Ricky Davis 6/11/25 Ricky Davis 6/11/25

School, Portland, and Beyond....

Mural in Portland, Oregon - 2015 - TRD Photography - Shot on Kodak Tri X film

So it’s been way too damn long since I’ve blogged. I went back to school in 2023 and I graduated in May. It was a long two years but it was nice to prove to myself I could stick to it. But now I can get back to focusing on my photography work a lot more.

I am writing this from a motel room in Portland, OR. I haven’t gotten to visit this amazing city since 2018, and in 2018 I really just briefly got to pass through it. Not really getting out and shooting. So every day this week I’ve been getting out and shooting and exploring and it’s been absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to be able to share some of the photos that I’ve taken out here this time.

One of the reason’s I’m not sharing any yet in this post is because I’ve been shooting probably 90% of it on film. If you’ve followed my work in the past, I started learning to shoot with film back in 2015 and I fell super in love with it! I just absolutely love the depth and the feel that you get with film that you just don’t really get in digital work.

However in 2022, when I started shooting full-time again, I decided to focus on digital work. A lot more of my paid work came from my digital style over my film photography. Switching back and forth between the two styles can be quite exhausting because I approach both styles with a different approach.

Going forward though I’ve decided to really work on focusing more on my film photography. It’s what I’m really passionate about, along with my dark art and travel work. I keep coming to the conclusion that I’m not really interested in becoming a “big” photographer, or any of that kind of stuff. I want to put out work that means something to me and makes people feel something. That’s what I care about, even if it doesn’t make as much money or whatever. I want to put something out there that maybe people will look back on and think, wow, that’s got some feeling to it.

So anyway, I’m going to be working on making some changes on the website, and on my socials. I’m gonna try to be way more active. I am still going to shoot digital stuff, but mostly when I do it’ll be mixed in with my dark art and travel work. However I AM still willing to do digital shoots for those that request it. I just generally will not be posting those on my site or socials because I’m going to be promoting the work that I am wanting to build an audience for.

That’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to recently, where I’m at now, and kinda what I want to do in the future. Until next time….

Ricky

Ricky Davis 11/11/24 Ricky Davis 11/11/24

"My Body, Fuck Your Choice." Photo Series

“My Body, Fuck Your Choice.” Portrait of Lisa - Photo by Ricky Davis, TRD Photography

“My Body, Fuck Your Choice.” The Photo Series

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov 5th as the election results started coming in more and more, and it started looking more like another four years of Trump, I started to see posts that were very disturbing and alarming. More of my friends that I work with in the photography world were posting DM’s that they were receiving from men. Some said things like “your body, my choice.” Others clearly weren’t as clever as that. But all were meant in a threatening and chauvinistic way.

One of the biggest problems when we elect those to power, or have people put in the limelight that encourage hateful and sexist rhetoric, is it makes those that look up to them to engage in likeminded attitudes. It makes it ok in their minds.

For years as a photographer that works with models, and does boudoir as well as other work for magazines I have had to deal with sexist and lewd comments on my work and pages. I have always banned such rhetoric because I view the people I work with as friends, colleagues, and clients. I care about these people as people. I look at them as friends. Viewing women as pieces of meat, or as there for your viewing pleasure makes me sick. A lot of people don’t understand that a lot of these women do these shoots for themselves, to see themselves in a different way. They do these shoots because they put work in and are proud of that work.

When these comments started coming across the screen on election night, and in the days after, I wanted to do something. So I decided to start work on a new series entitled “My Body, Fuck Your Choice.” I strongly believe in women’s rights over their own bodies. No one should feel like a piece of property. I chose to start work on this series, and this is the first photo in this new series.

Ricky Davis 9/12/24 Ricky Davis 9/12/24

Walking the Grounds of Central State Hospital…An Abandoned Asylum.

Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

I recently had the privilege of getting to visit the campus of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA. I call it a privilege because I love history and I love photographing old buildings, and the campus of Central State is full of history and old buildings. In this blog I’m going to share some of my photographs, with most likely more to come later as well, but I’m also going to share some of the history of CSH along with my experience walking the campus.

The Powell Building - Central State Hospital - Milledgevilla, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

The Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum, as it was first called, accepted it’s first patient in 1842. It was also known as The Georgia State Sanitarium and Milledgeville State Hospital at different times, before changing it’s name to Central State Hospital. The hospital stayed open during the Civil War, and afterwards it housed some veterans who were left battling effects from PTSD, left homeless, or maimed during the war. I personally was very interested in this aspect of it’s history because of working on a Civil War History photo project as well. I was very curious if Sherman’s March to the Sea interfered with the hospital at all, but from what I’ve found, the Union Army did destroy much of Milledgeville, but they stayed away from the hospital.

Initially, the institution strived to pattern itself after a family model. Under Doctor Thomas A. Green, who served until 1879, the hospital abolished some of the general practices in mental institutions of the time such as physical restraints such as chains and ropes for patients, and even went so far as Dr Green and the staff eating meals with the patients. Even still, there were class disparities with wealthy patients receiving better treatment. In the years following the Civil War, the patient growth really began to make this model struggle under the amount of patients coming in, and it started to become more uniform in manner. In 1872 the hospital had a ratio of 112 patients per physician, and it accelerated from there as families started sending their unwanted to the hospital regardless of their health issues.

Windows at the Powell building - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

The accelerating growth of patients began to cause serious overcrowding issues. Dr, Theophilus O. Powell, who was a noted psychiatrist and the Superintendent from 1879-1907, worked to construct new buildings for housing, but the construction couldn’t keep up with the overcrowding. It was during this time that the Asylum’s name changed to the Georgia State Sanitarium. Diseases spread through the patients, such as tuberculosis. The disease outbreaks caused the legislature to look into the management of the facility but even with the outbreaks, counties kept sending their unwanted to the facility.

Outside the Powell Building - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

By 1929, the name was changed again, this time to Milledgeville State Hospital. The hospital had 5,000 plus patients at this time and the population of patients kept exploding. It was during the time that electro-convulsive therapy and insulin shock therapy became common to try to manage the patient explosion. More construction was planned and buildings built, but by the early 1940’s the population had escalated past 9,000 patients at the facility.

Walkway between two buildings - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

By the late 1950’s, the population was 11,000 plus at the hospital. It was in 1959 that reporter Jack Nelson of the Atlanta Constitution, began publishing several articles investigating the hospital for abuse. The abuse ranged from experimental drugs being given to patients without their or their family’s consent, doctors and nurses being drunk on the job, and a nurse performing major surgery without supervision. Nelson would win a Pulitzer Prize for his work on these articles and the government demanded an investigation.

Brantley Building - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

After the investigation, the state built six more mental state hospitals to disperse the load at Milledgeville and it was renamed to Central State Hospital. In 1968, the patients population dipped below 10,000 for the first time in decades. Throughout the next several decades, more budget cuts continued to happen and the hospital was more and more buildings to downsize. In 2007, the dept of Justice was called in to investigate 42 patient deaths which seemed suspicious, and in turn decided to close the facility in 2010.

The Walker Building - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

During my visit, I arrived in the early afternoon because I got delayed by numerous traffic issues driving into town. I didn’t get to photograph a few of the buildings that I really wanted to because the lighting at that time of day just wasn’t great. The complex is just huge. The first buildings I drove by were being used by the Georgia Dept of Corrections and I believe the Georgia Military College. A few other buildings on the campus are being used by private companies I believe. The main area that I was able to walk around and check out was from the Powell Building and the surrounding buildings. The Powell building which is in several of the photographs at the top of this post, is stunning. It was based on the Capital building. It was huge! There was honestly no way to even get the whole building in my shot, and I tried from multiple angles, even shooting wide angled. Straight across the street is a greenway area with lots of trees and benches. As I was walking around, I was just trying to think about all the different things I’ve read so far about CSH. At it’s height it had nearly 13,000 patients, and an estimated over 25,000 patients died during their time there. The green park like area was huge, and I just thought about what it must’ve looked like back in the day when so many people were there. It was really kind of a suffocating feeling thinking about the enormity of it all.

The Green Building - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

It’s impossible to know the kind of things that took place at this facility. I do believe that some of the people really cared about the patients, and wanted to do things well. But looking back on history in places like this and knowing the kinds of abuse that has taken place at other facilities, and what was documented taking place here, it’s heartbreaking. The fact that Central State Hospital was open for three centuries and at one point was the largest mental hospital in the United States, and that in 2007 they still had 42 patient deaths that had to be investigated by the Dept of Justice, that’s just astonishing to me. Sometimes we look back on history and think to ourselves at how much we’ve progressed from those days. These days were simply 14 years ago when it was shut down.

The Central Chapel - Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - The Ricky Davis Gallery

Now the talk has become about demolishing several of the buildings. There’s been a plan put out to rename the campus. Talk about what can we use the land for and get rid of these decaying buildings. In reality it’s let’s get rid of the past, let’s hide our history. Too many times I think we are hiding our past, trying to erase unpleasant parts of our history. We need these reminders. We need to see what was done before us, and remember not to do this again. We need to know the mistakes of the past to not repeat them. We demonize other countries and cultures for doing similar things as to what we have done at various times in our own country. We need to preserve this history.

I truly hope that I’ve not bored you out of your mind and that you’ve enjoyed the photographs and a brief overview of the history. I’m going to include a few links to check out if you’d like to read more, as it’s where I was able to get some of my information on the history.

I do plan on visiting Milledgeville again because there are some other buildings I’d like to photograph, as well as shoot some of it on film. One thing I didn’t get to do was view any of the insides which would be a dream to get to photograph more of the buildings to get a deeper since of the history and what took place there. When I photograph abandoned places, my rule of thumb has always been that I will not go in places that I can’t get permission to be in. A lot of people into URBEX photography and exploring don’t follow that, that’s just been the way I operate out of respect. I do hope to be able to get in touch with someone to where maybe I can see a little more of these amazing facility.

