We had the good fortune of connecting with Jalen Myles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jalen, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Some of my earliest memories are of art. Kubrick films, Hendrix records, 90’s hip hop just about sums up my childhood. All by the time I was 8. Needless to say most other kids weren’t really interested in those things, so I kind of put my creative journey to the side in high school. But I was always taught if you have a gift, you have a responsibility to share it. So I put my pride away and got to it. So now we’re here.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I like to think I treat my photography with great respect. Each and every photo I want to come out excellent. Very big on quality over quantity, and the love for the process. Practicing these things leads to solid results.

I’m proud to say that I treat all perspectives and people as equal, and I have the ability to capture this with a camera. I love capturing the demoralized and hedonist kinds of people. At the same time I love capturing the strong willed. I think both ends of the spectrum are worth celebrating. Its all beautiful to me. You’ll see a lot more of those themes come up on my page in 2023.

Getting where I stand today wasn’t the hardest. I just like taking photos. If your photos are solid people will take notice for sure. That’s the way I treat my workflow. Capture what you want first, and if its dope, the rest will take care of itself. The biggest lesson I learned through this process, is to always put your craft first. Obsess over it, and elevate it as much as you can. Then the social media, networking, and all that comes after.

I want the world to know that my brand Is all about embracing all aspects of life. The good the bad and the ugly, and putting it through a lens for people to interpret and relate to.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
lets say my friend slides on a weekend. That Friday, id definitely take them out to 2009 or club vivo. Just for some dumb fun, its cool to dance and have a good time. Saturday we’re hitting deep ellum, checkin out some of the vintage shops down there. Then at night we’ll go uptown to Kiss. Shoutout my man Gsmoove, he DJ’s there Saturdays. Wed eat, get some lamb chops, chill. Throughout the week id make sure to hit the arts district in oak cliff, Josey records, the DMA, Clyde warren park for some food trucks. I know some people at SMU so maybe wed hit some frat parties. Wed make our way to UNT and hit fry street for some fun. Then I’d try to get tickets for a mavs game and that’d be it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely shouting out my guitar instructor Clay. He taught me how to play guitar with emotion, and to be confident in my abilities. These skills that were developed on guitar would transfer to piano, orchestra, hip hop production, and eventually photography. He helped me set an artistic foundation at 6 years old, that I still base my work on today.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j88myles/

Image Credits
1. Clutch Dallas – Vintage 3. DJ Kmor 4. DJ Gsmoove

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