A big part of making decisions is determining what our actions and choices have been inspired by.  So we asked decision makers from the community to tell us about what they are inspired by.

Nefer Ta | Photographer

I am inspired by my city (Camden, NJ) where I’m from. When I first started photography and being creative, innovative, I would drive around the city and find abandoned lots, garages, graffiti parks and areas that were deemed to be what people would consider a mess. Areas where people wouldn’t dare go, yet along do a whole photo shoot. Being able to see the beauty and capture it from my camera and my viewpoint inspired me. I am inspired by black culture, black women. Other photographers inspire me. Music inspires me. My children inspire me. Read more>>

Ashley Nash | Owner & Photographer

My clients are my inspiration! There is nothing more inspiring than being able to break down barriers that many of my clients have put up. For some, it’s personal insecurities surrounding having pictures made of themselves. Especially as women, we oftentimes have a hard time believing that we could possibly look as gorgeous as what we see on social media. Almost always, the first thing a female client will say to me at the start of their session is, “I’m not photogenic at all!” or “Girl, please tell me that you can photoshop my stomach out of my images.” Read more>>

Jasmin Manning | Artist and Graphic Designer

I am inspired by everyday life, my family, my friends, our culture, other artists (past and present), music and even my students. I have so many amazingly talented people around me. I see them winning and that inspires me to keep going and keep creating art. My mom, dad, sister, my nephew, cousins, and aunts inspire me as well. They are great inspirations in my life. Read more>>

Javane Stewart | Creative

I’ve been thinking about this question for a little while now and it honestly presented a bigger challenge than I expected when trying to answer it. I am inspired by a lot of things, ideas, and people. The more I really thought about it though, the more I started to realize that one of the things that inspire me the most is myself. As narcissistic and self-centered it sounds, I find that my ability to push myself is something that has gotten me this far in life. Read more>>

Roseybi Sanchez | Photographer

Is the world I come from, the place. I come from a small town in the Dominican Republic . Its a place when you dream big, it may seem impossible. Therefore, the BIGGEST inspiration and motivation of it all, is to break generational curse. I love my grandmother Dearly, she has many, many potential, but unfortunately she is a FEARFUL person. She didn’t give herself the opportunity, she didn’t let herself thrive. Its parts of her unexplored, undiscovered, unknown because of FEAR. Read more>>