- Ricky

Ricky Davis 1/11/21 Ricky Davis 1/11/21

A Conversation with Joshua Ricker

A Conversation with Joshua Ricker

Sometime during the quarantine of 2020, I sat down with Joshua and we chatted via FB about life, art, and the quarantine times. We had connected up in Knoxville and did some film shooting before the virus hit so hard, and then things went crazy before we were able to actually do our chat for this piece.

Ricky - Hey Joshua, what have you been up to with all of the quarantine and stuff happening lately?

Joshua - Well, working like crazy! I’m a five year plus Walmart associate so I’ve been working through all of this as an essential worker. It’s been really different and kind of scary at times but I’m glad I’m able to provide the community with necessary essentials. When I’m not busy working at Walmart, I focus a lot of my time on doing new makeup looks, playing video games, and just staying healthy. I’ve been working on a lot of videography lately with some local queer entertainers in the area. Since the social distancing/stay home has taken affect, I haven’t been able to do as many artsy things as I would like to. So mainly, working and trying to stay healthy!

Ricky - That is really cool man! It's definitely been a unique time in society, especially being an "essential worker" and having to be out working in all this chaos. That's awesome you've taken the time to work on upping your skills with videography. What got you interested in doing videos?

Joshua - I really enjoy creepy and dark things. So, I started this video series called “Kweenz of Filth.” It’s a dark video series I’m doing with local Drag Queens in the area. I video them lip syncing to a song of their choice that ties in with an inner darkness they carry, i.e. anxiety, depression, toxic words, etc. They use the song and video as a way to tell their story with a dark side. I just felt like I wasn’t telling full stories with images so that’s when I started working with videos so I could develop full stories. I’ve done recent work introducing a Queen into the scene for their specific brand by video and helped a few entertainers with videos for online contests and online shows during the Quarantine. I find videos exciting and its always something new and different every time.

Ricky - That's such a great way to get further into telling stories man. It's cool to see people have a vision of what they want to accomplish and then figure out ways to work on making it happen. I think it's especially brilliant to have the song tie in to a personal darkness that they are dealing with. Great storytelling man. Do you have some sort of inner darkness that you carry with you?

Joshua - I think an inner darkness for me would be an eating disorder; it’s something I’ve struggled with my whole life. When I was younger I was overweight and it took me years to get to where I was pleased with my body and how I looked. I still struggle with my body weight and I’m always fighting to remain happy with how I look but throughout the years I’ve developed a confidence with myself but it’s a never ending battle. It’s a distress I carry with me in my everyday life and sometimes it really puts me in a dark place. I believe though, with art and creating stories we can bring these darknesses out into the light.

Ricky - Wow man, I never would have guessed. That's one of the really cool things about art and creating things, in it's own way it helps us work through things in ourselves while trying to help others. What actually got you into modeling to begin with and how has your style transformed since the beginning?

Joshua - I got my start doing Knoxville Fashion Week in 2014. From there it sort of just opened all these doors for me. I started working with a lot of local photographers in the area, got published in a few magazines, started doing fashion shows, etc. I've always been very different in my style as I'm inspired by fashion icons like David Bowie and Prince. My style now has just got more weird and avant-garde; inspired by artists like Perfume Genius, lots of Drag, and a lot of different makeup artists. I do lots of crazy makeup looks and lots of gender bending with my style now. I love to push boundaries and mix styles that wouldn't normally go together and simply just call it "Art."

Ricky - I think that's brilliant that you've run with it and made it your own man. With your unique style, how has the reception been in such a conservative environment and culture like we have here in the area?

Joshua - It’s been hard to find people to work with because my style/aesthetic isn’t “normal” per say but I’ve received a lot of good from it all too. What I mean is, I have a lot of random fans tell me how I’m such an inspiration because I don’t stick to the norm and I break boundaries; it’s those moments that keep pushing me to be different and to just do what makes me happy. I’ve had a photographer tell me that they lost clients because they worked with someone like me. I was heartbroken at the time but I didn’t let it hold me back. And honestly, it made me want to say “fuck it,” and go even more against the grain. When people are trying to push you down, push back and push forward, gain strength from all the negative.

Ricky - That is a great mindset to have dude! I love that it made you want to be even more you, and push boundaries farther. What’s the best life advice you’ve ever been given and what piece of advice would you give to the people that are reading this?

Joshua - The best advice I’ve ever been is given is the best advice I think everyone has been given in their life, just no one really thinks about it ... “Stop caring what others think about you.” When it comes to people judging you or thinking your craft isn’t good enough, who cares what they think! If you are happy doing what you do then just do it! Be passionate about it and don’t look back. My advice to someone reading this ... you are your own worst enemy; you determine your achievements and set the goals. No one can diminish you but yourself so it’s up to YOU to be the person you want to be and how far you want to go, you make it all happen. And guess what!? You will make it happen! Find your path and go all in. Never stop learning and always have room for growth.

I hope that you enjoyed reading our conversation. It is always a pleasure to work with this guy. Go check out his work on IG @joshuaricker_ and give him a follow. If you’d like to follow me on IG - @trdshootsfilm

Ricky Davis 10/4/19 Ricky Davis 10/4/19

Food Talk with Chef Allie....

Food Talk with Chef Allie…

Ricky - So you are like a badass chef, what got you interested in the world of cooking?

Allie - Thanks! I have actually been cooking my whole life, and started in a restaurant the day I was old enough to work. My first library book was when I was 8, and it was a Cuban cookbook that I made caldo y pollo and Cuban bread. This year is my 20th year cooking!

Ricky - Wow! I didn’t realize you had been cooking that long! That is amazing dude! What is your favorite style of cuisine to cook?

Allie - I like to learn about culture and cuisines from the farthest reaches of the earth. When we are schooled in America (and a lot of Europe) we are taught French technique, and it ends up that most finer dining food is driven by that base. I decided that I would like to be educated in different ways, to expand both mind and palate. Currently I make Gujarati Indian cuisine, and I’ll say it’s my favorite. My cooking partner’s mom and dad are immigrants from Gujarat, India; she will come and teach me the heritage recipes of their family.

Ricky - That is amazing to get to learn from her first hand. You’ve been traveling the world for awhile now and you share a lot from those adventures, both food and other experiences. Where have you enjoyed visiting the most so far?

Allie - That is a hard one to pick! Some of it is dining at “the best restaurants” in the world, and some of it is learning how to make poke with a local on Easter Island. I’ve been lucky enough to experience some really badass things in my travels. I also find that the greatest food experiences can come from just anywhere, with a bit of research.

Chef/Model Allie - Photo - TRD Photography

Ricky - That sounds awesome! If you could be a chef anywhere in the world, where would you wanna be?

Allie - I would want to learn in India from an auntie and in South Korea. Also the cuisine of islands is fascinating because they are a microcosm of cuisine that is both indigenous and influenced heavily by colonization.

Ricky - That’s cool. I can definitely see those places fitting your personality as well. What else are you passionate about besides cooking?

Allie - Well, travel is a close second! In a creative aspect it all circles around food. I love to learn and decidedly look forward to being hungry! I collect antique Japanese knives, cookbooks, and memories. The last bastion is making art in the form of photography/modeling. I of course hold out for you though. Nobody gets the idea and captures the emotion like you do.

Ricky - Man, that means alot! You and I have a different kinda connection that the typical model/photographer relationship. I think my favorite shoot still is hanging out vibing to records while we were shooting film. It was just so raw and honest. You’ve got quite the record collection! How important is music in your life?

Allie - That one was way epic!! Especially the extra special Polaroids! And man, I can’t believe I forgot to talk about music. I wake up with a song in my head every day of my life, and music fills my day and my soul always. I am currently on a 3 year classic country kick that speaks to me in a profound way. I love death metal, funk and soul, psych rock, blues, punk- just so many things! Often times I will say I love music only slightly less that food, which is like 110%

Chef/Model - Allie - Photo by TRD Photography

Ricky - I was kinda surprised you didn’t bring up music earlier. What would be your 5 albums if you were stranded on a desert island?

Allie - What a ditz moment! And a heavy question hahaha…So London Calling by The Clash, Hung at Heart by The Growlers, a Marty Robbins compilation, Whisper Supremacy by Cryptopsy, and Changes by Charles Bradley. All essential and spanning the spectrum some so you get a taste of everything. The year I turned 19 I listened to London Calling every day! And about 5 years ago I got hooked on The Growlers and burnt it up. Also an essential set of songs for life by Charles Bradley- especially his rendition of Changes. And naturally a nice bit of that silly classic country from Marty Robbins, who’s vocals are like cool water on a hot day.

Ricky - Good choices dude! You and I recently had a conversation. You mentioned briefly earlier in this about modeling. Some folks may not put two and two together, but you used to model under the name of Miss Voodoo Valentine. Recently you and I were talking and how you explained it to me was there were two parts of who you were, you and her. You went through some things and she just kind of fell away. And Allie was who was left. I thought it was beautifully said. Who is Allie today?

Allie - It was definitely a tough moment in my life. To me modeling is to make art. It is fun to make pretty pictures, sexy pictures, whatever- but in my head the valuation system is about creating something with gravitas and emotion. When I came through that bad stuff in one piece, I was at a point where I could finally reconcile the way I look outwardly and who I am on the inside. I suppose having a nom de plume had been a vehicle for me to go forward with whatever art I wanted and not have to answer to anyone. When I came to realize who I am, I became comfortable with the whole me. In turn, the moniker was dropped and I left the magazines and sponsors and all that behind. I am a chef and in love with what I do; not to say I don’t love the folks that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting or the things I’ve had the honor to be a part of. I can be a model too, but it no longer defines a section of my person.

Ricky - I really like that. Allowing things to be a part of who you are but not defining you. I find that very inspiring because I see a lot of people who really draw their self-worth and identity from it. What would you tell people still in that place?

Allie - I would tell them to give themselves love and grace! There is no wrong in enjoying your visage, and your self-worth comes from your whole you. Accepting that it can come from being proud of a picture is wonderful, and as we walk our path in life they may find deeper meaning in what they create. Even if they don’t, appreciating who they are in every phase of life makes it worth living.

