We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aliyaah Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Aliyaah , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I believe my optimism comes from being around my Aunt. When I was younger I would always go to Georgia for the summer, and majority of the time was spent with her. She was an all around kind hearted person, and no matter the situation, she would always look at the positive outcome to it. Seeing her positive mindset allowed me to learn and master the same mindset.
In the moments where I’m confronted with a negative situation, I challenge myself to see it as temporary and view it as a challenge to overcome.
Being optimistic is a choice. Accept what you can’t change and change what is within your influence to make life better and more successful.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m truly a jack of all trades, but I’m a photographer, curator, and entrepreneur currently residing and working in Raleigh, NC. I never went to college for anything art related, but I have mainly self taught my way through photography.
I have been featured in Photo Vogue and Levi’s “Your 501 Story: the Exhibition”, and curated my own solo exhibit titled ” A Black Girl and Her Lens.” Along with that, I’ve also been mentioned in publications such as Canvas Rebel, Voyage Raleigh, Marika Magazine, Adolescent Content Story Tellers, New Style mode, In the Fest magazine, and was a selected photographer to shoot multiple shows at New York Fashion Week.
The most exciting and special part about what I do, is how my work inspires and lifts people up by seeing the beauty in the things they’ve never paid attention to.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As mentioned before, be optimistic. In my journey, I’ve received a lot of no’s. If I dwelled on every no I received, I don’t think I would be as far as I am now. So take your no and challenge yourself to make it a yes.
Enjoy the journey, and not just the destination. This goes back to receiving no’s. Just because you received that no, doesn’t mean the process in making the material wasn’t enjoyable. So take your time, and have patience when doing something.
Lastly, there’s always room for improvement. Nobody’s perfect, mistakes is what make us who we are today.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I’m a huge advocate of disconnecting and writing it out. I have a journal in just about every place I can think of, and each one is filled with thoughts, prayers, quotes, feelings, and drawings. When I’m overwhelmed, that’s how I center myself back. I call it a brain dump. Sometimes you don’t necessarily want to talk to someone because we all know that everyone has an opinion on what they feel would be right for your situation. I think that mental health is serious and if you need to talk to someone please do so, but also find you another positive outlet as well to center yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aliyaahannakiya.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliyaahannakiya/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aliyaah-jackson-032359ab
- Other: https://direct.me/aliyaahannakiya
Image Credits
Models: @princessniy_ @therealkyhrihlee @amiadeshaii / @nstlgaradio @bigtuffie @zjones_ @akelvoneal Shot by: @aliyaahannakiya
