INTERVIEW WITH BKLYN BOIHOOD

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:07:13 +0000

Ryann and Genesis of Bklyn Boihood may be the two hardest-working, busiest bois in the business. They have day jobs, side jobs, projects, parties, photo shoots and much more. I know for a fact that they didn’t have time to sit down with me for an hour to talk about themselves. They also didn’t need to invite me into Ryann’s home for the interview. But that’s the way Bklyn Boihood does things. They reach out to build relationships/friendships/business-ships with just about everyone. They’re very real.So I headed over to Ryann’s apartment in Bed-Stuy to discuss the Bklyn Boihood venture so far. There were a few chairs, incense, an oddly serene thunderstorm outside, and that’s about it. Like I said, they’re real.

(After the interview, don’t forget to check out the Bois’ pics in the gallery or check out the Bklyn Boihood official site!)

I watched the behind-the-scenes video for your calender, and someone in the video described Bklyn Boihood as an open dialogue. And up until then, Bklyn Boihood seemed sort of mysterious to me. But that kind of cleared things up. I hope this can be just that- a discussion so the suburban white girls from Ohio like me can be on the same page as you. So with that in mind, I thought maybe we could go ahead and get some vocabulary out of the way. Could you describe for me, in your own words, what a boi (b-o-i) is?

Genesis: That’s the famous question. And I guess that, for me, it changes a little bit every day if I’m doing the right things. I call myself boi as a term of endearment to myself. I think that, for me, I am a masculine presenting woman. The other terms just don’t fit for me. I’m not aggressive, so I’m not an AG. I don’t like the term “butch.” I’d rather not be called a “dyke.” (But I kind of like it sometimes.) It’s just a term that I call myself.

OK. So what is a butch or a dyke as opposed to a boi if you don’t identify with those terms?

Genesis: Those are traditional terms that I just don’t— The language in our community has changed, so naturally the boxes that we put ourselves in have changed.

Ryann: Speaking of boxes, I think that’s another thing that’s cool about this term that we’ve sort of adopted a little bit. I mean it’s been out there across a lot of different genders, sexualities, whatever. And I think this term embodies so much that it’s kind of a spectrum. It’s not so clearly defined. The fact that you don’t know is kind of a good thing because our identities are a little bit fluid in that way. We’re not structured in this one way. We’re not being held based on whatever people preconceive. Like, when you think “butch,” there’s an image that appears in your head. And it may be different for different people. But generally, there’s an image. And for us and the people who work with us, we’re not tied to the term.

Genesis: And I think people appreciate us for being ourselves within that term.

Alright. So it’s vague enough. I feel like if you’re calling yourself butch, and then show up wearing a dress—

Genesis: Then you’re an outcast.

But with this term there’s room for you guys to evolve and change or not change.

Ryann: It’s interesting, though, because it’s still just a word. But that’s how humans decipher things. It’s kind of hard to say, “we’re not held down by anything, but we identify ourselves as this.” It’s sort of a term for all those things and more.

Right. It could mean a hundred different things.

Ryann: That’s right.

Alright. So on your website, you call Bklyn Boihood an “entity.” And every media source that I’ve seen cover you has sort of cut and pasted that word to describe you. Entity is a pleasant, succinct word, but could you give me just a few concrete examples of the kind of stuff you actually do?

Genesis: I think an important thing to keep in mind is that we are a young company. And I love the idea, as Ryann mentioned, of fluidity. We haven’t attached ourselves to a specific anything that says, “we only put on shows,” or “we throw parties.” I like space, and I prefer to keep it that way. And I like the sense of buzz that it creates in our community. I think that those who follow us and those who hang out with us and those who we are blessed to be around like that. They like that they don’t necessarily know what’s going to be at the next party.

Again, yeah, you’re not tied down.

Genesis: Right, and I think that sense of freedom has helped us as a young business, and I think it will continue to help us. We don’t have to do anything and we can do a million things. I enjoy that. For me, it’s really important to stand as an example. I call myself a boi, but I realize in this voyage that a lot of people in this community are really looking for a sense of mentorship. They’re looking for a sense of guidance—a big brother, big sister sort of thing. And I’m happy to fill those shoes. So I think that as long as we’re doing things that are positive and we’re giving to the community—even if it’s a party. It’s never just a party. It really is an experience that we’re trying to create and extend to the community.

Ryann: It’s a very very safe environment.

Speaking of community, Kia mentioned that when the Bklyn Boihood pictures went up on Shot-n-NYC, everyone went to the site to check them out. There’s an obvious following. Who are meeting and how are you finding them? Is it just your friends that you met first, and then you built a community around them?

Ryann: A really important part of my life, not just with this project, but in my life, is to build real relationships with people. There’s a mutual benefit involved. You get some enjoyment if you’re lucky. But that’s kind of been the path that I’ve been on my whole life, to be honest with you. So, I’ve kind of placed us in a position where we research a little and have access to a lot of different networks. And it’s authentic. I like to reach out to people, and when people reach out to me, I take it very seriously. We make commitments and we stick to them.

Genesis: I think we also communicate and stay close to a lot of grassroots organizations and people who are trying to do things artistically. People don’t mind doing favors for us because we love supporting others.