Ricky - I love that Allie! Dude, I wanna thank you so much for taking the time to chat. Where can folks who are up in Nashville go to experience your cooking?

Allie - My restaurant is called Tailor! It is a dinner party/tasting menu with some stories about the heritage of our Gujarati Indian cuisine. It is a complete honor to learn from Vivek Surti and his mom the rich and delicious cuisine of their family.

Ricky - Very cool! Hopefully some folks come by and check it out! It was an honor my friend!

Ricky Davis 5/22/19 Ricky Davis 5/22/19

Tattoos and No Makeup....with Avery

Tattoos and No Makeup… with Avery

So I’ve known this lady for a couple of years now and we’ve worked together several times. When I first met her was at a shootout and if I remember correct, she just had a couple of tattoos but she’s been getting more involved and getting some crazy awesome art. One of the cool things about Avery is I’ve seen her go through a lot of different experiences in the time that I’ve known her but I just keep seeing her grow as a person which is really an amazing thing to see. We sat down recently and just talked a bit about life in general.

Ricky - So Avery, I've known you for abit and we've worked together several times, for the readers though, how would you introduce yourself in a sentence?

Avery - I’ve always been a very creative person. I really push myself to live life with passion.

Ricky - What is your passion?

Avery - I’m really passionate about creating art, whether that be painting or modeling. It’s nice to express myself through a canvas or through my body.

Ricky - What kind of painting do you like to do?

Avery - Oil is my favorite but I also do acrylic and watercolor

Ricky - Damn, I didn't realize. You're gonna have to show me some paintings next time. What has been your favorite painting so far?

Avery - I did an oil painting of a creek that I grew up around and visited with my dad in Rome GA

Ricky - That is super cool! What do you like to do in all of your free time?

Avery - I just started working at evermore galleries so anytime I’m not at my day job I’m there watching my artist tattoos and pierce so I can learn. I also love my spending time with friends. It’s really nice to hang out with the amazing people I’ve met over the years and share memories with them.

Ricky - Vey cool! That's an awesome opportunity for you at Evermore. At our session, you went without makeup right? What was that like?

Avery - Yes. It was really liberating. I’ve grown up with the mentality that makeup makes you beautiful. It’s nice to be at a point of my life that I can break that stereotype and embrace natural beauty, because everyone should.

Ricky - I think that's awesome. Seriously like you are the bomb at makeup, but these no makeup shots we did have been my favorite stuff we've ever done. What helped inspire you to go more natural for a shoot?

Avery - I’ve been seeing models on instagram that have stopped wearing a lot of makeup in their shoots, and it looks so raw and beautiful.

Ricky - I absolutely agree! It's nice to see people opening their eyes to different beauty ideals. What has been the most meaningful compliment anyone has given to you?

Avery - “When you walk in the room it’s like the sun walked in with you.” It meant so much to me because I always try to radiate positivity to everyone around me.

Ricky - What impact do you think it would have around us if we all started giving people genuine compliments on a daily basis?

Avery - I really think the suicide rate will go down. You never know the struggle someone is hiding inside, that genuine compliment could change their outlook on life and themselves.

Ricky - I agree. So many times we just look at the cover of someone and don't have a clue on the battle within. What have your tattoos meant to you personally?

Avery - My tattoos have been a really awesome way to express myself. I love having amazing artwork on me and I can’t wait to get more

Ricky - Awesome! Dude I want to thank you for taking the time to chat a little bit!

I really hope you guys enjoyed this week’s post with Avery. One of my favorite types of shoots are shooting no makeup because it just shows how amazing people are even without holding to the typical beauty standards that we are sold. As always, I’m trying to do this project more from a documentary approach and talking to people about things that’s important to them. So not all opinions spoken are my own. Hope you guys will subscribe and share if you dig these stories.

Ricky Davis 5/8/19 Ricky Davis 5/8/19

A Tattooing Dad - Interview with Kenneth Chope

Tattoo Artist - Kenneth Chope - TRD Photography

A Tattooing Dad- Interview with Kenneth Chope

Ricky - Hey Kenneth, I really enjoyed meeting you and getting to talk to you abit at our shoot. Give us a little introduction to our readers and tell them a little bit about who you are in a few sentences.

Kenneth - My name is Kenneth Chope. I’m 38 and i reside in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I currently work as a tattooist at White Wizard and have been doing it 3 years. I’m a full time artist as well as a full time father. My love of comic books is what made me go after becoming an artist and also the reason i got into the tattoo chair.

Ricky - Hell yeah man! I didn't realize comics was one of the things that inspired you. Are you a DC or Marvel man?

Kenneth - Honestly a DC fan. The heroes seem more normal and less powers. But I lived vicariously through them as a kid and found my place as a young artist trying to recreate them on paper and failed time after time miserably. My favorite comic book character today is Tattoo. a marvel character who can make their tattoos come to life and such.

Ricky - That's awesome! I'm more a DC dude myself. I don't think I've heard of Tattoo. Reminds me of a dude that showed up on Arrow at one time that he could use his tattoos as weapons to assassinate people. Are you stoked to see Endgame?

Kenneth - I am. I’m ready for it as we all been waiting what feels like an eternity for its release. I’m just hoping for a fight between Thanos and Hulk. Although, I have been thinking Hulk is actually Loki or another character that may have assumed Hulk’s form. But then again I tend to go down the rabbit hole thinking of plots and where the franchise will go in the future.

Ricky - That sounds alot like my oldest daughter reading up on all the theories about what's happening and why Hulk wouldn't come out in Infinity War. You mentioned fatherhood. How many kids do you have? Are they into comics as well?

Kenneth - I only have one child currently and she’s just starting her comic book collection and she collects walking dead comics. My daughter is my life though and as a single dad I try my best to teach her about everything I can. We both share quite a passion for the arts and she’s just starting her first attempts at trying to draw her own comic book artwork.

Ricky - That is awesome that you guys are able to connect with art and comics. We talked a little bit about it at the shop, but being a single dad and a tattoo artist, how has that been?

Kenneth - Well both of them separately would be great but its a struggle to juggle them both. I love what i do but i work a lot of nights so we tend to see each other every moment I get. My daughter., Acia tends to come to the shop and spend the evenings with me. She will draw while i lay down some lines. These days its much easier but I didn’t have her full time while i was going through my apprenticeship. This last year I got full custody and have been making an effort to teach her in my downtime how to do different styles of art. She says she wants to learn to tattoo in the future and honestly I would love her to learn and be able to do so but as a career I would like her to find something more stable. It’s not that we don’t make a decent living but its hard work. Every hour we work we have three hours of drawing time that week. Every artist is different but I hardly am seen without my iPad drawing or sketching away trying to come up with my next piece to show off. The artist market is competitive and there are quite a few tattooists but people forget that we all have our own styles. The hardest part though of the job is the other artists, we all have to get along but yet were all so different. In many studios artists can build each other up and help each other but some studios they just break each other down and try to scare each other off. But its like any job these days where the competition will try to take down those they feel are a threat. Honestly i try my best to stay out of it all but the shop gossip happens everywhere.

Ricky - I can totally get that. With our kids we want them to achieve great things and let's face it, sometimes people look at some careers and see the glamour and not the hard work and bullshit that goes on behind the scenes at times. We talked a little about art and the competition. It would be a lot more pleasant if we could help change the mentality that we all compete. Art is subjective to the viewer. If we could all push each other to be the best we can be, they'll be a market of people that like what we can offer. How has tattooing changed your life?

Kenneth - Interesting question!!! I used to wake up and put on a shirt and a tie and go to work 12 hours a day as a restaurant manager trying to make ends meet. Now iIm 7 to 8 hours a day or more in the shop and able to just be myself. Sure we still have to censor ourselves and remember we run a business but now my suit is my skin and i’m out here bearing it all to see and putting my skills on the line to see if i can make it in the competitive art field. I love waking every day and creating. At first it was hard but these days it gets easier and easier and i’m developing my style. Looking back i was too afraid to be myself and open up in the restaurant world trying to be a corporate puppet. But now it doesn’t matter. I just kinda do as I please with respect to others and create what I want. Though there are still stigmas when I draw dark art. People are starting to break down the stereotypes that went with tattoos we all saw when we were children.

Ricky - It's such a feeling getting to create and be yourself. What are some of the stereotypes you've encountered with being a single dad that's a tattooer? What about some of the ones based off the kind of art you create?

Kenneth - People think of us as unemployed and feeding off the government while its honestly the opposite. We work hard and enjoy the art. I have had someone ask my daughter who I was and why she was hanging out with a delinquent. We get stares when we are out in public. But i also get praise these days from a lot of mothers telling me its really cool i raise my child to be without bias or stereotypes. I want her to have an open mind and not fight her teachings from when she grew up.

As for my artwork i love to draw the dark side quite a bit and would love to send you a few reference pictures but because i drew a ram skull or rams head. I’m automatically considered satanic when its just another image. Honestly i think people put to much stock in images and beliefs but that’s my opinion. As an artist i’m just trying to move forward and draw a bit of everything.

Ricky - That's really cool man! I think it's important to raise our kids to be open minded and to really evaluate and think things through to know what they believe. These days so many believe what they are told and those telling it take advantage of that. Where would you like to see our society be in the next five years?

Kenneth - I would like to see society accept the people they see around them. Stop holding beliefs before people and to start recognizing the fact we can all learn from each other. Its time we as people help each other out weather it be an ear to listen a shoulder to cry on or even just a simple hello. People need to stop being afraid of others so much and start getting to know each other. I’m part of a beard group called The Bearded Villains and our local chapter the Smokey Mountain Bearded Villains and our goal is to break down the stereotypes of bearded and or tattooed men and to show what kind of great things we can do through charity and brotherhood. Its really a great group of guys but because how we choose to look others judge us and treat us differently. So the founder Von Knox set out to do just that and break the stereotype.

I would like to see equality for all though and to see a barrier against negativity. Maybe see this country united instead of divided.

Ricky - I think that is really cool man! That is definitely a noble goal! I want to thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with us. Where can people find you online to check out your work?

