I look in the mirror and ask myself “Who am I?”.

My name is Takai, pronounced ‘Tuh-ky’. For those who struggle with the flavor, I often refer to the Star Trek character Hikaru Sulu, played by actor George Takei. I was given this name meaning ‘Jewel of the family’. But that’s just the name people call me. A label. I must be far more than that.

So who am I?

I am from the flavorful city of East Oakland, California, a community where sirens sing lullabies and ‘bruh’ is a common pronoun. A love letter From Me to Oakland would probably sound like this, “OnmyMamailoveyoubruh!” - Love Takai. A city that raises GOD-fearing dreamers and tenacious go-getters, Oakland, CA is at the core of who I am.

But who am I?

I am a brother and a son. I am 6’5” 200lbs, I enjoy nice experiences, and when I’m feeling good I like to smoke weed sometimes. Coincidentally, the Japanese Adjective takai - 高い- means tall, expensive, and high. But again, those are just perfectly placed descriptions.

So who am I?

I am Black. I am rooted in West Africa. Takai is a sharp melody, a dance, one of the oldest drum rhythms of the Dagomba tribe from northern Ghana. Takai tells a story of the past war going on between the Dagomba and Mossi tribe. Something like a griot, I am a storyteller. But that's just fate and kinfolk.

WHO AM I?

I am extending the boundaries of who I’ve been given permission to be. Takai is the empathetic discovery of ourselves in others, and the joy in the recognition. I am a reflected collection of experiences. I am an altruistic artist who imbues empathy in our culture through the power of written word and visual storytelling. I am a visionary and a thought leader who is creating the 22nd century where the power of love is stronger than the love of power. I am the paradigm shift from independent to interdependent, from capitalism to community, from economic to eudaemonic. I am takaitheartist.

Who is takaitheartist?

I believe an artist is not just an individual who paints, draws, or makes music, but rather someone, anyone, who invites the empathetic forces within them to create something unique with meaning and purpose. The artist remains a strong contender for how we shape and express our cultural ideas and narratives. I believe every child is an artist, and every adult is a child.

I am a writer/director who curates culture through narrative storytelling. As a storyteller, my mission is to bring liberation, inspiration, and innovation to artists around the world. Through my passion, I strive to use my voice to challenge cultural norms and offer inspiring new visions of the world to strive towards. I like to focus my vision on creating the reality of our future rather than dwelling on the realities of our past. I use my voice to imagine the possibilities of what we can become rather than what has already been. I craft sharp, blissful, and mind-mending tales that explore afro-futuristic themes of LOVE, fear, nature, and abundance. Through the stories I tell, I strive to shift thought around issues of economic, social, and interpersonal inequalities, while remaining empathetic throughout the process.

“If we want to change our facts, we must change our fiction. In the pursuit of eudaemonia, human flourishing and well-being, I have a fearless and unwavering desire to inspire change through the life I have been given as an artist.”

Drawing on artists from many mediums, I am inspired by the level of grace and audacity an artist uses to communicate their world views. Banksy, JR, Dave Chappelle, Bob Marley, and Kendrick Lamar are a few of my favorite artists that have directly influenced my work. Each of these artists is a storyteller who creates and expresses from a place of empathy, and ultimately a place of LOVE. Through their art, they have inspired me to challenge cultural narratives, create from a place of empathy, and spread love in the process. I am a believer that LOVE is the only answer to human existence because a little LOVE goes a long way.

The Journey

I remember growing up filled with curiosity. I have always been intrigued by how things work and why. My curiosity has led me to beautiful discoveries but also daunting truths. Above all, my curious nature has uncovered the path to chasing my dreams. Unlike most, I was first introduced to film through the news. I remember being intrigued not by the breaking news or even the reporter, but by how these moving images were being created. What was creating these moving images and how am I able to see them? This question stuck with me up until the point I discovered cameras. The wide eyed little boy in me still gets excited by this discovery because I have never looked back.

I picked up my first camera in middle school, it was a navy blue Nikon coolpix with a gray wrist strap. I felt like some sort of magician being able to freeze time and capture images. In fact, my very first video ever made was a stop motion of my shoes walking around the house. Since then, it has truly been a blessing to have uncovered my passion and joy at such an early age. Over the next four years, going into high school, I attended youtube university learning how to capture compelling images with a digital camera. During my sophomore year of high school at Oakland School of the Arts, I learned about BAVC (Bay Area Video Coalition), an after school program that teaches youth the art of filmmaking. I immediately jumped at this amazing opportunity and directed my first short film alongside another student in the program. This experience taught me that possibilities are endless within the realm of film; I was eager to learn more. I was accepted into CSSSA (California State Summer School for the Arts) which is a three week arts intensive that broadened my knowledge in the craft of filmmaking, specifically around the use of sound in film. By the end of the program, I created this short portrait piece that demonstrated my new skills. Ultimately that short piece led me to falling in love with Directing as a 2015 National YoungArts winner, as well as becoming a UCLA Bruin continuing my study in film.

Throughout the entirety of my college career, and now as a 2019 graduate, I’ve been dedicated to writing & directing, and have created numerous projects including documentaries, music videos, personal projects, short films and more. One of my prominent pieces, ‘Kitchen’, has been featured on Blavity.org, YahooLife and in ‘RESPECT: Hip Hop Styles & Wisdom’, an exhibition displayed in the Oakland Museum. The stories I tell come from a place of empathy for myself and my subject matter in order to inspire true human connection. My 2019 short film, Canary in a Mine, follows the transformational journey of a young, emotionally charged, man after the tragic loss of his younger brother. With Canary in a Mine, I proved myself to be persistent and determined while remaining optimistic under pressure. Canary in a Mine was accepted into the Lift Off Global Network Film festival, LA Student Film Festival, as well as winning a bronze jury prize at the Social Justice Film festival.

