Today we’d like to introduce you to Benicia King.
Benicia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Grambling, Louisiana, went to the Art Institute of Seattle for photography, withdrew, took time off to build my portfolio, and went to Seattle Central Community College to transfer to the University of Southern California in 2016.
I just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Photography and minor in Entrepreneurship. The thought of doing exhibitions and being involved in the fine art realm never crossed my mind until I had a professor let some students use the lobby of his studio building to further develop ideas from classes. That was in 2017 and now I’m scheduled to be in a group exhibition in August 24th at the Millard Sheets Art Center.
When I got my minor, I was making hair products for myself. My family and the barbershops I was going to motivated me to start a business from making my products. So, I did, and that’s how my natural hair-care brand, 9efer came to be. I used my entrepreneur classes to focus in on the concept and am thankful for my classmates to help me along the way.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Things have definitely not been easy.
I knew I didn’t want to stay in Louisiana for college because we didn’t have the tools I needed to grow as a photographer (I now go by lens-based artist) at the time. So, I applied to Parsons and I didn’t get in, which lead me to apply to the Art Institute of Seattle. Got in, went there for about a year, and had to withdraw due to not being able to afford it anymore, even though my scholarship was supposed to cover everything. A lot of friends I made during my time there were experiencing the same things.
At first, I thought that my dreams would never be fulfilled. Everything happened all at once, I had to leave school, I had to find housing, and I was just sad and didn’t know where anything was going. All I knew was that I had to stay in Seattle. I was already working part-time during school, so I just went full-time since my family couldn’t support me financially and I had to find a place to stay. Seattle was still cheap in 2013. Again, I went back to my roots of photographing and that was just photographing my friends to start building my portfolio to how I wanted my portfolio to look like versus what others were pushing me to do. Once I thought my portfolio was ready, I started reaching out to modeling agencies to find photography work. The thing with agencies is that they want things for free, so that’s how I started; doing testing with their new faces, hoping to be one of their photographers. It was definitely a great way to build my portfolio, as I had access to resources and those being models. That didn’t last long, because I started realizing I should never give my talents out for free and they thought my style was too “artsy”. I was becoming more aware and more confident in my style and value. That’s when I started doing my own independent work while I was working part-time in retail. I started gaining experience in a wide range of things. Ranging from fashion shows, events, and to creative exchanges with brands within the local scene of Seattle.
During this time as well, I went back to school, so I was going to Seattle Central Community College so I could develop a deeper conscious and eventually transfer to Los Angeles – my second home in Crenshaw with my grandparents. My grandfather had planted the seed of the University of Southern California when I was growing up in LA (Louisiana), so I had always wanted to go but was discouraged during high school by an advisor, a superior form of institutional racism. But, fortunately, my portfolio I had been working on in Seattle, (which I didn’t have at all in LA) was exceptionally strong enough to get me in at that point.
My grandmother had passed away the year I applied to transfer and that was my calling to leave Seattle for a new adventure. I arrived in L.A. full time in 2016 and have been on the go ever since. Found my niche in event photography, a conceptual practice, and started a small business. Shortly after in 2017, my grandfather passed away. He was the father figure in my life and my world turned upside down when he passed away.
Being at USC was struggle in itself because it’s a predominate white institution and I definitely felt like an outcast from my own melanin community within that institution and outside of it, so, I just focused on my art community. Some professors didn’t understand my work because it was “too commercial” looking and it focused on melanin issues/melanin identity. But, I kept pushing for what I wanted to talk about and my experiences, which have led me to become stronger in who I am because of that.
The more I grow, I find that no matter where you’re at in your career, someone wants to take advantage of your skill for their own benefit. The pain that I go through to be able to create is not for the games of L.A., underpayment, nor unsafe housing conditions. The more I reinforce this, the more people get upset because it’s not what they expect or want. It’s all about having boundaries for yourself, sticking to them, and not putting yourself in unnecessary situations.
In all, my path has been and is very unique, which sets me apart from others because in today’s world, we get so caught up in trying to do what everyone else is doing or what we see on social media. But, a lot of us fail to realize that we all have our OWN paths that must be taken. Not a replica of someone elses.
I started a small business called 9efer that specializes in all natural and handmade hair products designed for the varieties of melanin hair texture. 9efer is derived from 9ether which is supposedly the scientific term for the varieties of black hair texture. If you’re into numerology, the number 9 encapsulates all things, all the Universal Spiritual Laws, and is the most conscious. Therefore, when you use my products, inherently you’re interested in taking care of your higher self as everything is handmade with organic ingredients that are beneficial to your mind, body, and spirit.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I’m known for my photography, specializing in events and portraiture. Becoming more known for my conceptual practice, specializing in queer identity, the family narrative, and breaking down the stereotypes within melanin identities.
What makes me different than other artists? Surface level, my style applies to any field and that helps with my commercial background.
But on a deeper note, I think about how I can give back to my community in ways that are feasible for me. Creating artwork around my identity can help someone who’s younger to have someone to look up to as, “that’s a possibility of who I could be or something I could do”. Creating a business around needs for my community, specifically in rural areas in the South where they still don’t have access to resources like products and certain businesses for their own enlightening, health, and self-care. No matter where I go, I can take the skills I have acquired and use them to not only benefit myself but the communities I grew up and have become involved in as I do continue to grow. Having the skills to do this is very powerful, so I am proud of being aware of what I can bring to the table.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family first off! They have seen everything, been supportive in all types of ways. I stayed with my grandfather until he passed away and am so thankful for him being the father figure in my life and letting me stay without any burdens. He has been the number one inspiration to a lot of my projects, how to live life, and to always go back to your community to build up. I miss him so much. My mom and my brother always push for me to stand my ground, be confident, and to trust myself in what I know because if you’re not, people are going to try to change you, not for you, but for themselves. I appreciate my mom so much. I realize more and more that people do not have the similar relationships to their parents and I so thankful for our relationship. My best friend, who is family at this point, has seen everything as well and is always supportive, but keeps it real.
I am thankful for the friends and random people that come and go because I learn more of myself from those experiences and again, standing strong in my values.
My friends I made in Italy when I worked for Crescenzi & Co. Being abroad and working there for three months, was the best time of my life where I knew no one, knew elementary Italian, but gained immense clarity of myself and connected with people because of energies. That was wild.
My mentor Helen Kim and USC. I definitely appreciate all the support and accolades they have helped me achieve while I’ve been in L.A. Despite all the weird stuff, positive experiences came from it.
Anyone that has helped me along my path, the photography department at LACMA, friends in New Orleans, Seattle, Los Angeles, anyone that has let me sleep on their couch or opened their home to me in really rough times. People that have been emotionally supportive when I couldn’t see, I am so incredibly thankful for all of you.
In all, I believe my family history deserves credit too, otherwise I wouldn’t be here talking about my experiences through art.
Contact Info:
- Website: beniciaking.com & 9efer.com
- Email: [email protected] & [email protected]
- Instagram: @beniciaking & @9eferbeauty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beniciakingphotography/ & https://www.facebook.com/9eferbeauty/
Image Credit:
The portrait of myself: My mother, Sherion King. All other images were taken by me, Benicia King.
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
