Today we’d like to introduce you to Keon Ohimai.
Hi Keon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Since my last piece – life has shifted. In a spiritual sense, I feel as if I have been transported into a new reality and I am now the primary force that forges my destiny. But, in layman’s terms, I am happy, I am motivated, and I feel free.
My journey in Dallas has been…a journey, however, I am extremely content with the experiences that have shaped me into the person that I am today.
A primary focus of my work, whether my medium is through photography, modeling, directing, writing, singing, etc…has been community building. I am nothing without the people around me who help shape and curate the experiences that I have creatively. Whatever I can do to influence and build my community, I will do it.
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?
The struggles of the creative tend to be the same. Where do I get money from, how do I meet the right people, how do I stay motivated, what resources do I have to work with??? There are so many things that will run around your mind like a little kid at recess!
A line from Solange’s interlude off of her album, “When I Get Home,” says, “[I am] Nothing without intention. Do nothing without intention.” Those lines have stuck with me. Learning how to bring the ideas I have in my head into fruition and figure out how to work with all kinds of people has been a personally intense journey for me.
Art is sensitive, and at many times can be extremely overwhelming. Knowing that this is what I want to spend my life-force on, has shaped the way I approach my creative path. I have found ways to articulate myself better so that I can share my creations with the world. I have struggled with learning the nuances of people’s personalities so that we can work together in the most peaceful way. Most importantly, I have learned me.
That was the biggest struggle. The battle within myself.
Knowing who you are, how you want to be, and what it takes yourself to get there, has been an important struggle, development, lesson, whatever you want to call it, that has allowed me to grow into who I am now.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in Creative Experiences. Regardless of what art medium I am working on, I “intentionally” am making sure the project I am working on is a fulfilling experience for me, and anyone else involved.
Especially with modeling, where I have been able to shine the most. I may not do grand studio shoots all the time with fancy lighting, or paid branded shoots for a talent agencies, but I do me the BEST.
Throughout college, I worked as Editor-in-Chief of a Creative Arts magazine on my school’s campus, which is where I have gained a LOT of knowledge on all the in’s and out’s of writing, graphics, web design, marketing, blah blah blahhh, that play into making a shoot great and showcasing it in a meaningful way. When people see something that I do, I want them to see the passion in my eyes. If I am sharing my writing I want them to hear the fight in my voice. If I find myself walking down a runway, I want them to hear a roar in my step that makes them stop and see me for who I am.
There is so much to be said in all the simple things that we do. And that is is a primary force in all the art I do. “What message am I wanting to be heard here?”
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I was having a conversation with an old friend the other night actually about traits we have developed since we last connected, and what came up was letting go.
Letting go of outcomes, expectations, and most importantly, ego.
We are on this earth to learn and teach. Everything we know comes from someone else, and everything that happens to us is shaped by so many variables that we could not even imagine what it would require to fully control what happens to us. Art is the outward expressions of one’s soul, and as an artist, all we need to do is share. Share our soul with the world and let it feed and nourish us so that we may continue the cycle for others.
When I first stepped into the “creative world” I was like a lost puppy finding scraps for myself until I could find a nice place to call home with some good owners and some great kibble. Metaphorically, that’s what it takes to be an artist. Understanding that we will not always have the best variables in our favor, but along the way, we can find people who can feed our ambition in meaningful ways so that we may rest and share love through our art.
I know it sounds sappy, but art really is love. We do not need to perfect and we will be lost, and that’s okay. But there is always something good on the horizon, all we need to do is to keep climbing, and our destiny will find us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/keonohimai
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keonohimai/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/keon-695231964
Image Credits
Personal Photo: @visualtothet
Others:
@maxadamsonphoto
@lannas.photography
@ali_k.pic