Stories are how we make sense of the world, and I strive to use their power to shift our cultural paradigms from GDP to creativity, and from hate to LOVE. I look forward to creating a lasting impact on this world through storytelling. I aspire to inspire true human discovery within each other in order to extinguish hate and ignite LOVE.

What’s next?

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for allowing me to share who I am with you! I really appreciate it! As an artist, I am always thinking and questioning about what’s next, so let me share with you my visions and plans.

VISIONS

I have built, and will continue to build, a brand around myself as an artist, filmmaker, and visionary, now it is now time to further strengthen that brand into a community. I have entered web3 as a storyteller looking to build a world around my visions utilizing the infinite possibilities of blockchain technology.

My visions are in the 22nd Century, a world where creativity is an inherent human right. We have the power to create and bring forth that of which we can imagine, and I imagine a world where everyone has the opportunity to dream and fulfill those dreams. This is my ethos, and the ethos of the community I am creating. My mission is to bring inspiration, innovation, and liberation to artists around the world. Nike inspires athletes, I inspire Artists.

PLANS

Within the Web3 space I am building my community.

1. NFT genesis collection

   ‘Mantras at Midnight’ is an anthology series that taps into the collective unease around LOVE in the modern world. It is a series of 5 minute blissful tales that explore love in its 8 forms of expression;

   (Philia - Affectionate Love, Pragma - Enduring Love, Storge - Familial, Eros - Romantic, Ludus - Playful, Mania - Obsessive, Philautia - Self, Agape - Universal).

   From cast to color, each story is completely different from the last. For marketing release, I will create a collection of physical and digital hoodies that have a corresponding name & color to each form of LOVE (think colors of the rainbow). Each physical hoodie will be embedded with a scannable chip that will direct the supporter to a digital 3D model NFT of the hoodie that they purchased. If they choose to purchase the NFT, they gain access to the community as well as the short film that corresponds with their physical hoodie. When they wear the hoodie, they embody that form of LOVE.

2. A Social playground platform for storytellers

   I am building a social playground for filmmakers where our form of currency is the quality of support we give and receive. This blockchain based platform will champion the efforts of gaining investors, contributors, and creative support for web3 short films. I imagine this being the social playground for filmmakers to receive community support around their ideas and receive backing without the need for government funds or fundraising events. (Work in Progress).

3. Writing my next short film

   I have been writing the script for what I hope to be my next short film called ‘Bloom’. At its core, ‘Bloom’ is a Love story about the unknown kinship between a father and daughter, and the discovery of it. Set in a near future where global oxygen levels are rapidly dwindling, a self proclaimed botany teacher nurtures the questions of an innocent pupil whose genuine curiosity leads the teacher to confront his past in order to promise his future. This heartfelt and mind-bending tale explores themes of fear, vulnerability, and love, while playing on the socratic relationship between teacher and student. “Bloom” taps into the collective unease about a near dystopian future in the modern world, while directly addressing our responsibility to it. “Bloom” will feel like a tough conversation while looking like a fresh spring bloom. This is a 22nd century tale about the near future that aims to inform, inspire, and liberate the viewer to discover a world of endless possibilities.

4. Visions Cinema Theater

   The Visions Cinema Theater is a metaverse theater that reimagines the future of cinema. Visions Cinema Theater is the home for artists who curate culture through the power of storytelling. Visions Cinema Theater welcomes films from independent storytellers from around the metaverse and beyond! I hosted a metaverse screening for my short film ‘Canary in a mine’ on the powerful platform Spatial.io. The screening received such a good virtual audience that I wanted to create a space for other filmmakers to screen their work in a metaverse theater! It’s a super cool experience. The idea is to offer a space for other filmmakers to screen new or old work to an audience via the metaverse. Being filmmakers, we all want to get our work out there but don’t always have the access or proper outlets to do so. I see Visions Cinema Theater as an easy way to create a new audience in the metaverse to get more eyes on our films! These screenings will be hosted on a monthly basis sharing the work of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. Check out The Visions Cinema Theater.

5. Jumping into DAO’s

   The idea of a DAO is something that is extremely interesting to me because I have always been against centralized entities, and the power behind some of their decisions as our country's largest brands. As a consumer, I should have the right to contribute to key decisions being made within an organization. Having a vote in a DAO could have prevented H&M from receiving backlash over an ad featuring a young Black boy wearing a ‘Coolest monkey in the jungle’ hoodie on their website. What interests me even more about DAO’s is the endless possibilities they present for the film and entertainment industries. Fans don't have a say in the creation of the content they consume. For example, Game of Thrones received serious fan backlash over the series finale and show Ending. A Film DAO would democratize every aspect of the filmmaking process. That is why I am involving myself with the creation of a Black Film DAO, championed by the efforts of @lomedia. We are in the early formation stages of the DAO and have a long road ahead, but for me the hard work is worth the freedom to tell the stories we want to tell.

I am extremely excited about the future of web3 and what's to come. I am even more happy at the opportunity to share my journey with you all here on Mirror.xyz. The old paradigm of human organization is broken, and has always been broken. Period. So when you think of me…

Think of a flower.

If you water it, give it enough sunlight, maybe feed it a little,

It will grow, bloom, and create something beautiful.

Human Beings can flourish like flowers too.

So who am I?

I AM Takai,

the teller of tales.

aka takaitheartist

aka The Artist Known As I

iAM.

You can contribute directly to my journey via takaitheartist.eth. Follow me on IG, Twitter, & TikTok @takaitheartist.eth

With LOVE,

takaitheartist🌈