. I like the movie the Devil wears Prada specifically for that monologue where Meryl Streep was explaining to Anne Hathaway why and how fashion is important and even the Mundane person's life. I like to believe that I’m not mundane but it still resonated with me because I can see the shapes and the contrasts but also the collaborations between colors and patterns that come from the runway and work their way into street fashion and every day life. It’s really something but I wish people would appreciate more and something that I feel like has always and will always have my heart.

Me:One of my favorite pieces by you is a sunset and people in all black with white outlines appearing to raise one by one at the sun. What was one thing you wanted all peope to take away from this piece?

Lol I think you mean the penguins but it’s interesting that you interpreted it that way. All my pieces are entitled so I understand how it’s not exactly super duper clear, but I saw penguins. I think the takeaway for that piece wasn’t anything too deep but I remember feeling like a common direction. Like when I envisioned it I could see and hear penguins and their footsteps and how they climb together and move together like a unit and in my mind it was just really serene but also really powerful.

Me: What does it mean for you to be creative?

For me being creative isn’t really being creative. I think being creative for a lot of people means thinking outside of the box and being different from the norm, but Like for me that is the norm. I hate that monologue that the sprouts twin dad where he was like “I’m weird I’m a weirdo“ but honestly that’s literally always been me low-key. I’ve never really had the option to be normal and a cheap set me to even try to be and I think people take me being a little bit idiosyncratic as being creative. Really what it is I think is that I see the world through patterns and shapes and colors like a kid, but I never Let that go like I feel like a lot of people do when they grow up.

Me: What inspires you and in what does your art express you?

 My biggest inspiration would have to be people honestly. I’ve always been a people watcher I think because it’s always been kind of hard for me to make friends so I’ve kind of gravitated more towards watching people and how they move in their patterns and just learning about them and as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten to it not just watch but to actually listen to their stories and it’s always so interesting to hear how despite our differences, everyone is fairly the same. Me:How do you want your art to impact people?

I just want it to encourage people to express themselves more and not be so boring and afraid to go against the norm. I’m not saying that my art is revolutionary or whatever, but it calms me in it helps me and I feel like art does that for everyone and I just want everyone to be able to find the medium that does that for them.

Me: Do you plan on designer more formal wear or more casual wear?

I definitely like to design formal wear but to style casual wear if that makes sense. Like the other day I made an entire PowerPoint full of over 100 slides full of clothes that I wanted to buy and then another PowerPoint again full of over 100 slides, full of all the looks that I would make out of all of those clothes. But with formal wear it’s a different ballgame. Formal wear gets into couture Which is the pinnacle of fashion both to me and the fashion world. I feel like it’s there that the artistic side of fashion really comes to life because you can play with more shapes and silhouette and textures which are always interesting and you can really convey a message and tell a story I’ll do a garment which I think is really powerful. But then it’s not just something to look at it’s also something to wear and that’s kind of always been the fashion that I gravitated toward. 

Me: Given no limitations, unlimited budget etc. what would you create and why?

Given no limitations and an unlimited budget, I think I would definitely create a nonprofit where kids could not only go and use the free art supplies to draw and paint and create and sing and dance, but that they could also stay there to sleep. Part of the reason I think why I gravitated toward art so much was because I needed an outlet to kind of calm me after my home life continued to be so toxic. I can’t even say began, because it’s kind of always been like that. However, I know that people have it worse than me and rather than making some big art exhibit I think that I’d rather give other people a chance to find their hearts because I have found mine already and I’m finding it more and more every day but other people don’t feel like they have the opportunity or the means and I don’t think that’s fair.

Me:  If you could collaborate with any artist who  would it be?

if I could collaborate with any artist I would collaborate with Iris Van Herpen are you kidding me???? She’s amazing and the way that her clothes are both structured and flowing at the same time is both a contradiction and a collaboration which is a paradox in itself but I love that. Like it’s so powerful. 

Me: What is your favorite art period  and what is the last thing you want to let everyone know about you, your art, your passions , and inspirations?