Hey Tumblr! Our first BlackExcellence Spotlight of is Aundre Larrow aundrelarrow , a Brooklyn-based visual artist whose work has been featured on Adobe, Walmart, Verizon, and more. I started taking photos on borrowed film cameras from friends until I turned 15 and my theater teacher gave me his old Minolta SRT as a gift. After that I would use my money from working at Old Navy and whatever I could talk my mom into donating to buy film and get it processed at the Walgreens a mile walk away.
The passion started when I realized I could freeze moments I held dear and capture them. I loved getting my film back. I loved sharing it; Making little yearbooks and giving them to friends. I still have some of those prints in my childhood room.
I read an article on Mic. And it got me thinking. I thought back to this teachable moment I had after college. I was interning at the Gainesville Sun. To make matters worse, I had used a black backdrop. I later learned from trial and error, from assisting photographers like Coty Tarr, and from studying the work of folks like Michele Walker, Joshua Kissi. Street etiquette paved the way for me at bevel, TBH. One woman explained to me that one parent had abused her, and the other was enraged that she reported it.
These women built new identities for themselves while separated from everything they knew. These two quotes will always stick with me:. So I would automatically wake up and stand up.
Sometimes, I would get up and lock myself in the bathroom. I spent 18 years in a room with a toilet and a sink. This was the closest thing, you know, to feeling safe. Everybody, every racial background, has their own struggle. You might not be my son, but if I see you in trouble, I am going to help. We, you know, from the slave ships, we were the ones singing them love songs, belly to belly and all the feces and stuff. Existing is a form of resistance, no? I simply try to embody the process of creation. Tumblr has brought so so many Black creatives together.
Just to name a few, skinnywashere , stewyiscool , and Tutes; Tumblr OGs telling the New York story for so many of us to follow along. That community will last forever. Those connections are unbreakable.
When I interviewed lawrenceagyei he spoke so fondly of finding the work of Joshua Kissi and how it inspired him. It brought a smile to my face. Tumblr gave me the ability to shoot Fashion Week and a platform to share the full story.
Photo stories pop because you decide the weight of each image. Tumblr, do yourselves a favor and make sure to check out his photography and follow his journey. And, hey, we wanna hear from you. What other Black Tumblr artists or activists should we spotlight?
Use the tag BlackExcellence to let us know. Some tumbledown inn in some shithole town, watery beer, bread like rock, the stench of too many bodies pressed into a small space. The usual. Another town, another job, this one to hunt a nest of kikimores, but even Geralt can admit he needs backup when taking on a queen. So he enlists a few mercenaries. Are you trying to give me a stress hernia? He settles for grunting instead. Do I look like a healer to you, hmm? Do you imagine I had time to study medicine in between composition and the lute?
I mean, I can see why you would think that, given my broad and varying talents, but I do in fact have my limits. The mage twirls Jaskier around, wrapped in golden threads of magic. Geralt assess his chances: one mage, a room full of acolytes, him unarmed, and Jaskier a hostage.
He grunts. He shakes his head and wrenches his mouth open. Another shitty inn, this one made of brick rather than wood, with low tables and a wide fireplace where only glowing embers remain. Jaskier curled up on his lap, nestled close to his slowly-beating heart, huddled beneath a thick fur blanket. Originally posted by jjks. Lup is a brown elf with dark hair. She has pierced ears, bracelets and rings in on her hands.
Barry is a white human in his middle age with light brown hair and big black glasses on his nose. They are both in long red robes, crop tops and jeans. They both sit on the ground. Lup embraces Barry from behind with her left hand, stretches her right hand far up.
She leans her head on his shoulder, her face full of excitement. Barry leans in to her and looks at her softly with loving amusement. He rises his hands as he uses magic to make several books float around them. In the background far away behind them there are some shapes reminding pillars, they seem pinkish under bright white light.
End ID]. JavaScript is required to view this site. Log in Sign up. Most recent Most popular Most recent. Filter by post type All posts. Grid View List View. Show more notes. Off to work. Tell us about yourself. When did your passion for photography start? Your work tells many stories, primarily of Black bodies which some photographers find it difficult to capture. What inspired you to make your series about shooting against darker skin tones?
How did that project impact you and the work you create? How has Tumblr allowed you to showcase your work and connect with other Black creatives?
Thank you for sharing your story, Aundre! This interview has been condensed for clarity. BlackExcellence Black history month aundre larrow. Jaskier takes it and glares, his mouth pinching into a tight line.
There is no argument to be had. The room deserted, everyone having since long gone to bed, a chill setting into the air. Study date on civilizations lost [ID: a digital painting of Lup and Barry from The Adventure Zone: Balance in something like impression of pink toned swirl of flower petals.