Kenneth - Thank you so much for your time as well. It was honestly great meeting you and i cant wait to watch this grow and become something amazing for you. I have watched your work for years and I support other artists in their endeavor.

My work can be found on instagram or facebook @tattoosbythecaptain or tattoos by the captain at white wizard. You can always call me as well or come by the shop my number is listed on the sites.

Thank you again and man your work is truly badass, Keep up the work and i hope to see it evolve into an amazing project. See ya along the way!!

I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this interview and story. This project is especially dear to me as I love sharing people’s stories. My goal with this project is for it to be more documentary in nature. So as a disclaimer, the words and ideas that some of the people I interview may not always reflect my views and takes on things. I feel we can learn a lot from people if we open our minds to different views and takes. I hope that will come across in these stories and profiles.

With interviewing various tattoo artists, as this project is documentary in nature, I have many friends in the tattooing field but in picking out an artist, do your homework. Check out the shops, check out the portfolios, and find an artist that is right for you. Thanks for reading guys!

Ricky Davis 1/2/18 Ricky Davis 1/2/18

Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr

This past year I got to go to Mt. Juliet Pow Wow and do some photographs with some of the dancers for this Native American Portrait Series. I'm still working on connecting with everyone that I photographed that day for their interviews, but recently I got to chat with Amanda a little bit about her story. I hope that you enjoy it.

Ricky - What is your nation?

Amanda - My mother's family is Eastern band Cherokee and my father's is Western band Cherokee.

Ricky - That's really cool! What is the the dynamic between the Eastern & Western bands? I've heard various stories. Is there still tension somewhat or not so much?

Amanda - You mean like the difference between them?

Ricky - Like the inter-band relationship. I've heard some people tell me that some of the Western band has been somewhat upset at Eastern band because of the removal and the Eastern band stayed. I've only heard a few people say that and I was curious.

Amanda - I honestly don't really know. I have heard that in the past the 2 bands did not get along for various reasons.

True be told I'm only in the last few years been able to start really learning about the Cherokee culture. It's been hard because a lot of people look at me and question if I have the right to be there.

My parents weren't raised native so I have had to fight really hard to learn what I know and earn my place in Native society.

Ricky - I can understand that. I've heard that story a lot from Native people who have been kind of lost out in society and are being called back and trying to learn. The important thing is you're out there trying to learn and do it respectfully. When did you become interested in your heritage?

Amanda - I was a little kid about 10 I think and there was a powwow going on in my town so my parents decided to go check it out and I feel in love and wanted to learn how to dance too. So my dad started talking to some of the people that were apart of the powwow and the rest is history.

Ricky - That is awesome! So you started dancing soon after? At that point, your parents weren't really part of the community in your town? What changed after that Pow Wow?

Amanda - Yeah the following year I started dancing. Unfortunately there's not really a native community were I lived just a few people here and there. We became good friends with a couple of people that were close by and by the time I was about 13 I was traveling around to powwows with them. My parents really couldn't afford to travel so going with friends was the only way i could go to powwows with the exceptions of the few that were close by.

Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr

Ricky - That's awesome that it meant that much to you at that age to become so heavily involved. When did you start learning more about your culture beyond the dancing and trying to become more a part of the Native Community?

Amanda - Once I staring getting to know people I started asking questions trying to learn as much as possible but I was an adult before I started getting really involved in the community and more traditional aspects of the culture.

Ricky - That's cool. What inspired you to go deeper in learning?

Amanda - Because it's a part of who I am and I truly believe you have to know where you came from to get to where you're going.

Ricky - I agree! How is it being a parent and bringing your son up knowing being involved in the culture?

Amanda - It's great! I also have a daughter that is almost 20 years old. It's amazing to be able to watch them learning and grow with knowledge of their culture more so than I got to. For my son who has high functioning Autism, real ADHD, and sensory deficit so I think being involved in powwows helped him tremendously with his social skills and to over come some barriers that he otherwise would not have been able to do.

Ricky - That is really cool! And dang dude, I would not have guessed you have a 20 yr old daughter. I know your son dances, does your daughter?

Amanda - She did up until 2 years ago when she started working her job really wouldn't let her have weekends off to powwow, but she has decided she wants to come back and dance again. So I'm going to be making her a couple of new dresses and new beadwork for her to come back in. So maybe sometime next year.

Ricky - That's so cool that you guys dance as a family. What does dancing mean to you?

Amanda - It means the world to me, it's a part of who I am. It makes me feel good to dance because I'm carrying on a tradition and helping to insure that it stays alive.

Ricky - What is it like being Native and living in our society these days?

Amanda - It can be hard because the people I'm around on a daily basses aren't Native and have no idea about it. So I have to listen to ridiculous questions and comments. I sometimes even feel out of place. On the flip side I've been able to teach people what it really means to be Native. The truth of what our ancestors went through and our people still go through. It has it's good days and bad one.

Ricky - That's awesome that you've been able to really help bridge the gap a little bit and help teach. What is some thing you wish more people knew about being Native in this day and age?

Amanda - That we're real people and we're still fighting some of the same battles that we've been fighting since Europeans arrived and it's time to stop.

Ricky - Amen! Very well said! So much of what's happening today is still being so quiet and not talked about. I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. One last question. What can people do to learn more and see what is going on today and help First Nations people in their fight?

Amanda - Take the time to ask questions and actually listen to the answers. Pass the information along to others don't just pretend it's not happening. Stop cultural appropriation.

You very welcome I enjoyed doing it.

Ricky Davis 10/16/17 Ricky Davis 10/16/17

Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography

Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola

I met this amazing young lady at the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow this year. It's so inspiring when you see the younger generation taking pride in the heritage and culture.

Ricky - What nation do you belong to?

Aspen - Mvskoke (Muscogee) Creek Nation

Ricky - Growing up in this society, have you had any challenges because of your culture?

Aspen - Yes, especially at school.

Ricky - How long have you been dancing? What style of dance do you do?

Aspen - I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. The style of dance I do is the jingle dress dance.

Ricky - What's does dancing mean to you personally?

Aspen - Dancing is my happy place. I love to go out to Powwows and dance also because I can share my culture.

Ricky - What is it like growing up and trying to stay true to your culture and fit into your surroundings?

Aspen - Growing up hasn’t been the best for me especially in the society we live in today. I get picked on and made fun of daily and get bullied all the time. Yet, I make sure it doesn’t get to me because I want to stay true and stay with my culture and my family proud. I also want to be part of the generation that stands out and brings people together and let everyone know that us Native Americans are still here.

Ricky - How important is connecting to your culture to you?

Aspen - Very important. I want to show that I am who I am and be proud of it!

Ricky - What needs to happen in our country for better relations between First Nations people, and mainstream America?

Aspen - What needs to happen is for people not to be racist and for people to be nice to each other.

Ricky - What would you like to see in 10 years that has happened to better those relations?

Aspen - In 10 years I want to see the world a better place and for us as Native Americans to be safe again and not have people invade our reservations and for us all to have fun and for people not to bully and make fun of Natives as little kids and I want everyone to be the true them!

I want to give a special thank you to Cindy Yahola, Aspen's mom, for allowing her to be part of this series. I sent Aspen's questions to her through Cindy and she answered them. Cindy is the organizer for the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow which allowed me to come up and setup a spot to do the Native American Portrait Series this year. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity!

Ricky Davis 10/10/17 Ricky Davis 10/10/17

Native American Portrait Series - Teah Plumlee - TRD Photography

Native American Portrait Series - Teah Plumlee

I was really stoked to finally get to meet Teah and get to work with her. I met her family earlier this year at the Murfreesboro Pow Wow, and Teah is actually one of the first dancers that I ever photographed last year at Red Clay while she was dancing, I just didn't know anyone at that time. She dances Women's Fancy Shawl.

Ricky - What Nation are you?

Teah - I'm actually a descendant of 4 nations through both of my parents but I have been raised according to the culture of my mom's people who are originally from the Old Cheraw District, Black Creek in the Carolina's. I am Lumbee, Choctaw, Mvskoke and Cherokee. It's a little confusing. I'm kind of a nation amalgamation but I'm enrolled Cherokee.

Ricky - Wow! That is really cool man! Being part of all four nations I bet could be overwhelming at times. Have you ever thought about this history of the different tribes and just be wow? I came from all of them?

Teah - It's actually pretty fascinating. I try and learn as much as I can about each but I've always been taught that you are who you've been raised to be regardless of who you are ethnically. For example, it's only recently that I learned about my Choctaw blood. I think it's interesting but I wasn't raised in that culture so I respect it and will try and learn but I don't call myself Choctaw. I simply say that Choctaw is a part of my ethnicity the same as with my German blood. I think it's pretty cool to feel connected to so many people.

Ricky - That is such a great point! Our heritage is a part of us, but especially when you have so many different ethnicities it would be impossible to represent each culture. How do you feel about the current treatment of Indigenous people in mainstream America today?

Teah - Yes it would. I've had the honor of being chosen as a representative of one of the former Native organizations in this area. While a part of my responsibility was to educate, I could only educate to the extent of the culture I know. As to the current treatment of Indigenous people, I would like to say that I think that things have changed dramatically over the years but I'm afraid that's not really the case. It wasn't until 1910 that my mom's grandmother was actually listed as Indian on any federal census. Until that time, due to politics and bigotry, the entire family were counted as mullato. Those who owned land were heavily taxed and many lost everything they had due to the greed of others. When I see what's happening with many of our people today, those who are still being pushed around and even physically harmed simply for trying to protect what is rightfully theirs and all for the sake of money and power, it hurts me to think that we're still where we are in the eyes of so many others. I feel that until we can come together as a people no matter our backgrounds or tribal affiliations and stop fighting amongst ourselves we won't be making many steps forward. There's such a long way to go, and God never intended for his creation to be so divided.