Ryann: And we’re willing to help as much as we need to. I think that we’ve established that with most people that we work with. It’s about keeping those connections. And we don’t particularly come from activist backgrounds. I’ve dipped in and out of organizing and hauled her (Genesis) ass to certain things, but we kind of live our lives benefiting from all those things, supporting them, but not necessarily being in the trenches. So we have a different perspective where it’s completely humble. We had to run this by a lot of folks. Like, “Is this person’s statement PC?” We learned a lot about gender politics and all those things through the process. We didn’t have any of this shit figured out. And we don’t even pretend to. So, I think in that way, our movements is a lot more at home for folks.

And how do you guys feel so far? Content? Excited?

Genesis: I’m very excited. I feel very proud of Bklyn Boihood, and I feel proud of what’s to come. I’m very excited. This project has done a lot for me personally. And it’s put us individually, Ryan and I, into a lot. And it’s put friendships to the test, and we’ve come out on top. It’s successful, and I feel really good about it.

Ryan: Me too. And we’ve noted the things that we’ve done wrong. We don’t feel like we’ve failed at those things. We just know what to do better next time. There’s been some things that have been shaky along the way, but overall, we’re excited.

Genesis: I like that we’re still students of the process. This is something that’s been done; we’re aware of that. But we know that we can add a different twist. We are fresh to the process, and we are truly very different. Our train of thought is very different .Our train of creativity is very different.

Brooklyn is in your name, so obviously it means something to you. How does the city, or Brooklyn specifically, fit into Bklyn Boihood? How do you identify or not identify with it through your work?

Genesis: Brooklyn is my hometown. I am a Brooklyn Boi. Brooklyn is my home. It’s mine. It’s really really special for me to set up in this way, on my home turf. And it’s really important that I’m part of something that gives a present, if you will, to those everyday fine-ass Brooklyn bois. That’s really important to me. The women in this county are gorgeous. The women walking down the street are gorgeous. The people who we associate ourselves with are just good people, and it’s nice to be able to showcase their talent.

Ryann: I’m not originally from Brooklyn. I’ve lived here for maybe five or six years. But this is my home, and this is where I found myself. This is where I found my friends that I feel like I’ll have my whole life. I know there are folks here that share that same sentiment. So it’s an important place. It’s a beautiful place. So this is us paying homage to it in a way. People in Brooklyn conduct themselves in so many different ways because Brooklyn is just like that. Brooklyn is the white girl from Ohio. Brooklyn is the scruffy motherfucker from Detroit. Brooklyn is a lot of different things, so we brought a lot of different aspects.

Genesis: I think that Brooklyn lends itself to a different mindset. I think that we’re about to be a part of a movement that’s happening in Brooklyn that’s unbeknownst to us, most days. But people are moving to Bed-Stuy. People are moving to Crown Heights. People are moving to Brooklyn. Brooklyn is, for a lot of reasons, the place to be. It really is right now. It’s a very creative center for a lot of people. For a lot of people of color. For a lot of women of color. For a lot of women. I’m really proud of the fact that we can put Brooklyn at the top of our list.

Yes, I get what you’re saying. There’s something about it. Young, creative people are just getting their shit together and doing what they want to do. They seem to really be putting themselves out there. But as far as putting yourself out there, the calendar seems to have been a success. What’s next for you guys? I know you don’t want to give anything away, but can you give us a few hints?

Genesis: We have a party coming up in September, and that’s big time. And sometime soon, look out for the announcement of our next project.

Check out the Bklyn Boihood website to stay updated on future projects.

Interview with Cory M. Model/Photographer

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:49:40 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing New York City native Cory Malcom at the Cotton Club in Harlem. We had so much fun and he was amazing to work with. Read on to learn more about Cory, and make sure you swing on over to the Gallery to see photos from the shoot…

SNN: Who is Cory M.?

CM: I am a caring out going person willing to extend my helping hand to the world of photography. You will see who I am through my pictures. Simple dude here (: but my mind is always on.

SNN: In your opinion, what makes photography an art?

CM: Photography becomes art when you can provoke a feeling, idea, or emotional connection when one see’s the different angles, colors and shapes. You will see a lot of that in my work. I love to shoot on weird angels and try new things.

SNN: When did you become interested in Photography?

CM: I started out modeling and have done some television work as well. Photography has always been on my mind from snapping pictures with my Nintendo DSI to photo shoots with the family. It’s just always been my love to take someone picture and see there facial expression once the picture is produce.

SNN: What other talents do you have?

CM: Wow…I act and I model, and if you guys didn’t know I’m a hardcore video game geek. Something I was always good at since I was a kid. No one could ever beat me.

SNN: What motivates you to do what you do?

CM: My motivations come from growing up in New York City. Trying to express myself to the world and show them I can do something else besides being the pretty boy lmao! I am done with that role.

SNN: If you could live anywhere else in the world other than NYC, where would it be and why?

CM: I would love to travel towards the Middle East. I’d leave this city with my sidekick Mr. “Nikon” and become more understanding of the people & culture, and embrace the amazing scenery.

Contact Cory and see more of his work at:

http://www.facebook.com/CoryMPhotography

http://twitter.com/CoryM3

~ Kia

Welcome to Shot n NYC!!!

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:33:03 +0000

New York City is a special place. This city allows people to be their own kind of “fly”. A lot of New Yorkers are full of intrigue, and possess a certain confidence in just being themselves. Getting a temporary glance of them from just walking down the street was not enough. So it became necessary to whip out the camera and capture their realness and originality. Stay tuned as we continue to showcase impromptu photo shoots of the interesting people we find strolling the streets of the “Big Apple”!

SHOT N NYC

INTERVIEW WITH BKLYN BOIHOOD

Interview with Cory M. Model/Photographer

Welcome to Shot n NYC!!!