Faces of Antyx: Vincent
Our #FF this week: Vincent! You may recognize Vincent from a couple of our Poetry and Photo program posters, and some of you may even be in our program sessions with him!
Vincent has been involved with Antyx since 2011 and has helped many youths along the way. He teaches and helps youth visualize their obstacles to lead them to a road where they can express what they’re going through, through art.
Throughout his entire professional career, Vincent has been focused on making an impact in the community, or his main thesis, to plant seeds of hope. He creates environments where youth feel like they can express themselves, and wants them to know that they’re not alone in their pain and there are people who want to help.
To inspire youths, he encourages them to read about their favourite artists or athletes to know the history in order to develop their craft. It’s important to keep practising your craft so that you can take pride in what you’re doing, and to keep growing. Knowing your craft, taking inspiration from the greats and practising daily can help you develop your own style. Vincent also gave us insight on what's a good starting point for youths, and everyone, to keep track of their goals. “Start writing them, even if you only have one or two goals. The most important thing is to constantly read them”. Remind yourself of your goals and reflect on how you can achieve them and work on them if they’re taking a little longer than you’d hope.
“Don’t give up on your dreams. If someone else is successful, you can also be successful. You just have to take the proper steps to get where they’re at”.
From a young age, Vincent knew he was a storyteller, which translated into his photography, graphic design and video skills. When he took photography in night school after he graduated highschool, he knew he loved photography. “When I have a camera in my hand it feels different, it just feels natural”.
To avoid creativity block, he recommends anything from going for a walk, exercising and reading. Every day for two and half years he would write a short synopsis for shows to curate ideas and used a writer's tool box with creative prompts to spark ideas. You just have to find what works best for you.
Recently, he has been creating comic books that are aimed at showing that anybody can be a hero, no matter where you come from, or who you are. He recognized the lack of representation for people of colour within comic books and wants to convey the message that people have the power to be somebody, to have an impact on society. He draws inspiration from many, but connects to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, “in which he shows the world that humanity can rise and grow and be better”. Vincent emphasized, “That’s why I like Gene Roddenberry; he reflected society and had a lot of social issues throughout the different series.” He added, “He also had a vision of having people of colour on the show” and said that the show was revolutionary. Quarantine has also sparked inspiration for his comic books; he’s taken inspiration from his own kids for his comic books!
With heightened competition and increased criticisms from wide scale access to photography through apps like Instagram, he reminds us that your craft “should always be something that comes from your heart”. You should always keep in mind what kind of artists you want to be, and how you want to be represented. As an artist, “you should welcome criticism because it just make you a better artist, as long as it’s constructive criticism”.
If you’re interested in seeing Vincent’s work, visit his Instagram @vincenttjoachim or his website https://vtj.myportfolio.com/