Ricky - I completely agree! That's interesting to me that you bring up mullato because I've actually been trying to research my ancestry and back when I was actively doing it, I traced back to where my great great great grandmother listed herself as mullato and there was no more info on her. The history of the 5 civilized tribes is so sickening and I've talked to several people here today that still get bigoted remarks thrown at them on a regular basis. We've not come near as far as we would like to pretend. Today being Columbus Day, what are your views on changing it to Indigenous peoples day, and how would that change make you feel?

Teah - We refer to that as paper genocide. When you study the historical damage done to our people at the hands of such men as Walter Plecker, it's easy to understand how so many of our people have no genealogical paper trail at all. Many of the indigenous people of Virginia are still suffering the affects of this. I think that any opportunity to better educate others with true and accurate history is always a step in the right direction. Columbus was a murderer, rapist and slave trader who Americans celebrate because of the lies they've been taught to believe. The man deserves no respect or honor and the myth of his so-called discovery should have been corrected years ago. People are under the impression that this is a relatively new movement when in all actuality, attempts to make these changes date back to the early 70's and possibly prior to that. I understand that people can be very defensive about what they believe to be the original history of this country because it's all they've ever known but as time goes on, true facts and evidences can come to light and we have an obligation to right those wrongs. I would feel proud to know that there was a day dedicated to the first people of this land. We've made so many contributions that people aren't aware of. I mean most people never consider that when they pop a piece of gum in their mouth or pop a bag of popcorn, they have Native people to thank for that. Many don't realize that our entire system of government is based on the example of the Iroquois. These are contributions that should be recognized.

Ricky - Absolutely! I've discovered that basically most history we learn in school is crap. The "victors" wrote the accepted history and we are taught that this is the way it was. When in truth, much like the paper genocide that's made a lot of our records disappear, the true history starts to disappear. The movement against Columbus has been going on for a long time, I remember it from the 80's when I was a kid. But now with social media many are seeing it for the first time. We are being shown truths that many aren't comfortable with because it goes against what we were taught. What do you think the best way to show people these truths are?

Teah - I think that we need to take advantage of every opportunity we get to educate others who aren't aware of the truth, and do it in a peaceable way. As a Christian I've faced opposition many times when trying to show what I believe to be the truth to others, and i've found that most just don't want to hear it because they've become comfortable and satisfied with what they've been taught and are content to believe it rather it's wrong or not. That's also why it's so important that we make sure to have our facts straight as well. With so many lies out there it makes it hard to know what's truth and what isn't. People need to understand that just because we may view things differently or our culture isn't the same as theirs we are still people and we deserve the same respect that everyone else does.

Ricky - I completely agree. I've found that when you come at people in a hostile way, any chance that you have to help educate them or discuss things reasonably, goes flying out the window. You bring up another interesting question. I've known that you are Christian, and your family have been amazing ambassadors of your faith, not in just talking about it, but you can see that you guys are different than a lot of Christians. I know that as Cherokee, we adopted Christianity early on into our introduction to it. How does your Christian faith mix with Native culture? For you, how does it work with ceremony and Christianity?

Teah - Despite how some may feel, I believe following Christ and imbracing your culture meshes together perfectly. God made each of us individuals and, to quote one of my favorite movies, "He loves wondrous variety". No matter what your beliefs when it comes to culture and religion, it all goes back to your point of view. For me, I feel that we should try to give glory to God in everything we do. So when I dance, for example, I do it for Him, as well as for those who can't. I've heard some try to claim that Christianity is a European religion that was forced upon us by white settlers and missionaries, but that simply isn't the case. Yes, what the settlers called "Christianity" was forced upon indigenous peoples with violence and abuse, but what they were teaching was not God's teachings. They were dogmatic views full of hatred and bigotry, not the teachings of love and compassion that our Creator actually gave to us and every nation long ago. God's command is love, everything else is trivial and honestly doesn't matter in the long run. That's what my family and I try to teach whenever we can. God made each us different with different backgrounds and different stories, and as long as we do what we do with love in our hearts, there shouldn't be any conflict.

Ricky - Very well said. Many years ago, I was reading a book of quotes that were documented during meetings with Native Americans. A missionary had been speaking and an elder stood after some time and said "we believe this Jesus must have been Indian, for these teachings are things we've always done." I'll have to go find the full quote. Many of the beliefs that I've learned, I too can see how they mesh as well, but I also respect those that really have a hard time with Christianity because I totally get where they are coming from as well. I really respect how you guys walk your faith. You brought up dancing, how long have you been dancing?

Teah - I do too. Sadly, the spirit of those hate-filled men and women who tried to impose their lies on others with brutality still lives on in many people's hearts today. I feel sad for those who are victims of their victims, but I feel even worse for the ones who teach them. I cannot fathom what would drive and twist someone to become so evil. I've been dancing for as long as I can remember. My mom says, "Since I've been able to walk" but as far as exact dates i'm really not sure. I was brought into the circle before I could walk and my family held a giveaway. When i could I was taught first to dance traditional cloth. When I was about 6, I asked to dance fancy shawl. I was not allowed to dance fancy until I first learned from an established dancer who agreed to teach me and bring me in and then only after I had learned the history of the dance.

Ricky - That is awesome how you were brought into dancing, and dancing fancy shawl. What does dancing mean to you personally? I know you mentioned earlier that you dance for Him and for those who can't dance. What does dancing mean to you, and what goes into dancing that people don't see at the Pow Wow?

Teah - Dancing means so many things to me. In a way it's like an escape. Sometimes it feels like you're in an entirely different world, but one you've known for your entire life. It's hard to describe what it feels like because you're in such a state of focus but you're also letting yourself go at the same time. Dancing, especially in Fancy Shawl, is such a wonderful outlet for expressing yourself. It just gives you a wonderful feeling. Fancy Shawl in particular was originally created as a way for women to be able to express themselves and dance with more freedom. Up until that point only men could dance in such a way, in fact women were not even permitted to dance in the circle with the men for a very long time; They had to dance outside. The women who broke away from these traditions, deciding to throw their shawls over their shoulders and dance in a way similar to the male Fancy Dancers, and eventually make the move to dance in the circle alongside the men, they took some very bold risks, much like the women during the Women's Rights Movement. When I dance, I want to honor what they did.

The main thing with dancing is to remember why you dance and not to let yourself get wrapped up in the competition, which many tend to do. It's so much more than winning money or showing off.

As far as what goes into dancing behind the scenes, there's an awful lot of sewing and practice. This dance is extremely athletic and takes a lot of work. It's very important to keep fit and healthy, so often before a pow wow i spend a lot of time running and lifting weights and eating a little more protein. The regalia is no easy task either. There's been a rise in dancers doing what is referred to as old style fancy, which is much more simple style of regalia and closer to how the original fancy shawl dancers dressed, but because I dance contemporary style, it requires a lot more sewing and other work because it needs to look flashy and stand out. There's a lot of intricate applique, and the dresses are usually sewn differently, often with a flounce which takes a lot of skill to sew correctly. Usually my own regalia is a team effort between myself, my mom, and my grandmother. I come from a long line of wonderful seamstresses and quiltmakers so each of us have some experience with sewing. Each of us have our own strengths and weaknesses as well, so where one of us lacks skill, the other typically picks it up (my grandmother usually helps with the flounce and sleeves; she's amazing when it comes to intricate needlework and eyeing things) Because we all work on it together, I feel that whenever I dance, I'm carrying them all with me.

Ricky - That is so amazing! Myself, I never knew so much went into dancing behind the scenes until I went to the the Murfreesboro Pow Wow early this year with Holly & Jeff and she was telling me some about it, but then I heard her talking to so many of the mom's who were helping sew for their kids. That part of it I had just never thought of. That's awesome that you put so much work and effort into your dancing. I want to thank you so much for your time! What is one thing that you wish people knew about what it means to be Native today?

Teah - I guess what I would want people to know is that even though we're all different, we're also very much alike. We all came from one place, and no matter how we look or speak or believe, we're all the same deep down. We have feelings, we have dreams, we want to love and be loved just like everyone else does. It's hard to be a Native American in today's society because there are still so many stereotypes and myths that surrounds us. If I could tell the whole world one thing, being a Native American woman, it would be to ask that, instead of profiling us by what you've heard taught or read in books or have seen in movies, look at us for who we are; we're people. Living, thinking, spiritual human beings, and we just want peace for the world like everyone else.

Ricky - One more question I wanted to ask and you just reminded me with your answer. In regards to Native American women. In our country, and in Canada, there is an epidemic of murdered and missing Native American women. It doesn't get any attention mainstream media wise that I've ever seen. What is happening and what can we do to help spread the word to get this to stop?

Teah - I couldn't say for sure what is or why it's happening. There's such a long history of crimes against Native women, and children too, and many of those stories get "lost in the shuffle" too. I think it all goes back to that stereotype of Native peoples being worth less than others, that we're uneducated and primal in our decisions and culture, so many people don't see these atrocities as needing to be publicized because, in a sense, we're just not worth the time; we don't matter as much other people do. With women especially, it takes a lot more to prove ourselves as individuals. We're often so maligned by the media, made out to be some sort of object for men to gain or a weakling that needs to be rescued or protected. The images created by the media have taken such a toll on women as well as Native people in general that we're not viewed in the same way as others.

Thanks to social media outlets we now have so many ways to spread the word about these horrible crimes, but we have to take advantage of them. It's up to us to make sure people are made aware that these things are happening and that they need to stop. One of my mom's favorite quotes is, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (I'm not positive about who said it originally, but it's usually attributed to Edmund Burke). If we remain silent when we know that there's evil being done, then we're really no better than the one's who do the act themselves. It's so terrible and it needs to be stopped. No one deserves to be treated this way.

Ricky Davis 10/5/17 Ricky Davis 10/5/17

Native American Portrait Series - Michael Brenton Morrison - TRD Photography

Native American Portrait Series - Michael Brenton Morrison

Recently I had the honor of getting to go up to the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow, thanks to Cindy Yahola and Holly Johnson. We were able to setup a booth to do portraits of some of the dancers for the Native American Portrait Series that I've been working on. The series is based off breaking down some of the stereotypes and misconceptions about what a lot of people think of Native Americans in our society today. At my studio shoots for this series, I take photos of people in both their regalia and their everyday clothes. Many of this country's First Nations people walk around everyday and you might not even know. At the Pow Wow, it was said that it's like walking in two worlds for Indigenous People today. One world is our culture and tradition, and the second is modern society. It's learning to walk in both with balance that is key.

