A Story of Inspiration

In Profile 009 of Where We Belong, we sat down with Joelle, a DMV-born and Brooklyn-based multi-hyphenate creative and the founder of Potholes NY. For this installment of Where We Belong, Joelle spoke with us about her experience as someone with Black American and Caribbean heritage, how that dual heritage inspires her, the beauty of Black culture, and how important and inspiring the DMV area has been to her as a person and as a creative. 

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Jalen:
Tell me – you're a textbook multi-hyphenate creative. What about your identity and heritage inspired you to do all the things you do?

Joelle:
That's a really good question. I think I was raised in a household where I was afforded a lot of creative freedom and liberty. I also feel like I had a really unique upbringing, and that I was in a lot of different environments. I was absorbing a lot of different kinds of people, kinds of cultures, and there was instances I was only like Black person in certain spaces, and then there was areas of my life where I was surrounded by people that look like me.

So I felt like I got a really diverse experience and upbringing, and I saw a lot of different things. And I feel like that translates into how I show up as a creative, because I kind of have my hands in a lot of different things because I've been inspired by so many different kinds of people and places.

I used to think of it as a negative, like I can't commit to things. Now I'm more so embracing it, because I think it speaks to how multi-faceted and well-rounded I feel like I am. I think that it just allows me to, like, never really get bored or feel like I'm boxed in, in one medium. If I want to dive into photography, I'll do that. If it's more textile art, I can do that. Literally anything under the sun – I don't feel pigeonholed.

Jalen:
You don’t feel like you’re boxed in.

Joelle:
Not at all.

Jalen:
That's good, that's good. And I think it’s interesting too, what you said about having to interact with a lot of different types of people growing up, because as you see different people's perspectives and just learn from a lot of different people, you can apply a lot of that – not just in your creative practice, but your life in general. That diversity of opinions and stuff like that. Not even [just] opinions, but perspectives, and people bringing their own life experiences to the table.

Joelle:
Oh, for sure. Yeah.

Jalen:
And then you know, on the note of being multi-hyphenate I think it's really interesting, – what you said – because I feel like that concept of sometimes feeling like you've got to pick one thing or another actually has a lot of direct overlap with what it is to be part of a diaspora. To be like, “Oh, am I American? Or am I this or am I that?” 

And the answer is “all of those things”. Like you’re not just a photographer, stylist, or whatever, you are all of those things.

Joelle:
Yeah. I really love that you said that, because I actually just updated my bio to that Solange lyric, “I can't be a singular expression of myself”. I love that, and it's like the older I get, the more it resonates with me, because actually, I so deeply cannot. I feel so many different things.

I show up in so many different ways, especially as I age. It's like…I think people say this sometimes, and it’s, like, usually kind of corny…but genuinely, if you knew me a year ago, you really might not know me today. I am just ever evolving, constantly changing – even my personal identity.

I'm Black American, but I also have Caribbean roots. And a lot of my friends are African. So it's just like I just have so many different influences around me. It's really hard to show up as one dimensional.

Jalen:
That's cool. That makes sense too. I think that is something that comes along with age and growing up and experiencing more things – and also just reflecting on previous parts of your life too. Like maybe you hid this part of yourself before, but maybe something recently made you not want to hide that. I think what's really cool about that’s how that ties into the more demographic-based parts of your identity.

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Jalen:
You mentioned being Black American, and having Caribbean roots. Obviously, those are different backgrounds and cultures, stuff like that, [so] how do you stay connected to both sides of that? Amidst – what sometimes, I imagine – may feel like you gotta pick one or the other?

Joelle:
You know, it's actually not as hard. I feel like the majority of my life, I just spent identifying as Black American because that's the culture that I was brought up in. The area that I grew up in and went to school in – it's a predominantly Black county.

I feel like a lot of the diaspora is represented there, but there's a large Black American population. It wasn't until I got a little bit older that I even knew that my mom’s side was from the Virgin Islands. I genuinely was like, “oh, I have this whole other side of my family that I just had never met, never seen.”

