From The Projects to Leica
I don’t recall when my parents decided to move to the projects, but I do remember being in elementary school at the time. My school was a bus or train ride away, and my father would bring me to school every day. I recall every Friday, we would go to McDonald’s for breakfast. At the time, I didn’t understand what my living conditions meant. I didn’t realize my parents' income was lower than average. I was fortunate to have both parents and friends uptown to hang out with whenever I wanted. I didn’t leave the projects until I moved out to live on my own, which was when I was around 23 or 24 years old. So, it’s safe to say I grew up in the projects. Saint Nick is my home.
Before moving to the projects, I lived on 148th Street. My closest friend lived one avenue away. When I moved to the projects, he and his family ended up moving just three blocks away. We hung out all the time, even though we lived very different lives. My projects were in the middle of Harlem, located on 127th Street. This was before gentrification. I remember thinking I might want to leave the area because there weren’t any bars or places to hang out after I turned 21. I was very wrong about that.
I didn’t get into much trouble when I was young. I didn’t really hang out with anyone in my projects. In middle school, I met one classmate who lived in my projects, but that was it. I wasn’t a standout student; I just didn’t get into trouble. My middle school was in a building that housed multiple schools. I believe my school was the first charter school in Harlem at that time. When it was time to look into high schools, I thought I really enjoyed math and science. I ended up going to a high school in the MLK building located right next to Lincoln Center. I skipped school a decent amount and went to day parties in the Bronx. The Bronx was a different place back then, and I had no business being there. I met so many interesting people during those years, from those hanging on the corners to those aspiring to become lawyers. One might say meeting all these different people made me street smart and semi-book smart.
Meeting and being in different environments taught me a few things:
Watch my back
Understand someone’s tone
Read the room
Be very observant
Living my life in the projects, I definitely saw people showing off the money they had by wearing certain brands and sneakers. That was just Harlem back in the day. There were plenty of people showing off. When I got older and started making money, I started doing the same thing. It took me a while to realize it wasn’t needed and it was also dangerous. For example, during college, I worked at J.Crew and dressed up for every shift. Leaving my building, I noticed people always watching (I never had a problem). After a while, I toned down how much I showed off, especially after seeing someone come into J.Crew with a black card and a Rolex on his arm while he had holes in his sneakers.
If you’ve made it this far, you might be wondering why I’m writing about this and where the photography comes in. To that, I say sometimes you need to look back to understand why you do the things you do. For example, I mostly shoot with Leica cameras because I like them and I want to. Of course, I can list a bunch of other reasons why Leica cameras are great, but the truth is, I like the fact that not everyone can afford one. I know that might sound messed up, but knowing what I know now about my upbringing, it represents a milestone in life. My family didn’t have much money, and seeing people showing off made an impression on me. The camera represents that milestone. Also, no, I’m not a lawyer or doctor or whatever else people think you have to be to afford the camera. I just work hard for the things I find cool. If you ever see me out on the street (outside of the summer), you’ll see me wear all black. I never want anyone to notice me. I’m always aware of my surroundings because I grew up in one of the most populated cities and lived in one of the most urban-dense areas.