One of the dancers that I got to photograph and talk with is Michael Brenton Morrison. I first heard of Michael from my buddy, Wes Collins. Wes had many praises about Michael both as a Traditional Men's Dancer, but also in the respect and honor he has seen from him towards Cherokee culture.

Ricky - What nation do you belong?

Michael - My family belongs to the Eastern Band Cherokee nation

Ricky - Does your dancing hold personal meaning for you? Does it hold personal significance to you in dancing traditional?

Michael - Dancing to me means that I can get out there and dance for those who danced before me, those who cannot dance, and of course those who give me the right to dance. But most importantly I dance for the creator and that he may always blesses me with the strength of a warrior to carry on thousands of years of tradition.

Ricky - That is a beautiful answer. I've heard different answers but I've heard some older dancers really talk highly of your dancing and doing it for good reasons.

Michael - Really now? That's enlightening. I try to dance the old way and not let the modern contemporary ways get to me.

Ricky - Yes sir. It shows man! What has life been like growing up Native in this culture in America.

Michael - To be honest, growing up Native in this American culture hasn't been easy at times, especially due to racial bigotry and stereotypical questions. At times people would ask me do I live in a tipi or do I get free things from the government. My answer is always No.

Then there's always the "you aren't native. You're just a 6 foot Mexican." Which cracks me up

Ricky - How have you handled being faced with some of the racial issues you've had, especially with being younger and how would you try to explain to people who may be reading this that think race isn't an issue anymore?

Michael - I listen to the stories that my mother and father told me from when they were younger and the stories they tell me is truly saddening because when they were growing up it was a bad thing to be native. Now in my generation everybody wants to be native. The issues I've dealt with are nowhere near as bad as my parents.

Ricky - Very true. The stories from even the last 30 to 40 years ago are horrible. It blows my mind how humans can treat other humans in such ways. I had thought things had improved greatly until some of things that happened last year at Standing Rock. What were your views about what happened there?

Michael - Hmm that's an odd situation there to be honest. Some of the family was up there and it was blown put of proportion. That land was theirs that was part of the agreement yet lies and deceit over rules again. However, with that being said. I feel that media made it worse. I blew into something that should not have happened.

Ricky - In which way do you think that it got overblown? From the things that were happening to people or about the things the dam was saying the water protectors were doing or all of it?

Michael - Well people fall for greed and become a lover of things as in the Choctaw language a "Nanihullo" And when that happens life become in danger sometimes even destroyed. For what though? When we cross over we cannot carry those things. That is what i mean when i say things become overblown too fast.

Ricky - Awesome, I just wanted to make sure it was clear. You serve in our military correct? What branch of service?

Michael - US Army

Ricky - Thank you for your service man! There is a long relationship with Native men serving in the armed forces. What led you to enlist?

Michael - Well for starters from the time i was 6 years old I wanted in the United States Military. I knew that I was warrior, and that I wanted to earn the right to be called one. I have a long history of family being in the Military.

Ricky - What are your feelings with the protests during the Anthem?

Michael - Man, men and women have fought and died for our rights, man will say oh that's our 1st amendment but I don't care. Show respect for those who died for their right to be an idiot. It truly annoys me. People do it because they think its cool. Its not cool at all.

Ricky - I can definitely respect that man. What are some things you wish people knew about being Native. You mentioned that you get asked stereotypical questions a lot. What are some things you'd like folks to know about Natives in our culture today.

Michael - Haha. I'd tell people that we don't live in tipis, we don't scalp people. I'm not an alcoholic, I don't even drink at all. We also don't worship a buffalo either.

Ricky - It's crazy, so many just assume each tribe basically lived the same ways. If someone is wanting to legitimately learn more about Native culture, what ways would you suggest they learn? How can they be respectful and not come across how so many do?

Michael - Instead of assuming answers, just ask questions and we will answer them. Of course be respectful but also don't be afraid to ask.

Ricky - Very cool man. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to be a part of this project again. I appreciate it!

Michael - You're welcome!

A little note on the photos - The B&W work that I'm doing on this series is done with Kodak Tri X film. My goal was to do the series completely in film only, but at Mt Juliet I also did a number of digital shots as well, and I really want to add a little of that color in as well.

Ricky Davis 5/15/17 Ricky Davis 5/15/17

Raw - No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly

No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly - Ricky Davis

RAW Shoot with Holly

I first met Holly and her boyfriend Jeff last fall for my Native Portrait Series. They both have become two of my best friends. Recently Holly and I got together to do a raw, no photoshop/no makeup shoot. These are some of my personal favorite shoots to do. To this point most of my raw shoots I've done digitally, or a combo of digital and film. With Holly's I shot both, but these photos are all from the film portion of the shoot AND this is the first RAW set that I've shot outside of the confines of the studio as well. The ultimate goal with these shoots is I want to give people a glimpse from another perspective. So many times we've become caught up in a certain look, or with an ideal of who we are or what we have to look like. There's nothing wrong with makeup, but I think it's important to not allow your identity to become shaped by what products or style that's in at a given moment. Beauty is in who you are.... Below is more photos from the set as well as what Holly had to say about her shoot. Photos are Kodak Tri X 35mm film pushed to 800.

"I had to talk myself into doing a raw photo shoot. The concept is foreign to me, as I rarely leave the house without makeup. On my way to the shoot, my most intrusive thought was about how these pictures were going to be something I would cringe at when it was all said and done and that what little confidence I had would be crushed. Ricky got started and I was telling him all of these fears while he was working. He started laughing and turned the camera around and I felt silly for having doubted his eye for art. I feel more powerful for having done this, as it's another fear confronted and conquered. " Holly

Ricky Davis 3/22/17 Ricky Davis 3/22/17

Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!? - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!?!

I'm giving you a break from photos for a post. As you might have noticed, the past several days my posts have centered around what I call the beauty redefined series. Last summer I started shooting for a series of photos that I wanted to do a couple of things with. 1. I wanted to share peoples stories about different elements of their life and 2. In light of those stories, I wanted to construct a broader view of how we look at our fellow people. From the first part of the series, listening to people share their stories and struggles, I learned so much.

A lot of the series that really interest me revolve around the concept of beauty. I think it's an interesting concept for a few reasons. Honestly I think beauty is one of the words that we all know what "it" is, but the definition differs from person to person. It's ingrained in our heads, in our cultures. It's this ideal that we strive for but never quite achieve and in my mind it's because it doesn't exist. There can be no clear cut definition of what beauty is. It differs from person to person. Freedom is another similar kind of word. We all have a different take of what freedom is. We're told that we live in the land of the free, but how far does that freedom actually go? Beauty is something that's preached, but what does it actually entail?

A lot of times we're taught that beauty and ugliness go hand in hand, and it's true, you can't have one without the other. However we're taught to look at outward appearances and judge them. I think ugliness isn't anything appearance based. It's in our actions, in our emotions. Hate & brutality, greed, these are things that define ugliness to me personally and I feel that beauty is in our imperfections. It's in our differences. It's what makes us, us.

The Series for me is something that is a continually evolving project. I'm learning from each person that I've gotten to work with. My goal is to share the stories and the differences, and each of us has a story. My goal is to tell those stories, touch on issues of our time, and my goal is to photograph the individuals in a way that it's not about the identity of who one is, because these stories could belong to your neighbor, your brother, your sister, your co-worker, the person you pass at the grocery store, the guy you nod to that's coming out of the bathroom.... These stories could be any of us. And that's the point.

I'm about to start shooting round 2 of the series. If you'd like to be considered I'll be organizing an upcoming date to shoot round 2. It's all shot in studio on 35mm film. To be considered you must email me your story and why you'd like to be part of the project. We will take several photos but only one is used for the series. If your story is sensitive, you are more than welcome to use the handle of anonymous when we share your story. I realize that some are more of a private nature. We hope you'll share your story with us. If we don't receive your story, we won't be able to set anything up for this series. No photoshoot experience required. Male and Female welcome. Signed release required at shoot.

Ricky Davis 3/21/17 Ricky Davis 3/21/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Zack - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Zack -

" My fitness journey started 5 years ago while noticing all of my family members getting diagnosed with some sort of illness. Whether it be obesity or diabetes, almost every family member had one or another, if not both. I know some things can occur without our prevention, but I also knew that poor eating habits, lack of exercise, & lousy excuses didn't contribute to a healthy lifestyle. I remember one morning it just hit me that I wasn't going to be another family member that didn't care about ones health.

So I went full force. I didn't have much money at the time so I remember eating plain chicken & broccoli (5 meals a day). My daily schedule was waking up at 4am every morning to do fasted cardio, work 6am-6pm, have night classes to finish my degree from 6:30pm-9pm, then after all of that, get another workout in with the weights. We're talking 18 hour days.

These decisions didn't just develop a healthy lifestyle, it completely opened the doors to new opportunities for me. It made me mentally & physically stronger than I could have ever imagined. I knew if I could commit to bettering myself starting with healthy decisions, then I could take that commitment & determination onto whatever I chose to do in life. "

Zack

Ricky Davis 3/20/17 Ricky Davis 3/20/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia -

"I grew up with the ideals of being skinny is good, fat is bad. You had to be skinny to get ahead in life. You had to look like the girls that flaunted their stuff on the catwalk and wear expensive, beautiful garments: virtually "perfect". All the time growing up, it was constant in my mind because of the persistent sight of these women in fashion. Girls at school would be made fun of if they were fat. Of course, wanting to fit into the "perfect" society I had those thoughts of "I must be fat" when my body was perfectly fine. Now a days; I am getting skinny shamed. "Girl eat something!" "What are you a size 0, you look like you don't have an inch of fat on you!" Being "skinny" is now becoming bad too. Women are living in a double standard world of you can't be too fat or too skinny otherwise you will be criticized for that. For that I have come to not like the word skinny for that reason.

