Meet Javane Stewart | Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Javane Stewart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Javane, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
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.

I think my desire to be the best possible version of myself and achieving the goals I set are factors that spur me on.

The idea of setting targets, and hitting them, believing I can do something, anything are added fuel and inspiration for the steps I take in life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So in simple terms and at the most basic level, I am a photographer. And I don’t say that in a way to demean my photography. But it being one of, and most important parts of who I am as a creative.

I also like to think of myself as a sort of visual creative curator. Where in different instances I act as a creative director, designer and just all round consultant.

In terms of my primary medium, photographer, I shoot mostly editorial inspired photos or settings. I am very interested in telling narratives through my photography and I hope to move into fine art photography as well in the very near future.

What really excites me about photography is the newness of it all, and that feeling of getting that one shot where you just know it’s fire as soon as you hit the shutter button. Photography presents the ability to be unique all the time, because you’ll find that no two shots are ever the same. No matter how hard you try, there is always something that will always be slightly different. And that is the newness I mentioned earlier, each shot is new, something fresh, a new perspective, it’s really exciting for me.

As far as being a professional, I am not sure I am quite there yet to be quite honest. But the place where I am right now was not easy to get to. Honestly that has more to do with the mental side of things than any other aspect. I get very anxious and it can be very crippling when the time comes to doing/take on creative endeavors. It has probably lost me a few potential clients, or even collaborations with people I would have loved to work with.

At times, it feels like I don’t trust my own creative intuition and giving people direction, or giving an opinion of what I think about certain creative ideas. Even for things like this interview, I struggle with on a regular basis because “Why would they want to talk to me about that?” And other similar thoughts.

But I will say though, a little boost of confidence and believing in yourself and your work can go a really long way as a creative. You just have to find those things that work for you. And thankfully some validation comes from some of my peers but being able to find ways to validate my own self and work have made a huge difference in how I approach my creativity and life in general.

Believe in yourself. As cliche as it sounds. You got this.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I don’t think there is one person I can dedicate a shout out to. Honestly that’s because the people in my life are all a blessing and I really feel grateful to have them around. My mom, my partner and my brothers are some of the most influential people in my life and are a big part of the person I am today. Without them, it’d be pretty hard to imagine life being as enjoyable as it is right now. And together, I’m sure the future holds amazing things in store.

Website: JavaneStewart.com

Instagram: Www.instagram.com/javanestewart

Twitter: Twitter.com/javanestewart

Image Credits
All taken by myself, Javane Stewart