3D Visions: The Prism has been Tilted

My mission is to change the general perspective on things we as a society encounter from day to day. People have the tendency of falling into the bad habit of group thinking and my vision is my voice against it. ~Kadeem Stewart~

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"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." Amy Lowell spoke those words and never have they rang more true! I say this because our generation has been blessed an artist in our midst who is unafraid of putting himself out there in order to inspire a new perspective, especially as it pertains to African American people and culture. His works also seek to change society's idea of beauty and to empower women of color by showcasing our "queendom" in atypical ways.

His body of works, including the "Queen" and "Prep-to-perfection" series has compelled us, here at ROAR, to highlight his amazing talent and share his story! We always hear that men within our community do not support or value us, well here is a man who not only sees our value, but took it upon himself to use his art as our mouthpiece. It is my sincere pleasure to share my conversation with Kadeem Stewart, the founder/visual artist behind Shotby3D Photography, and how he helping us to "tilt the prism".

ROAR: Tell me a bit about yourself.

Kadeem: My name is Kadeem Stewart, I'm a first generation American, family hailing from Jamaica. I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I am a visual artist and my primary mediums are photography and film. I also dabble in graphic design, fashion and drawing. The graffiti that decorated to the streets of New York were the initial spark for my interest in art. My main goal is to inspire others to follow their dreams by any means.

ROAR: Tell us about your journey to – and within – Shotby3D Photography.

Kadeem: My journey was an interesting and unexpected one. I first picked up a camera in 2012 with the intent to start a new hobby. I got my first camera with the help of two very close friends. I was originally studying engineering but after a big loss in my family in the fall of 2012 I decided to pursue photography fully.

ROAR: Your Queen series and Prep-to-Perfection series reflects a refreshingly Afro-centric culture and style, why is it important that you showcase men and women within our community in such a unique fashion?

Kadeem: I feel that the key to changing society is by changing perspectives, and I aim to to that through my visuals. It occurred to me in the course of my artistic journey, that while I may have been taking great images I felt they weren't saying enough. So now, I showcase the men and women of our community in this manner because we are so much more than thugs, athletes, video vixens and angry women.

Here's a sneakpeak of Kadeem's Prep-to-Perfection series.

ROAR: What is the best part about the work you are doing with Shotby3D Photography?

Kadeem: I would say the best part of the work I'm currently doing is the beauty in being unapologetically me and fusing art and the black experience.

ROAR: Most of your works are a visual rebellion against societal norms, why do you think it’s so important that you use your art and talent to “change the conversation” within our community?

Kadeem: I have always been the type to actively go against the grain, my art is an extension of myself so naturally it is indeed very rebellious in nature. Its important to change the conversation because we cant hope to change anything doing the same s**t and talking about the same s**t we have been.

ROAR: Who are some of your creative heroes within the film/visual arts industry?

Kadeem: One of my biggest creative heroes is Dave Chappelle. People who know me can attest to that, but through his comedy, Chappelle inadvertently taught me the importance to be unapologetically myself and that there will always be someone out there criticizing, so might as well do what is true to you. Dave Chappelle has a quote that I live by, especially when it comes to my artistic endeavors, “I'm either gonna become a legend, or that tragic f**king story, either way I'm going full throttle”. Within my actual creative field I greatly admire Jonathan Mannion. He has done some of, if not the most iconic shoots in Hip Hop culture, with over 300 album covers under his belt. Last but not least, Hank Willis Thomas profoundly changed how I viewed the work I was doing and made me aspire to create more impactful images. After being introduced to the work Hank Willis Thomas, I realized I was wasting my talents and was merely just another a kid with a camera calling himself a photographer.

ROAR: What’s one of the biggest challenges and advances that Shotby3D Photography faces in the photography industry as an up and coming photographer?

Kadeem: I would say the biggest challenges I face in this industry is having the strength to not compromise my vision or integrity for followers or to gain more notoriety. Its easy to get a bunch of followers by posting a bunch of "phat asses and big breast" but I feel like that is the easy way. Don't get me wrong there is a time and place for it, but it wouldn't be true to what I'm trying to put into the world, and it wouldn't be conducive to changing the conversation if my content was objectifying the female body.

ROAR: Tell us about one of your biggest accomplishments so far and what’s one of your main goals in the near future?

Kadeem: I guess my biggest accomplishment to date was my Art Basel Miami feature in 2015.

ROAR: In your opinion, how important is it for men and women of color to unite in our fight against sexism and gender inequality?

Kadeem: If we don't unite how can we expect other to change their views about us. A person will only treat how you allow them to. Dont get me wrong I understand the systematic aspects that perpetuate these concepts upon the African American community but we have to unite and proclaim sexism and gender inequality as unacceptable.

ROAR: If you could share one core inspirational message to all women of color, what would it be?

Kadeem: F**k what they have to say about you. The only person you need to make happy is you. Don't change yourself to fit it to society or to accommodate a mans desires.

True to his word, Kadeem's candid interview was 100% unapologetically him! Thank you for sharing your story, your insight and your works to #Celebrate #Empower and #Inspire us as women of color! We look forward to watching you grow within your field.

For more on Kadeem and Shotby3D Photography or for booking information follow him on Instagram at @shotby3d, on Facebook by clicking here,or check out his website at www.shotby3dphotography.com. A King within our community is speaking on behalf of his queens, let us support, encourage and help him to #ROAR!