In a world that is constantly chasing perfection, I feel so imperfect to those standards that it hurts:I just didn't feel beautiful when I chased it myself. When I know that I am not what they want me to be. I know that I personally have seen that I am not like everyone else. I am my own person, which people don't get to see because they are so misguided by their want to be like what society has imprinted on our minds. I feel like we weren't taught to be individuals, Instead we were taught to try and fit a mold of society.

Outside of society's beauty, I have come to love a different part. My uniqueness of my own face and skin which is scarred from the psoriasis and acne that have plagued me through my life. I have a healthy body that holds cellulite and muscle. Which looks to be "skinny". I can say that I feel beautiful in my own skin because I see the beauty of my unique body."

Alicia

Ricky Davis 3/19/17 Ricky Davis 3/19/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Brittany - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Brittany

""Beauty was about control. My self-image, along with a set of lovely signs/symptoms; has been drastically affected due to a developmental disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, which is the highest functioning autism on the spectrum. I focused on my external beauty so I could mask how ugly this syndrome made me feel.

Repression, regression, and retaliation were all three characteristics that I was afflicted with, and my self-image is slowly rising from the crippling life of isolation, anxiety, and self-consciousness that society bestowed upon me.

Females are made to believe in beauty stigmas; you must buy this, you cannot be skinny, fat, pale, or tan. Society may always have this view on beauty and the linked consumers; you and I, are unaware of the hazard it is doing to our perception. Beauty has become so demanding externally, that we forget what makes us feel beautiful, what sets us apart.

I am beautiful due to my nature, empathy, intuition, and perseverance."

Brittany

Ricky Davis 3/18/17 Ricky Davis 3/18/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter

"I've always been different. I see tattoos as art. Surprisingly, I get more older people that love my tattoos and tell me how beautiful I am with them. My tattoos make me feel like who I'm supposed to be. Different. Set apart from everyone else." Kendra

Ricky Davis 3/17/17 Ricky Davis 3/17/17

Story Behind the Photo - The First Equality Shot....

Tattoo Artist - Jennifer Edge - Hair/Makeup - Shae Luke - TRD Photography

Story Behind the Photo - The First Equality Shot.

Quite a few years ago, on a blog far away, I started sharing some of the stories and memories that I had behind some of my photos. Many of my photos don't really have a story other than we thought "hey, this might look cool." Others have more of a memory than a story. After spending some time going through old stuff, I've decided to start blogging some about ones that stick out to me. This photo is one that had a bit of a story and really sparked a series that kinda grew into a life of it's own.

2013 was a very odd year for me. The first half of the year I was preparing for a move to Portland, Oregon. The people in Chattanooga were amazingly supportive and one of the people that I grew very close to during that time is Tattoo Artist Jennifer Edge. We became friends from a shoot that I did for Triple 7 and then I did some promo work for her personally as well. We hit it off and she just is an incredible creative visionary.

In 2013, the background of this idea was that the movement for equality was reaching a fever pitch. Everywhere you turned there were posts, as well as many people had the equality symbol for profile pictures. There was a lot of hate on social media about it. People taking a stand, and others just saying extremely hateful rhetoric. My view was always that I stand for equality and I don't believe the government should create laws based off religious views. If we allow the government to create laws based off of certain religious views, then we open them up to create more laws on different religious views and at some point they'll get around to coming after us all. But I digress....

After moving to Portland, I kept in touch with Jennifer and she was busy with building Main Line Ink. They were opening to their own tattoo shop here in Chattanooga. I was scheduled to come back to Chattanooga for two weeks to shoot a wedding for a friend and while I was back they had asked me to do an art show at the grand opening of Main Line Ink. I was beyond thrilled.

I've always enjoyed doing work that makes people think. Work that might make some uncomfortable. I was browsing magazines at a bookstore in Portland and I flipped the page and I saw a photograph of Angelina Jolie. She had a big red X on her lips. Immediately an idea popped in my head and I knew I wanted to do the photograph with Edge.

When I got back to Chattanooga, I was scheduled to do a big photoshoot for promos for Main Line Ink, and after the crowd had died down that evening, hairstylist Shae Luke came in and did Edge's hair/makeup. The shot turned out perfectly. We waited to do the big reveal of the photo until the art show at the grand opening.

The response to the photo was insane. I was shocked and then more and more people were sending messages to us about it. People wanted to be photographed for it. More people than I could ever think of creative ideas for wanted to be part of the series. They wanted to show their support for equality. It's one of the photos that I feel was way bigger than me or even Jennifer. It sparked something that resonated with people and made them feel something. That's one of the best feelings in the world to be able to have contributed to something that makes people think and feel.

Ricky Davis 3/16/17 Ricky Davis 3/16/17

Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop with Brittney Berlin

Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop set with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

Raw Shoot with Brittney

Back in 2015 I decided to do a few raw, unedited shoots because I really love the message that it conveys. How you are beautiful as you are instead of you're beautiful because someone with photoshop skills. A lot of people really loved the images that came from those sessions. Some did the shoot sans makeup, others wanted to still wear their makeup. I've been wanting to do some more raw shoots because honestly, I want to do more work that actually makes a statement and isn't just "cool" to look at. I recently got to do a no makeup/no photoshop session with Brittney who is a model and hair/makeup artist here in Chattanooga. Because the whole "no photoshop" thing means different things to different people, the only thing done to these images was putting them into b&w. I also want you to read what Brittney had to say about her session as you check out these images... Read below.

Raw Photoshoot - No Makeup/No Photoshop - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" A few years ago if you asked me to do a photoshoot without make up, my hair unfixed, and the photos would be untouched meaning not at all edited I would have refused. In fact I wouldn't have even let anyone see me like that! I was very caught up in what society views as beautiful and I was trying to obtain that standard."

RAW - No Makeup/No Photoshop - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" I'm not going to lie, going into the photoshoot I was nervous. It's something I had never done before but I was still excited. I was having a lot of fun with the photoshoot but as soon as Ricky showed me the camera screen for a sneak peek of what it was looking like a huge smile came across my face and a feeling that sparked inside I can't really explain but I immediately got pumped! It was so empowering. Here I was with my hair a mess and no make up on to hide behind and I loved it! "

Multi-Exposure - Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop Shoot - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" It boosted my confidence even more which I didn't expect to happen. I left the shoot feeling so good about myself and what I accomplished. Being able to look back at where I was and how I felt about my self then to now holding the confidence and love for myself and being comfortable doing something like this it a pretty remarkable feeling. " Brittney

RAW No Makeup/No Photoshop Session with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

Ricky Davis 2/17/17 Ricky Davis 2/17/17

Native American Portrait Series - Holly & Jeff

It's been longer than I would have liked in this series. I met up with Holly & Jeff to do a portrait session and interview to share their stories. I want to thank Lorie Reedy for putting Holly and I in touch for this project. I'm blessed to have gotten to meet them and become friends with them. I hope that you enjoy their story and it gives a further understanding into the stories, hardships, and culture of our indigenous people here in the states. Not much is cut and dry and each person has a story.

Holly Lynn - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography

Me - Holly, you have an interesting story. Up until a couple years ago, you knew very little about your heritage. Would you care to share a little about what led up to your discovery a couple years ago?

Holly - Sure, yeah! My mom told me all the time when I was little that we were native, but that our nation had almost completely died out and that we were some of the last of the tribe. I grew up surrounded by Native art and certain customs that my mom picked up from her grandma. That was all I had to work with.

A couple of years ago, Jeff took me to the Chattanooga powwow because I'd never been. And I saw the arena director(who turned out to be Lorie's husband, Jimmy!) had on a medallion with the seal of my nation on it! So I caught him and talked to him, told him my story. He probably thought I was nuts, considering that we're the fourth largest tribe in the US. I started researching, learning everything I could about my own family. I come from two chiefs, a judge, and several councilmen. And I had no idea until a couple of years ago. I'm still learning, I'm working on the language, customs, etiquette.. There's a lot to work through.

Me - That's really an amazing story and just a huge blessing that you ran into someone at the powwow that was able to give you that place to jump into and discover more about your tribe and into your families heritage as well. Being raised the way you were, with thinking that most of your tribe had died out and having some customs and art in your house growing up, but in our conversation you told me you were raised more "white" right? Yet you're learning as much as you can now, what has that been like?

Holly - I was definitely very lucky, especially to have met someone so welcoming.

When I was growing up, my father was a tyrant. He is extremely racist, he mocks other races and culture mercilessly. I think growing up seeing his antics made me very conscious of what I'd been deprived of, which was basically my entire identity and knowing about my nation. I was definitely raised white and I resent it deeply.

Learning everything later in life sucks. It's hard. It's so easy to misstep and offend someone just by being ignorant of some obscure rule. You get laughed at, you aren't seen as native, you're basically an outcast to most of the tribe. But I think there's an upside in that you can't take who you are for granted. There's too much time and effort and heart put into discovering who you are and what the community means to you. People raised right don't have this bizarre and meaningful journey they had to take to find their folks. I'm glad I have that.

Me - The journey definitely has it's own merits and really brings about a different admiration and respect of the things you learn. Being raised "white" but learning our cultures later in life, we've seen things the other way and I think we appreciate what we're learning and makes us treasure it more.

You and I talked a little bit about this at our shoot. I shared how I've been super nervous about talking about my heritage because I don't know specific details because of the things in the census and how I've not wanted to be seen as "that white guy", with you really connecting with your people later in life, how did you go about connecting with them in a respectful way. I know meeting Jimmy at the powwow, but I'm sure you were just wanting to learn and digest all that you could as fast as you could. I know that you have to slow down and not get in a hurry as well because you want to show that your truly care and are respectful. How did you balance that?

Holly - One of the big things I've learned and am still learning is that sometimes you have to just wait to be taught. I may have a million questions but there are only certain ones that are appropriate and there are only certain people I'm able to ask. Ricky, I can't tell you just how blessed I am that my mentor is also one of my closest friends. That makes a huge difference. She knows my heart, my motives, and how obnoxiously curious I am about EVERYTHING. Getting to know her before I started asking the sensitive questions was a big reason I'm where I'm at in my learning. You've got to have a teacher that understands how precious you consider the traditions and language and religion to be.

