Daily Inspiration: Meet Milik Kashad

Today we’d like to introduce you to Milik Kashad.

Hi Milik, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Today, I am primarily a visual artist. I didn’t start off that way though. My mother always said, “as soon as you could walk, you were dancing.” I skipped the crawling stage and started walking at nine months, so I’ve been active in the arts my entire life essentially.

The first half of my life, I was convinced that I would live my life out on the stage. Performing was like breathing to me. It came so easily. I sang, I acted, I DANCED. My gift as a dancer was so strong, I was offered a scholarship to receive training from the NC School of Ballet.

Being a teenager, wanting to fit in was most important that fostering my talents. It also didn’t help that at the time outside of a dance teacher, my proficiency as a dancer was seen as, “waste of athleticism” and I wasn’t supported from the people I anxiously sought approval from.

As a result, I quit. Or as I like to say, “retired.”

For the next few years, I desperately missed the arts, but wasn’t moved to return back in any capacity. That changed in college. I dating someone who found out about my past as a performer and encouraged me to get back out there, the reception was well received, being on stage didn’t light my fire the way that it did.

I fell into photography by chance. The Black Lives Matter movement was taking off, and I had an idea for a photo project that I wanted to do, but I had no camera photography experience. A fellow roommate had a camera, so I asked her could she take the photos. The day we were supposed to shoot, her cycle came on and she couldn’t get out of bed, so she gave me a quick 30sec tutorial on how to use her camera and I did it myself. Taking photos, gave me that feeling and rush that I had when I would perform years prior. It was then that I knew I had found a new medium.

I stumbled into video by chance as well. This person I had a crush on knew I had a camera and asked if I did video, Doing video had never crossed my mind, but they were so fine to me so of course, I said, “yes!” I taught myself video and realized I enjoyed it equally as much as photos. That’s how I got my start in photo/film and now here we are!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Talent isn’t fair, but neither is opportunity. A big obstacle is trying to create my own opportunities. Something I have learned in the arts community is that it is not much of community. Many people are not willing to reach back or beside them to help someone. Which I find odd because many artists often talk about need/wanting help but nobody actually wants to give it.

I think another obstacle is social media. A lot of artists across mediums are getting their breaks off virality. I know it’s not the only way to break into the industry, but it appears to be the most sure-fire way. I have yet to go viral and it makes me question the legitimacy and quality of my work as an artist from time to time.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist. I have now combined my performance background with my present-day visual artistry. Everything I do is driven by music. Music has and will always be such an important part of my life. Sometimes, communicating my thoughts and feelings verbally is a struggle. Music with or without lyrics is how I am able to effectively process and communicate what’s inside.

My process is the same whether I am or someone else is the muse. I will hear a song that speaks to me and my feelings in that current time. From there, I see clothes, I see a setting and I piece it all together.

I’d have to say, I don’t think I am known for “one thing.” I specialize in art; I am an artist. There hasn’t been any kind of medium that I have tried that I haven’t done at a very high level. Being an artist, is something I take great pride in and am most proud of.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Had you asked me this a while back my answer would’ve pertained to something involving fame and wanting a lot of people to know my name.

As I move further and further in this artist life/journey, I understand that if you can make an honest living doing what you love, you’re doing better than most, and that is what is most important to me.

Fame may or may not come, but my bills are paid and I sleep comfortably.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.milikkashad.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/milikkashad
• Twitter: twitter.com/milikkashad

Image Credits
Milik Kashad