Today we’d like to introduce you to Keon Ohimai
Hi Keon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
~first, thank you for this opportunity to share my story
My mom is a Nigerian immigrant, and my dad is a native African American. As a kid, I never got to experience my parents together as they divorced when I was a baby…lol. I primarily lived with my mom while my dad was out, living his life with a few check-ins here and there. I grew up a happy and simple child up until my stepdad came. Through years of emotional abuse from that side of the family and many nuanced conversations with my father about his experience with my mom and his own life, I have grown to have a very open outlook on the world as I see things for how they are.
I mention all of this to preface what inspires me—being alive. Throughout my childhood, I was bullied in school, shunned at home, and left alone a lot to fend for myself emotionally and mentally. So, when I finally came to college in 2021, I vowed to try my hardest to live my life how I wanted to. I pushed myself to wear clothes I never wore in public, speak, talk, and walk how I wanted to without hearing nagging from my mother about “how a man should act.” That became my biggest struggle from freshman to junior year–how should I act?
As a child, I was always involved in some extracurricular. I did skating camp and tennis lessons, played and failed horribly at soccer, did track in seventh grade for two weeks, and even did flag football in the community. I also grew up singing and acting in church, as my mom had put me in acting classes as a toddler. I have always been placed somewhere different and new throughout my life, whether through the things I indulged in or traveling to visit family overseas. I think those experiences truly shaped how I view the flow of life to this day.
In high school, I was afraid of what my life would become after moving out. I remember doing choir all four years and even becoming choir president, and doing about everything I could on my own to have something to say that I am proud of being a part of. Thankfully, this drive is still in me now, but without the stress I had once let weigh me down.
Now, as a senior in college about to graduate, I reflect. During Christmas break, my sophomore year of college, I worked at a hospital for a little Starbucks. Towards the end of me having that job, I just kept having panic attacks and emotional breakdowns. After all the things I had done up until then, time finally came crashing down on me. I had been involved in about every campus and community event I could attend, talked and hung out with anyone I could, and was still trying to express myself the best way I knew how to, but that still was not enough. So, during that time, I had a cute little mental breakdown as I realized I was doing so much, and I had not taken any time to work through why I was even doing any of this. Throughout my time living in Dallas, I have gratefully met so many creatives in the area, and somehow, I used to get every shoot I wanted to be done for free just because of my interactions with people. During one of these shoots, I had a conversation with my friend Maje that encouraged me to let go. Instead of trying, trying, I was told to, “let myself be.” That little sentence has changed my life completely.
Ok, back to me about to graduate college, lol. I appreciate all my struggles because I would not want to change who I am for anyone. I love traveling, meeting new people, creating and experiencing art. It brings me so much joy and has shown me that life has many wonders that we can only find if we let ourselves. I have hosted many community events recently in the DFW area with my collective @theweekdaiproductions, where I have been able to open and share avenues of life with so many different people. I deeply love everyone and everything that has pushed me to focus my life on being alive. As simple as that, that keeps me going, and I am happy to be here.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My main struggle was to stop thinking so much and do things. I spent so much time weighing out options and coming up with storylines in my head about the things I loved and wanted to do instead of doing them.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work at a finance company while studying global business at the University of Texas in Dallas. I am Editor in Chief of a creative arts magazine on campus and president of a music club as well! Ironically, people would think those had nothing to do with finance, but those things were exactly what got me my job. I remember my manager first telling me when I started that he respected my work outside of a standard stereotypical business career because I add nuance and creative diversity to our workplace. It was so fulfilling to know that all my creative endeavors have been able to showcase my drive for life and landed me a good job to afford a lot of things I set my mind on.
What I am most proud of is my balance with work, home, and my hobbies. I have gone too many concerts by myself and have traveled frequently to visit so many amazing people I have met online. In highschool I could not imagine myself being to randomly take a flight to LA in stay in West Hollywood with my friend just for funsies and to go out on Halloween.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I honestly don’t worry about the idea of luck. I am doing the necessary work to end up where ever I end up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keonohimai/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/keon-695231964
- Other: https://indigomagazine.github.io/indigomagazine/
Image Credits
@theweekdaiproductions
@2uesdai