I went to the Virgin Islands for the first time in high school. Total culture shock. It was just so interesting, meeting all these people that I'm related to but knew nothing about. So it then kind of made me feel like, “do I tell people I'm Caribbean now?” I didn't really grow up like that. I don't know, to this day it’s kinda like, “Am I allowed here?” Like, I am.

And so I think I kind of have that Black American side more solidified. And I feel very comfortable there. The Caribbean side is a side that I'm constantly exploring and like still getting to know and connect with, and every time I go back to Saint Thomas, it's like I meet new people, I see new places, and I feel like it's something that I'm kind of growing more my connection with. Versus the other side is, I don't know…I feel a lot more confident in that part of my identity.

It's fun getting to enter a new world because I've been very embraced and loved, welcomed and I love all my family out there. So it's just nice getting to finally hear those stories, connect with them and feel like a part of that community.

Jalen:
That's cool. It makes sense; it’s nice to learn about something new. Especially when that’s very connected to you and your family. I think it's interesting that you got more connected to that later on in life, which I guess can be true for a lot of people. But for me, I only have one side, and that's Filipino. So growing up with [my parents] being immigrants from the Philippines, I was always very connected and in touch with that culture and everything like that. It was a little different, obviously, being in America versus the Philippines. It wasn’t something I was introduced to later on in life, but obviously that was the case for you. 

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Jalen:
Talk a little bit more about what that experience was like getting introduced to your Caribbean side later on and just how that’s enriched you as a person the past several years.

Joelle:
I feel like it's been really exciting, honestly. I feel like it's been really exciting and makes me feel like…I honestly love it. I feel like there’s kind of like, how I was saying earlier…I've always felt like a little bit of this and a little bit of that in terms of what makes me, me.

And I feel like getting introduced to that later on just kind of feeds into that as well. I get kind of nervous sometimes about talking about myself, because in general, I feel like there's so much that makes me, me. And I feel like this is just like another layer and like another part of the equation now. So…like I was saying earlier, I don't feel one dimensional. I don't feel defined by that. I sometimes might not even lead with the fact that I'm also Caribbean, but if it comes up, it's something that I'm definitely excited to talk about. [I’m] very proud of it.

It just feels like another thing that I can connect with and identify with and make part of the melting pot that it is Joelle. Because yeah, I feel like so many things fed into me being the version of myself that I am right now and that's just another ingredient.

Jalen:
Another ingredient. Another one of many dimensions. That's cool, that's cool.

Joelle:
Another one of many dimensions or layers. Yeah. Another facet, if you will.

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Jalen:
Do you think that in the past several years, as you’ve connected with it more, that [your Caribbean heritage] has influenced your creative side and stuff like that?

Joelle:
100% percent. Yeah for sure. And definitely being in New York, because literally everyone’s West Indian. Which makes sense, because my mom is from here anyway. And Brooklyn, for sure. I definitely feel like it's influenced my creativity and the things that I'm drawn to [and] inspired by. 

Every time I visit, I leave feeling very inspired. Every time I'm in the Virgin Islands, I leave feeling just like…it's such a beautiful, open, free place that invites so many emotions and makes me curious. And I'm naturally a very curious person, like [at] baseline. But when I'm there, I just have so many questions because I legitimately [feel like] this is all so relatively fresh to me. So I'm asking about people. I'm asking about places, I'm asking about memories and experiences and stuff. And then I just feel like I keep opening doors to things that make me feel connected. 

Like if I learn a cousin or like a family member that is really into music – and I love music too – or someone that I know loves fashion, they’re like, “look at this old photo. This is your auntie. She used to get all dressed up.” Girl, we’re right here! Like, that's me! 

So I definitely think that it has inspired me and makes me feel like I can better understand myself because I'm like, “oh wait!”, there's so many connections and things that I just check out.

Jalen:
That makes sense. I think just learning about any new culture in general is always inspiring, especially when it's like you have a personal connection and it’s personally connected to you as well. 

