“The great things about art is that you can do anything with it. It can represent whatever you want it to mean in order to get a point across. The possibilities of it are truly endless.”
Name: Jayden James
Age: 17
Grade: Junior
Pronouns: He/Him
Inspired Aesthetics Programs: Theatre Virtual Pop-up Experience
“To put it simple, I want to be an all-around artist when I grow up”
What is your favorite form of artistic expression? Why?
“I don't have a favorite form of artistic expression if I'm being honest. Throughout my life, I've come to realize that I enjoy multiple different types of art. This includes, but isn't limited to: dance, music, film/cinematography, acting, writing, and photography. What I find interesting about these art forms is that I can not only express myself through them, but see an extensive amount of different people, ideas, places, and stories be shared that I otherwise would have never been aware of if I wasn't fond of these different artistic expressions.”
How do you want to incorporate art/creative expression into your future?
“To put it simple, I want to be an all-around artist when I grow up. I'd like to do all the things I listed in the previous question as I'm deeply passionate about these things. To build on that, I'd like to use these art forms to express a variety of opinions, stories, and anything I want to bring awareness to.”
Who influences you as an artist?
“Some influences for me are Kate Bush, Spike Lee, and Prince. But overall, I'd say I'm influenced by an extensive amount of people and things surrounding me. I'm always surrounded by new things, people, and art I encounter in my life.”
What is a topic or idea that is most important/interesting to you right now? Why does it matter?
“The many hate crimes committed against black and brown trans women is a problem that is very important, and yet does not have the awareness it needs. This topic is important to me because far too many trans women have been brutally beaten and/or murdered simply because of who they are. We need a stronger set of laws that protects trans people from being murdered, or at the very least, allows for justice to be served for those that are murdered. We need to protect the trans community to our best ability.”
What do you want to do after you graduate high school?
“After I graduate high school, I will be going to college (Majors/Minors in film, creative writing, music, and performing arts) to not only make being an artist my career, but see new things, meet new people, and experience a new life.”
What is an opportunity that you have had, through Inspired Aesthetics, that you might not have had otherwise?
“I'd say the ability to improve my acting abilities. For a long time, I've wanted to act, but I didn't have the proper resources to do so. By being apart of the Inspired Aesthetics acting workshop, I was able to finally begin my journey of becoming an actor.”
Where can people see more of your work?
“In terms of dance, you can see more videos of I and my teammates at Royalty Blue Knights on YouTube.”