Some work is like lightning, grabbing you and owning your focus, putting you firmly in the moment. When you find yourself face to face with it, it's exciting. It awakens a hunger and appreciation for experiences; experiences that can only be had in that time.
Coco's work is a reminder to live in the present.
Where are you from?
Not a lot of people know this but I am originally from Liberia in West Africa. My family left in the early 80's before I was born due to the coup, and we have never been back since. I was raised & spent most of my life in London so I consider myself to be British.
How has your home shaped what you do?
I have called many places my home, and my nature dictates that 'home' is where you lay your hat. I have been fortunate enough to have travelled quite extensively in my short 23 years. Though I spent most of my early years in London, my family moved to South Africa when I was about 11 so I spent a great deal of the year there, though I still lived and attended school in London. So that was also my second home for a good 6 years. I moved to NYC in 2003 to attend college, and decided to stay, so now I consider this to be my home.
Moving to New York created an urgency for me to succeed and be the best I could be. Call it fate or happy coincidence but all the people I am lucky enough to call friends are artists/entrepreneurs who are extremely talented, motivated, and accomplished self-starters. Most do not hold down a 9-5 because basically, they work well beyond those hours to build their own companies, brands, or freelance operations. Seeing this has further developed my entrepreneurial.... (and slightly competitive) spirit while giving me a multi-disciplinary perspective. If I like something I see, I will inform myself about it and try to incorporate it into the projects I work on. It has made me more open-minded in how I approach everything, so I wear many hats as a creative. Though I have worked primarily as a photographer & video editor, there are really no limitations to the scope of what I hope to create in the future across many mediums. I am no longer confined by the idea of what 'one does'. As long as you take the time to inform and learn about something it is you wish to pursue, and make sure you execute it to the highest standard possible, you can accomplish anything of the creative nature - and that includes doing business creatively. You just have to define yourself within it and place your signature style onto it.
A defining moment being in New York happened straight out of college. For 9 months I worked for Spike Lee at 40 Acres & A Mule (which was a 9-5). There I learned that I wouldn't be happy working for someone else's goals and ambitions because I have my own. But... *smile* i'm always here to help.
Are you formally educated and what influence has it had on you and your work?
I am 'formally' educated in a lot of things... many of which I no longer really do. During my middle and high school years I attended a school in London which is part of a global pre-college program called The International Baccalaureate (IB). Basically, that is what allowed me to complete college in 3 years because it really is college level work administered over a 2 year period covering specialized disciplines. One of my main focuses was Theatre Arts/Acting cause I really wanted to pursue film/theatre acting. I continued on in this vein when I entered college so I was formally trained to be an actor for a good 7-8 years.
Then I switched my focus to film production & history. In my senior year I wrote, directed, & produced a thesis film that won a few awards and left college with film on my mind, hence why I began working with Spike. That progressed into an interest in photography so I took a slew of classes at The School of Visual Arts. I am not formally educated in many things that I do now.Though formal training in any discipline is important, it is not always imperative if you are dedicated and put in time and effort to teach yourself.In all I do, I just do a lot of research and implement what I have learned to the project at hand.
At the end of the day, I believe that all things involving arts & culture are interrelated depending on how you look at it. In this way, though I am now pursuing work more related to photography & design, I can still call upon all that I have learned from my years of acting, and working behind the lens in film to inform my aesthetic, my thought process, and how I go about bringing a project from conception to completion.
What mediums are you drawn to?
I have always been drawn to the moving & still image, but of late I have been really inspired in all that is going on in the world of design. I am very drawn to architecture, certain types of illustration, graphic design, and product design, so I spend a lot of my day informing myself on all that is going on in those fields and collecting imagery that inspires me. I do this because I would like my work to cross over many mediums in the future. For me the idea of creating work that fuses together photography, illustration, and graphics into any given project is the goal.
What is your inspiration?
This answer could go on and on. First and foremost, I am surrounded by individuals who inspire me cause I move within a very talented group of people, who have each found much commercial/art world success due to the calibre of work they create. I think that at the core, one's inspiration should always come from within and those you associate with. Like I said, I do a lot of research in the areas that interest me - whether that be via the internet, reading books & magazines, collecting art books, or just talking with those I admire. I hoard images and make it a point to discover the work of artists I know and those I may have not known about before across many disciplines. Then I make monthly catalogues of all that I have found that inspires me for future reference. Anything and everything that is created with attention to detail, displays craftsmanship, and is executed to the highest standard has the potential to inspire. Absolutely anything.
What is your work process?
It always starts with good music and possibly some sushi. :) I spend a lot of time in front of the computer... probably too much for my own good so good music is key. I collect music for every mood and occasion just to make the work process more enjoyable. Like right now as I write this I am listening to Múm - very relaxing. Then I've got to psyche myself into actually beginning cause that is the hardest part - unless I am very excited about the project, and i've got a lot to be excited about right now so that's not too hard. I also try and only work on projects that will excite and/or challenge me in some way otherwise what's the point?
I try to get all meetings, emails, phone calls out of the way earlier on in the day cause by around 8/9 I usually am ready to work on creative stuff. I work into the wee hours - usually 5 or 6AM, and though I try to cut myself off around then and get some sleep, I often find my creative mojo is in full effect around then so sadly, many nights I go without. This is not something I would recommend, but it's all part & parcel of being a robot. I guess deep down I want to be a machine - perfectly efficient & self-sufficient.
What are you working on now?
Well, I have a new business partner who I am very excited to work with as he has much experience where mine falls short. We are in the process of building a companycalled 'The Black Brand'that will be a team of artists who work within many of the disciplines/mediums I discussed above to facilitate in-house and client based projects. Since we are still in the early stages of development, I am not at liberty to discuss much more than that.
I am also working on a 6 city photography & mixed media exhibition/competition that will be seeding out exemplary unknown talents and placing them in front of magazine editors, gallery curators, successful & well known artists, and seasoned professionals in the fields of photography, media, and design.
Those are the big projects. Under those umbrellas exist many client based projects.
Then I am also working with some music artists to creatively direct their musical projects from a visual perspective, which includes designing their album artwork & promotional materials.
I always try to work on bettering my personal work and try out new techniques, and that will continue until I can't work anymore. :) I just wish there were more time. Don't we all.
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Photo by Luna Park
Photo byJake Dobkin
Photo by Luna Park
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