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Jalen:
You mentioned connecting with family and stuff like that too. You know, for me that's one that I've experienced before. Like me: my tie to fashion is very closely related to my brother because he’s older than me, and – I’m gonna admit – he got into it first, before me. And then, to see how my interest has evolved – kinda alongside his, and stuff like that – has been really cool. And then, you know, if you're looking specifically at the place and culture that's really inspired a lot of the work that I do and just who I am as a person in general, whenever I go back, I kinda feel the same thing too.

Like last time I went there, I already knew about it a little bit, but I learned more. I think my aunt or my grandmother told me about this specific style of textiles, and stuff like that, some of which I actually incorporated into [The Standards –  Wave 004].

Joelle:
That's amazing!

Jalen:
It’s cool for sure. Going back to a place you have connections to and then just…getting inspired by it. It seems in some ways obvious, but also not.

Joelle:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I do think it's like one of those things that you would think is just like, “well duh”, but no. I also think as I get older, I just want to — not to sound like Kamala — [understand] the context why [I] am this way. 

Jalen:
Like “you didn’t just drop out of a coconut tree”.

Joelle:
Yeah! Like, you know, who are the people that have raised me and contributed to my story? And when I better understand the environments and people that I come from, that helps me better understand myself.

I'm really big on honoring people that came before me or helped raise me, because I feel like I'm nothing like without them. So that's huge for me.

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Jalen:
You talked a lot about your Caribbean side. So I'm curious to know [about] the Black American side that you grew up with and really have been in touch with from the very start. There’s a lot that’s part of Black culture — let’s talk a little bit about how that inspires you. Especially when it comes to stuff like streetwear, which was really pioneered by Black and Brown Americans.

Joelle:
First off, my parents are down, so I was always in the house where it was Black and proud. Which I think…I don’t necessarily know…I won't say they were overcompensating…but kindergarten through eighth grade, I was in a school that was predominantly white. And I just think...[what] my parents were really trying to integrate into me and my brother’s heads was “do not be ashamed of who you are,” you know? “You come from really strong people”. Just like, making it so perfect, picture-perfect clear that your Blackness is amazing. And I was like, “period.” So I think I had a great foundation laid for me.

And very early on, I had an insane obsession with clothes. And when I was little, my mom would like...she used to say that she would try to pick out my clothes and dress as most mothers would for a young child, and I would be like, no, I know what I'm going to wear. And so she said that very early on, I was very like, “this is it, I want to wear this.” Like I'd be going to, like, the farm, or school.

And [my mom would] pick out jeans and a T-shirt, naturally. And I'd be like, “I have my pantyhose and velvet dress ready for the farm, and that's what I will be wearing.” Like, you couldn't tell me anything. So I think I have always had a natural affinity for clothes and fashion. 

And then I think somewhere along the way, I also realized I was really into history, documenting things, and storytelling. I feel like a lot of the fashion genres like streetwear have a lot of that, a lot of storytelling. So naturally that's kind of where my mind veered off to.

I think there's something so fascinating about what we're saying when we're getting dressed, what our clothes are saying about us, or what we're trying to tell other people, honestly.

And like a lot of streetwear, Black fashion is so rooted in like, trying to say something, trying to express something, trying to look like something. And that has been so interesting to me. That's kind of how the streetwear thing became a thing for me.

Jalen:
I think it's really interesting you said that because for multiple different reasons, I think storytelling has become even more important. In just the world in general, but more specifically the fashion space, which is frankly part of the reason why I started this series. And I think it's really cool in general, that this is something that’s been very top of mind for you for a while now.

For DSPRA, as the creator, I can tell you the story of everything. But you know, [from] outside observers, the question I get all the time is, “what does this [baybayin] mean? And the symbol on your shirt, “what is that?””

[Stories] like that [get] in some way, inherently political. Whether you're Black, Asian, whatever. There’s a political aspect to that too, whether it's the immigration aspect or whatever other stuff. So I think what you said about, “oh, you know, clothing is about telling a story – and also the history behind those clothes, too” is really, really interesting.

