Today we’d like to introduce you to Rejeana V. Black.
Hi Rejeana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey as a fine art photographer began when I started taking pictures and dabbling with themed “dress-up” photoshoots back in high school with my friends. I realized how much I loved creating stories and experimenting with a camera which is what really inspired me to pursue college after graduation to further master what was my passion. I was blessed to attend California State University, Long Beach where I earned my BFA in Photography and certificate in American Indian & Indigenous Studies. Since my undergrad, I’ve been fortunate to become involved in my Long Beach community from curating shows for LA county artists to being a part of an all-Black creative cohort, Go Make Something, Kids!, which is supported by non-profit organization, Arts Council for Long Beach that encourages youth resiliency through the arts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has been a tough road to reach where I’m at now and I still feel like I have a ways to go in what I wish to achieve in my career. I’m very grateful though for all the lessons and setbacks that have shaped me into the person I am today. I’ve overcome homelessness, suffering from a psychosis back in 2017, diagnosed with PTSD, being in and out of college… It felt like I had personal and generational blockages to conquer to be the first generation to graduate from college in my family.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My practice is mostly photography and video which focuses on the discussion of ancestral trauma, specifically within the African American community through the study of epigenetics and their relation to the body and human unconscious. I use projection to cast images of text or imagery onto my and my subjects’ bodies to visually articulate the resilient history of African Americans while reflecting on the multigenerational trauma that is inherited through epigenetics. In 2020, to respond to the multiple police murders of innocent Black Americans, I directed and filmed a guerilla-style documentary series titled “Seventy x Seven” (2020), interviewing seven Black fathers and their relationships with law enforcement while living in the Los Angeles county. However, my newest work is turning towards more positive, light-hearted aspects found in our African diaspora. My ongoing portrait series titled “Yaaasss Sis!” (2022) is based on the importance in the concept of sisterhood and women friendships.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe risk taking is a part of the journey. There are times where you might need to be more cautious because bottom of the line is that you’re betting on yourself and you don’t want to lose all your chips. (I hope that resonates to someone because I’m not a gambler, haha) But if you follow your intuition and trust your gut when that opportunity that may have seemed too surreal to be real falls into your lap, I guarantee whoever reads this that they are in for a ride of a lifetime. Or you think you may not qualify for a particular opportunity but your heart screamed that this was meant for you, don’t ignore those signals. Every time I applied to something I knew in my bones was for me, I gave it my all and ended up getting it (Thank You God). Then I would have to learn how to be courageous and confident enough to fulfill whatever I agreed to take on as a new experience. It’s been scary living as a creative entrepreneur but it’s also been the most rewarding to my spirit.
Pricing:
- $1275/freelance photo day rate
- $50 art prints
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rejeanavblack.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rejeana_violet/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RejeanaViPhotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya1No7S-zNY&ab_channel=RejeanaBlack
Image Credits
Personal Photo – Photographer credited: Henry Duong Nguyen Additional Photos – Photographers credited: Rejeana V. Black (artwork photographs, collage portrait & fence installation image) & Jose Angel Castro (youth art class images and portrait of myself wearing glasses with Brandie)
