We recently had the chance to connect with Naomi Ivy and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Naomi, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
The thing that I’m most proud of and nobody sees is my confidence. Over the years, I’ve been quietly piecing together experiences, inspirations, mistakes, and lessons that very little (if any) people were around to see. I feel like social media has conditioned us to only show the end goal or the “pretty” parts of life. No one likes to show the breakdowns, creator’s block, insecurities, hiatuses, rough starts, failed ideas/plans, or the “fall offs”. I’m no different than anyone and I wasn’t exempt from any of those common experiences. No one was around to see the long nights of creating things that I didn’t like, struggling to come up with concepts, doubting my own artistry, or being too afraid to release new art. Each of these confrontations served as a building block of confidence in my process, my growth, and my art.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Nay and I’m a photographer and DJ, who is also a creative curator for Recs N Threads.
I fully stepped into being a creative about 3-4 years ago and started off with photography. Eventually I taught myself how to DJ and went on to do residencies, a few festivals, and tons of parties/events.
My personal brand for photography is “Eye Over Matter” and as far as DJ’ing, I go by NayThizzle. What makes each of these outlets special and unique is that they all embody my core values as a human; authenticity, freedom, and creativity. From the things/people I photograph, to the songs that I mix, to the visions I share with my wonderful team at Recs N Threads, each of these avenues of creativity embody those 3 values.
Now that I’m inching out of a long hiatus, I’m currently working on a photography series based on my Southern roots. I’m also working on my YouTube channel for my DJ sets and crafting visuals to go with them. As far as Recs N Threads, we are working on some final touches so that we can open our doors and let the world see what we’ve been creating.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part that existed and created out of survival and fear. For a little minute, my creativity was shaped by what I thought people wanted to see or hear from me. I let criticism, a few gigs with low turnout, and events within my personal life convince me that I had to focus on being more palatable and received by a wider audience.
I reached a point where I felt a huge disconnection with who I am versus what I was producing, I wasn’t sure who exactly my audience was, and I was SOOOO unhappy. My art stopped expressing who I was and the moment it did — it became an obligation and not an outlet.
After months of being on hiatus, doing shadow work, and just experiencing life a little more, I realized that this part of my journey has served its purpose. I feel like only recently did I actually release it.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
WHEW. The one thing that suffering has taught me that success never could is trusting in your own process. Suffering is not a pretty part of the process and it’s very humbling.
Success often times feels (or at least looks) instant. Like a particular moment or announcement. Suffering felt so passive and slow moving to me and I believe it’s because it was teaching me how to sit with uncertainty. It also showed me that you gotta continue walking in purpose–even when the end goal isn’t in sight. Believe so much in what you’re doing that you honor it with discipline.
Most importantly, suffering made me relearn how to create beauty from what’s broken and that you don’t have to be refined to be received.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think one of the biggest lies the art world tells itself is that it’s a pure meritocracy. There’s people that make it seem like the best work is the most visible and talent alone is enough and I feel like that’s extremely false. The reality is, visibility and access are oftentimes gatekept by money, connections, and narrowed beauty standards.
I’ve seen and experienced how frequently artists are overlooked and underpaid, especially when they don’t fit society’s preferred mold. Whether it’s because you’re new to what you do, plus sized (especially as a woman), create things that are “different”, or not associated with certain people. Your support in a lot of cases is contingent upon people’s personal feelings towards you rather than your art and I think it’s extremely unfair and closed minded.
People that have like to pretend that art is all about expression. In reality, it’s far too often about so much other stuff that in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t matter. I feel like as a society we’ve gotten so far away from doing things in the name of art.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think what people will most misunderstand about my legacy is my silence and my hiatuses. I find that a lot of times people assume that I’m being quiet because something’s wrong, or that I don’t create anymore because I don’t publicly release things as much. Another critique I get a lot is that “you don’t be outside as much”.
What they don’t see are the heartaches, reinvention, and trial and error that occurs. People don’t see me learning new skills, scrapping ideas and rebuilding them, healing childhood wounds, and having to rediscover my love of art. The fast paced consumption of media made me realize that I was so focused on producing art, that I wasn’t giving myself space and time to be inspired again. To consume just as much as I create.
Those hiatuses weren’t about me suffering in silence or “falling off”; it was about my evolution as an artist and as a human. And most importantly, it was about allowing myself to be still.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @eyeovermatter (photography), @recsnthreadsstl, @nayohmeee_ (personal), @ghettogoldtapes (dj/music)
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@GhettoGoldTapes
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/naythizzle_mp3