Joelle:
I think so much of it is storytelling. And I think it's just like communication in the purest sense…to me, when I see a brand like yours, I'm right off the bat, like “this is someone. This is someone. Whoever's behind this is someone that is very proud of who they are, and they want that known, and they want to create something that can, like, pierce through the noise and, like, show people or tell people, ‘hey, I'm proud.’ Like, ‘I'm proud. And I care about my culture and I love what I do.’” It’s so apparent.

Clothes are really like the first thing people see before you even open your mouth. Like, you've already said something to them. I feel like that has always been the case, and that will always be the case.

Jalen:
That makes sense. Also, thank you for what you said.

Joelle:
Oh yeah, of course.

Jalen:
You know, it’s interesting. I think I was actually having a conversation…specifically in the context of – for lack of a better word – swag gap relationships.

Joelle:
Oh man. Whoa. *laughs*

Jalen:
Yeah…and not just romantic relationships, friendships too. There’s times I’ll pull up to a thing with my friends, and I’m like, “oh man…one of you guys is not dressed for this. I should have maybe been more specific in the group chat when I told you guys where we’re going. I thought you may have been able to assume. I guess not.”

Joelle:
I guess not.

Jalen:
But to your point — you make a statement with how you dress pretty early on, and I think it's also [the case] whether you intend to or not. Yeah, I think a lack of intentionality also says something. Even if it's just as simple as “I don't care how I look.”

Joelle:
Yeah, literally. And everybody's into fashion. I don't care what anybody says. Everybody's into fashion. Those people that are like, “oh, I don't care what I wear”....that is also making a statement. That is also what you're choosing to communicate to the world. Like, it's so interesting. Like, everyone thinks there's so many people that think they don't care about clothes or what they’re dressed like. Um, yeah, you do. Everyone does.

Jalen:
Even the vest finance bros. They care about it and they wear that, because they want to fit into that environment.

Joelle:
Because they want to assimilate! Yeah. Literally, like yeah. So whenever I hear that, I roll my eyes.

Jalen:
Like, you're lying. To us and yourself.

Joelle:
I’m like, “okay.” Yeah, to us and yourselves.

Jalen:
But you know, I think that it's really cool, [what] you said earlier, specifically in Black fashion, it’s significant. I was talking about this in a previous interview. How, just looking at history, political history, all that stuff, everything, history – like, starting with slavery — Black people have been the most marginalized in this country, and so along with that marginalization and oppression comes a need somehow kind of stay true to yourself. 

And one thing I was talking about with that person was how I think, more than any other culture in the world, Black American culture, is really sure of itself. And not just in terms of how Black individuals relate to other Black people or other people in general, but also what symbology belongs to that culture.

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Jalen:
So obviously this series is a lot about “where we belong”, but also like “what belongs to us”. Let's talk about your views on Black culture — what Black culture is, and what Black culture can be.

Joelle:
Yeah. So Black culture. I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm going to: Black culture really is not a monolith. And like I think that there're stereotypes that people think when they think of Black culture. But Black culture can look like so many different things.

Are we talking about Black American culture, or the whole diaspora?

Jalen:
Both. Obviously that's a lot under one umbrella, but I think in general, because of the overall global history of anti-Blackness, that’s a prominent concept, but specifically, Black American culture is unique in that regard, because of slavery and stuff like that.

Joelle:
Yeah, 100%. I'm always talking about how amazing Black American culture is because of it truly just being created out of nothing. Just like the fact that, you know, [people] had absolutely nothing at all, scraps were able to create food and fashion and music, and all of these things and language and all of these things. 

A lot of it comes from being based on survival, but [it’s] something that is so beautiful, that everybody wants a piece of and wants to participate in. So much so that you don't notice it. It just becomes a part of the zeitgeist and like, you just think, you know, that's just like American culture. But it's so embedded into day to day life. You look at a lot of people [who] will say, “oh, Black Americans have no culture”, but you don't even [realize].