Having said that, I have definitely asked the wrong person the wrong thing at the wrong time and been just absolutely humiliated. It's just one of those things that happens and will continue to happen for probably the rest of my life. Haha.

Me - I definitely think patience is the key. Similar to you, someone I consider to be my mentor has become probably my closest friend. Learning that time and patience is key is something he's being working to teach me. Anything worth something takes time to achieve. What is something that you have learned so far that has surprised you?

Holly - My biggest surprise was how alive our culture and religion still is. We have our superstitions and myths that are still told to children in the Mvskoke language, we have our traditional clothes. Our religion is thriving, I've still got a long way to go there. Having come from knowing nothing to where I am now, the biggest shock to me was the superstition surrounding owls. They're shape shifters, bad omens.. I love owls and it made me sad to learn this.

Me - Wow, That must be tough for one of your favorite animals to end up being a bad omen. I've learned a few things in regards to my culture that have been a surprise as well. That is wonderful that you're learning and being open to a different belief system, religion wise. A lot of people are raised that THIS is the only way to believe, that when you get shown a different way, it's hard to be open to a new way of believing, a new way of looking at things. Were you raised with a different set of beliefs? If so, how have you worked with learning the Mvskoke religion with what you were raised?

Holly - My father was a tyrant, he forced us to go to a Pentecostal church of god when I was little. I can remember being terrified of the pastor because he was always shouting, people passed out and spoke in tongues.. I had a constant fear of going to hell. It was miserable. The Mvskoke religion is still very new to me, I love going to stomp dances and I feel powerful and humbled all at one time when I'm with my people.

I just shed Christianity last year. It wasn't a gradual thing, either, it was like I woke up one morning and just did not believe in Christianity.

Me - Man, I can really relate to what you're saying. I was raised in a Christian church, and a very strict family. It wasn't like a tyrant type thing for me. Church wasn't something I was terrified of, for me personally I just saw a lot of hypocritical things. I spent a lot of my time in the woods and I was just always at peace with God until I quit spending so much time in the woods. When church became my only connection to God, i struggled tremendously. I would either be extremely religious or a screw it all mentality. I never could connect until this past fall after I met Wes and he recommended Russell Mean's book and it reminded me of a lot of the beliefs I had on my own as a kid

Jeff Johnson - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography

Me - Jeff, in talking I was really impacted by your story. You are part of the Iroquois Nation. What tribe do you belong to again?

Jeff- I am Onondaga, we are the "Keepers of the Fire" for the Iroquois confederacy. The Onondaga nation is located in central New York State.

A little background on the Iroquois and the Onondaga. The Iroquois (we traditionally call ourselves Haudenosaunee) is a confederacy because it is composed of 6 (originally 5) separate tribes: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations, later the Tuscarora. The Onondaga are called the Keepers of the Flame because we are the center, both geographically and traditionally the seat of government.

Me - You were raised on the reservation when you were young, how old were you when you left? Why did your family leave the reservation?

Jeff - I was 5 when my family moved off the reservation. The reason was a personal choice that my mom and dad made for the family. We moved to the town that butted up against the reservation, Akron, NY, and lived there till we moved here to TN when I was 13. What do you remember most about growing up on the reservation? We visited my grandmother and other relatives regularly and it was always fun to visit. From my early years living there, my most vivid memory is living in a trailer with no running water, so we got water from a communal well and had to use the outhouse in all kinds of weather. When the weather was too extreme, we had a 5 gallon bucket that we could use haha.

Me - How did leaving the nation, in part to spirituality, impact you growing up? I know you mentioned that you and your siblings took longer to convert to Christianity, why do you think that was?

Jeff - When I was born, my mom was practicing our native religion centered around the Longhouse. My dad is white and from a very large family. One of my dad’s brother-in-laws, uncle Randy, was a trucker and preacher and spent my early years trying to convert the family to Christianity. When I was 7, I believe, my parents converted and we started attending a small Baptist church in Akron and a few years later I “became saved”. I was raised in a Christian home and never really revisited the Onondaga religion. I have very few memories of the Longhouse and the ceremonies that I went to as a very young child. Your story has been pretty unique from the people I've talked to so far.

Me - How do you process having lived two different cultures, and what are your goals going forward? What do you envision your calling to be among the people?

Jeff - As I mentioned earlier, I was born into the native culture and raised a Christian. I always knew I was native but didn’t try to reconnect with the culture because Christianity isn’t really compatible with my culture. So many Onondaga traditions have religious connections and I struggled to keep Christianity prominent. Recently my grandmother and great aunt died during a personal spiritual re-evaluation and I felt the native disconnect strongly with their passing. They were the matriarchs of my native family and their passing left a void in me. So now I rely on my mom to help where she can. I have also been going to Powwows and connecting with that culture. I really would like to start learning our language. My grandmother spoke it and now that she is passed, I want to carry some of her legacy on thru the language. The language is taught in schools on the reservations but being here in the south and having no speakers to talk with and learn from, it will be a challenge.

Me - How difficult has it been to reconnect with your people and culture?

Jeff - My mom is living in Chicago and most of my native family is still in NY and none are here in TN so I am a bit on my own down here. Ceremonies are performed on the reservation in NY where the longhouse is located. It has been difficult to say the least. Whenever mom visits, I try to pick her brain. She is on her own journey to reconnect and has been a major influence in my journey.

Me - That's powerful man! I find it encouraging that you're working towards re-connecting as you can and seeing that your mom is as well. I recently talked to another mother who faced a lot of racism and worked to hide her heritage and she's working to re-connect in large part because of her son. It's inspiring. There has been a firestorm of news on the Native front, with the DAPL and Standing Rock. We've seen horrific acts of brutality and racism, that I personally didn't realize we were still capable of. When we talked, you mentioned that you had experiences in NY off the reservation. What were some of your experiences?

Jeff - The south has a very different view of natives than where I grew up. Off the rez, natives could be treated like any other minority, with distrust and sometimes outright malice. Being half white and half native, I never really fit into either world. My relatives accepted me as I am, but the rest of the world only saw me as part of the half they were not. I had a hard time making friends kept my circle small. Even around here, many people love to claim native heritage but don’t have any idea what it means to live native, the good and the difficult parts.

Me - With the DAPL, what are your thoughts on the fight both their in North Dakota at Standing Rock, as well as the new fights sprouting up around the country at various other pipelines where companies are violating reservation lands, and just the Earth in general?

Jeff - It’s amazing to see such a huge gathering of nations coming together in a show of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux. It has now spread to other areas like the Sabal Trail pipeline in Florida and other places. I think that it has opened a dialog of tribal rights, sovereignty, and empowerment across all tribes and native people. It may very well prove to be a turning point for those of us that the United States has tried so hard to forget about. The horrific treatment of the people that were already here when the Europeans arrived, the genocidal policies that the government put into place and the continued malicious indifference of the United States government are things that have been swept under the rug for far too long. My hope is that the nations are able to find the voice that lets the world know that we will not be forgotten nor ignored when it comes to treaties and ancestral/ceremonial lands long broken and forgotten by the U.S. I’d like to think that protecting the only earth that we have to live on is a duty of all humanity but we know that the almighty dollar continues to set policies and that must be changed. It’s 2017 and we still have policy makers who deny the science of global warming.

Me - I've been really inspired seeing you and Holly's posts and taking part in events in our area in an effort to raise awareness and make a difference in our area to protect the earth. For people just now seeing things for the first time, having their eyes opened to our government's policies towards the indigenous people of this country, what can they do to make a difference?

Jeff - I think one of the best ways to make a difference, is to learn all you can about your culture. Be ready to counter the misinformation, ignorance and outright lies that people will bring up when they find out you're native. Get involved with the native community where you can. Connect with others and you'll probably find someone who has gone thru or is going thru the struggles you face.

Holly - The people just now coming in on this battle should probably do some extensive research on what has happened so far and what is going on today. They are drilling illegally and continue to push against the environmental studies being done at Standing Rock. For everyone that can't up and head for the frontlines, donate to one of the several gofundme accounts set up by and on behalf of the camps and the people battling legal issues. I imagine that the priority right now would be the legal fund, but I may be wrong. And I've read and heard that they beg people not to send any more clothes, that they are inundated with clothes at Standing Rock.

If you want to make a difference in your local community, attend native-run events and find ways to interact respectfully. Don't try to act or dress "native", just be yourself and go talk to folks. There is always something to be learned from good conversation.

Me - We found out last night that President Obama will not grant Leonard Peltier a Presidential pardon. What are your thoughts on that? President Obama has had a lot of policies and promises made to our native people, including those at Standing Rock. What kind of job do you think he ultimately did towards the indigenous people?

Holly - I have really mixed feelings towards Obama. I think he did wonderful things, I love the ACA and the possibilities beyond it. But he made promises to support native folks in their battles against corporate greed that he just completely disregarded until veterans showed up at Standing Rock. That really got my goat, we needed his help and he failed TERRIFICALLY.

As far as Mr. Peltier.. I'm going to be candid and say that I see his case as a lost cause. That would mean a huge admission of wrongdoing by the United States that they aren't going to give. They offer no explanation and no apology for what they've done to him. It's a violation of his rights, both as a citizen of the US and as a human being.

Jeff - I agree with Holly, I too have mixed feelings about Obama. He could have been such a huge advocate for natives, especially after the promises made at Standing Rock. But in the end it was just lip service. He made great strides to bring equality and worked at leveling the playing field, but really dropped the ball in the 4th quarter for natives.

Mr. Peltier will need a miracle to reverse the gross injustice done to him. He has everyone from Popes, Nelson Mandela, and international human rights organizations on his side and it has not swayed the US. I think that Obama was his best chance and that too has been denied.

Me - I appreciate you guys so much for doing this. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you guys and hopefully people will read your words and maybe see some things differently.

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