Underexposed: A Continuation

In 2015, my senior thesis exhibition was titled Underexposed — a series of portraits documenting the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Savannah State University. The title referenced my medium, photography, but it also reflected a broader reality: a vibrant arts community that often existed outside the spotlight — under-recognized, underfunded, and under-appreciated. I wanted people to know we were here.

Creating. Performing. Painting. Designing. Dancing. Even when resources were limited, the work was not. That exhibition was an act of documentation and recognition — a way of acknowledging the artists around me and the work they were already doing. At a moment when visibility felt necessary, I chose to pay attention. Looking back, I can see that Underexposed wasn’t just a senior thesis. It was the beginning of a way of working.

The Continuation

In early 2024, conversations began circulating among alumni about the future of the Liberal Arts Department. The department was under review, and concerns about recruitment raised questions about what might be cut, reduced, or overlooked. It became clear that advocacy couldn’t be reactive or short-term — it needed to be sustained and visible. Alumni reconnected. Stories were gathered. Examples of creative work beyond graduation were shared. Online spaces formed to show where artists had gone and what they were building. Virtual events and conversations emerged as ways to bridge past and present, and to better understand what students needed as they prepared for life beyond the classroom. The focus wasn’t nostalgia. It was continuity. Listening mattered. Process mattered. Presence mattered.

Stories of Creativity

Over time, it became clear this wasn’t about a single initiative or moment of advocacy. It was part of a longer thread — one that began with Underexposed and continues through the way I document creative work today. Stories of Creativity is simply a name for this ongoing practice: observing creative lives as they unfold, without performance or polish, and with care for the work itself. This approach isn’t about platforms or promotion. It’s about attention. About noticing people who create without guarantee of recognition. About honoring process, labor, and becoming. About documenting what already exists.

This work isn’t rooted in memory alone. It’s rooted in continuity — in the belief that creative work deserves to be seen as it is, while it is happening.

If you’re here to witness that kind of work — the quiet, unfolding kind — you’re in the right place.

The story continues.