It takes so much precedence, and it’s become so normalized, you don't recognize it when you see it or you're participating in it. So it really means a lot to me. And I love any opportunity I have to speak to things. And it’s probably kind of why Potholes became a thing. Because I want to explain things to people and educate people on stuff and really, like, big up all the contributions that this culture has given to the world and continues to give. So yeah, I love how influential it is. It’s very special to me.

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Jalen:
You were born and raised in the DMV – talk a little bit about how that inspired you and what influence you take from that specific culture.

Joelle:
So I love being from the DMV, and I think as I've gotten older, I appreciate it way more, especially because I'm not there currently. So it's like, every time I'm home, I really just make the most of my visit. 

My dad's side, they are native Washingtonians – that just means from D.C. They’ve been there since slavery. So my family is very, very rooted in the DMV area. And I mean – not currently, because I think the percentage demographically is no longer predominantly Black – but D.C. used to be Chocolate City. 

The DMV has a lot of doctors, attorneys, engineers, really amazing roles. And when you grow up in a bubble like that, you kind of just associate those career fields and those paths with Black people, and then leaving an area like that is always a big culture shock. And anyone that's from there would tell you, leaving the DMV…you really take for granted what you grew up around. 

When you see people that look like you, that are doing amazing things, the sky is like not the limit. Like you feel like, “well…there's nothing I can't do.” Like, “I'm surrounded by all these really amazing people”, and I think that also plays such a big part in me feeling like I could be or create or do anything because there's just such a culture of success. And I think it's really important to see people that look like you doing things that, otherwise, people would have told you are unattainable because it opens your mind. Like when you don't see things, you can't even think big. But when you have that access, it literally makes you feel so powerful.

And so I love raving about the DMV. That's so special, and the fact that you really can't find that everywhere – especially in this country – is sad. 

I honestly want that experience for everyone. I think it's amazing to have. So yeah, I just kinda wanted to speak to that because I really do feel like [that]. And then there's so many amazing creatives back home, like really so many really talented people, which is awesome, because it's just such a great community of people who are supporting and collaborating with one another.

Any idea you have, it can come to life because somebody knows somebody that can like, make it happen. So yeah, it's such a beautiful place. And obviously I love being in New York. [But] I do sometimes miss home just because there's just a lot of really great energy there.

It inspires me every time I see what my friends back home are working on. I’m like, “Oh my God. Amazing.” Like, “killed it again.”

Jalen:
That's cool. That’s exciting, having [that community]. I think a word – or a term, I guess – I’ve heard you say before was “a Black haven”.

Joelle:
Yes! Yeah.

Jalen:
Which makes a lot of sense. To have so many people doing so many different things – whether it’s creative work, or whatever you want to call it…a lot of stuff. And then actually, it's funny, what you said about friends and stuff like that, because I remember telling you about Yasmine and Emem and it being a “how do you guys know each other?” sorta thing. I feel like in the DMV, it’s just, like, a lot of people that are doing cool stuff. The DMV to New York [creative] pipeline is real.

Joelle:
It's so real, yeah, it's so close. It's crazy.

Jalen:
The geographic proximity makes sense too. Obviously, New York is a very creative place, with a lot of people doing cool things here. But I feel like outside the major cities – you know, New York, L.A., the Bay – I feel like the number four thing or place or whatever that comes to mind for me is the DMV. Honestly, people like Brent Faiyaz are the first thing that come to mind.

Joelle:
Yeah. I feel like yeah, and it's interesting. I feel like it's a little underrated.

Jalen:
Also, [creatives] per capita, I think makes a difference, because there’s a lot of people in L.A., in the Bay, et cetera.

Joelle:
Yeah. I feel like DC’s [been] like the predominant city in [its region]. It's a smaller city, it's a district. It's not a city, it's a district. It's quite small, like in terms of the geography. But in that small place, there’s so many amazing things. 

 

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To watch the full interview, visit us @dspraofficial on Instagram and TikTok.

To learn more about Joelle and her work, check out @josdigitalplayground and @potholesny on Instagram.