With many things to celebrate during Black History Month, the Black community’s talented youth deserves uplifting. Black people continue to create their waves and paths in life with their diverse sense of style and versatility.
One creative and Black individual who continues to search for positivity in life and create art is Jah Phnx. This third-year drawing and painting major at Georgia State specializes in modeling, painting and music production.
Despite being multi-talented, he chooses not to put a definite label on his creative abilities.
“I probably wouldn’t label myself because I would rather leave that for other people to do,” he said. “I feel like it’s very important to not box ourselves in because we have to make sure that we have enough room to move around and grow.”
A consistent source of inspiration can be hard to come by, especially in a creative field. Luckily for Phnx, he finds his greatest inspiration in the simple things in life.
“I’m inspired by life in general, both big and small things,” Phnx said. “They are both very connected, so if you can appreciate the small things, you can easily appreciate the big things.”
In addition to using life as a catalyst in his creative process, he also finds that others’ success is a huge push to keep him motivated and dig deeper into his creativity.
“When I see successful people, it just fuels the fire in me because I know that we are both humans and anything is possible,” said Phnx. “If they can do it, I know I can do it, but ten times better.”
Along with using outside factors as inspiration, Phnx also considers himself a source of creative inspiration. No matter if he is creating a song or a painting, Phnx recognizes his natural talents and knows his place in the world.
The art he creates through painting creates a colorful collage of different emotions, meanings and interpretations.
“Honestly, just knowing that I have something special to offer this world and something that I don’t see out there already is inspiring enough,” Phnx said. “I know that there’s this space that’s just wide open for me to be in, so just being able to know that there’s a place out there that no one else can feel is motivation.”
With there being so many pressures from the outside world, school or home life, Phnx chooses not to stress over what he can’t do but instead be thankful for his growth and what he has already created.
Having plans of coming out with new music in the future, Phnx created an InstaBio to showcase all of his artforms.
“I love to create, so my goal is to grow and be better than I was today and just keep that going,” said Phnx. “Tomorrow, I’ll be better than I was today, so it’s really a journey of one thousand miles, and it begins with a single step.”
