2017 In Review

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This is late.. I know. But like a famous musician once said (Drake), “Better late than never.” 2017 was a big year for me in many ways. I really felt myself grow and couldn’t believe some of the opportunities I was granted. I worked really hard in many dimensions of my life. Can only thank God for a great year. Here are some of the highlights.

Philly Art Collective

• Exhibited in 4 shows

Production Assistant for BET’s “On Tour With Meek Mill” series in Philadelphia.

• Got to be in the company of Philly’s best directors, producers, directors of photography/camera operators, stylists, screenwriters, etc. It was unreal getting that phone call. I even got to rock out with Meek Mill and DMX on stage and get some pictures of my own.

Solo Exhibition

• My then girlfriend (you’ll see why I said that later) Camille is a dancer and choreographer. We’d been playing with the idea of mixing our crafts and having a collaborative show. She did this amazing senior thesis at Temple titled “InterACTion” which she wanted to continue. So one day she was just like “Hey, we’re doing this for real”. I didn’t think I was ready at all. I felt like not enough people knew about me and I wasn’t at a place artistically to exhibit on my own. I had all the excuses and tried to convince her to have the show without me. But… it didn’t work and she insisted we do it together or not at all. When I saw how much she believed in me.. the pride kicked in.. I didn’t wanna let my girl down and thought it could be a cool experience for the both of us. Plus.. who holds a full photography exhibit and 30 min theater dance piece in one event? It seemed like something new and a way to give people multiple ways to take in our theme of humanity and importance of human interaction. We funded the whole thing through fundraisers and kind donations (and of course our own money). It was really a great experience and we both learned a lot. Don’t get me wrong.. there were some very stressful moments and a lot of sacrifices to put it on, but it was well worth it. We held it the weekend after our birthdays so it felt like a celebration of life and art. It was nice to have the people we care about, supporters, and lovers of art there to share in our crafts with us. (Don’t judge me that was a weird sentence.) A beautiful weekend it was. I sold some pieces and talked to many people who felt touched by my work. People left the theater (after Camille’s piece) moved and some even said they dropped tears (powerful ish man). People were really impressed. I don’t think they were expecting a show of that scale. They were probably like “oh that’s cute, they’re having a little show.” But we put our all into everything from the quality of the venue to the flow of the show. I’m really proud of us for that event and would say it was a success! My work stayed up for 2 months.

Received my Right Hand of Fellowship

• This was big for me because I’ve really been seeking to build my relationship with God. I started reading the word and finally got the courage to walk down the aisle to join the church I’ve been attending. I did the classes and eventually received my right hand of fellowship. This was a great step toward the growth of my spirituality and self. I’ve been a Christian since a youngin but stopped praying as much as I should have been. I stopped building my relationship with God. I didn’t read the word. I made it a goal to seek a relationship with God for myself.. as an adult. Like any other relationship, I’m putting in the effort to keep it growing. Glad I found a church home here in Philly to help me with that.

My niece was born

• You ever see a sibling bring life into this world? (Not literally but ya’ll know what I mean) It’s a beautiful thing and a special feeling knowing that you have a new addition to your family. I got to watch my nephew grow into a little person (All 3 years of him). I didn’t know I liked kids so much until he was born honestly. That kid kept a smile on my face. Babies really are geniuses man. They teach themselves about this world through observation. They listen.. listen.. listen and then just start understanding the world around them. They try.. try.. try.. develop strength.. and learn how their bodies work. They have the fastest learning curve out of anyone. Their imagination and belief are out of this world. Ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up. Whatever they tell you, they believe 100% that they will do it and usually it’s something big. They are free spirits, very honest, and big dreamers. I remember me and my sister would legit try to fly haha. We start to lose this belief, honesty, and ability to dream as we get older. Kids inspire me in a lot of ways. But anyways.. my niece was born in June and she is an adorable bundle of joy. I am enjoying being an Uncle.

First Show in New York City

• I had my first show in New York City! It was a RAW Artists event so the turn out was great. I got to open up my network to a new city and get some new eyes on my work. New York is a place I wish to grow my presence in.. the art scene there is huge! While there, I also got a fashion shoot in with an old friend from high school who’s been doing her thing modeling (support your homies). I really want street and fashion to be my main avenues and feel like they go together in a way. We made some dope photos which I have yet to share.

Got Engaged

• So this is why I said “then girlfriend” she is now my fiancé! I set it up smooth and hired my boy to do a photoshoot for us. We made four years so I set the shoot up for the next day. We got all dressed up and I popped the question at the top of the Rocky steps, overlooking Philly. She was so in shock but so happy. I love that woman, we’ve held each other down since the Temple days. She became my best friend and then my partner. When I met her I was still trying (very much so) to find myself as a person and as an artist. It’s like she just got me, we understood each other without even trying. Seeing her express herself through dance and be vulnerable to a whole audience made me come out of my shell as an artist. Everyone knew me as an athlete from high school, I didn’t know what people would think of me pursuing art. People already didn’t understand why I was studying Film & Media Arts. Sadly, at the time I didn’t know what to think of it either. People would always say “What are you really gonna do with that?” “Your too smart to go study that.” It was frustrating. But you can’t let people put you in a box or try to halt you from evolving. Camille was so into her craft, it was contagious. Talking and being around her made it easy for me to look into the development of my expression. We’ve grown so much over the last four years both individually and as partners. We’ve been through our ups and downs and made it to this point where we decided to take the big step. I feel like marriage has such a negative connotation for young people but is such a beautiful thing (If it’s for the right reasons and you feel ready). To me nothing beats having that special person by your side, who genuinely cares for you and has your best interest at heart. We won’t be young forever and my grandma’s passing (Mary Mabry.. love and miss you) made me realize that we have to live this life to the fullest and do the things that we want to do NOW. I felt like there was no more reason to wait. The people we love and care about won’t be around forever and we aren’t even guaranteed to be here tomorrow.. so if given the opportunity, I’ve been trying to make things happen and giving Camille that ring was one of them.

Started My First Street Photography Project

• After talking with my mentor and evaluating where I’m at with my art, I decided it was time to start working on a body of work that speaks cohesively as a unit rather than individually shared images. So I bet you want to know about the project right? Unfortunately I can’t tell you right now. It is a baby.. growing and developing into maturity. But I believe it is some of the best street photography I have shot so far. When I say best.. I mean as far as looking and feeling something through each image. I’m enjoying the process and excited to see where it takes me. As it grows and I get closer to completion, I will share more details with you all. It's been so hard not sharing images!

Cheers to 2018 go crush your goals,

-Terrell