Clipped Wings : A Series
Across the many different cultures around the world, winged beings are held in high regard as representations of elevated archetypes, celestial beings that serve as a bridge between worlds. As a fan of mythology and a creative in my own right, I’m always looking for parallels with real-life within it. What I have found interesting is a feeling of relation to my own life, these beings often struggle due to their power and presence being threatening to those that misunderstand them.
It always seems as if as a Black person in general and a Black man in specific, there is a constant expectation from others for me to define or explain myself and unfortunately in some of us, it causes us to retreat from our true selves.
The concept of this series came during the murders of Black people across the country in 2020, which have been happening consistently since Oscar Grant was killed in January of 2009. Before most of us are able to shake off the feelings of being misunderstood, we get our wings clipped by the system of oppression that we face, both in this country and the rest of the world. For some, the clipping of wings is presented by simply destroying the hope for a brighter future, for others, the clipping is presented by the lack of access to resources and for others, the clipping is presented by the loss of life and the destruction of their family.
We, as a people, are taught to survive and overcome and that is what we do. But if you’ve ever seen a bird with a hurt wing, the freedom to fly is a right that has been removed from them, similarly to the experience that people of color face in this world. Ultimately, the ability to create a life of our choosing and chase the dream that this country promises us is a desire we all have.
After the concept, I reached out to a friend, Dayo (@thearthype on IG) to gather a group of people to highlight this idea in all that it represents, and together we would share this perspective with the world.
The Models I Chose :
@theVanillaDream
@JordanBlake10
@NomadicMikee
@Miyah.Miche