Meet Reggie Myles

We’re excited to introduce you to Reggie Myles and Elijah’s Roses today

Hi Reggie , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I think through discipline, self acceptance, and a healthy relationship with myself — that I’ve learned to be effective + successful when I’m the only one in the room that looks like me. Professionally, where I’ve got today has been a journey and I’m learning on the path. Through discipline, I’ve been able to take a chance on myself whether it’s putting myself out there(which wasn’t easy at first). This meant sharing and performing more(even with friends and family) and creating Elijah’s Roses. I think among discipline, I found and understood consistency was key.

In addition, self acceptance was another important factor for me in this process of meeting yourself and being your own hero. To me, being in a room that wasn’t meant for you really meant that it was a temporary space to build and find your own room. I had to work on myself(creatively and interpersonally; it was not easy), specifically my craft in performing, confidence, and assurance that my pen was pushing culture and feeding my spirit at the same time. A lesson from this was how healing and getting to the root of such insecurities can free us. From this, I learned how to see and accept myself as more than worthy and deserving. And this really allowed me to feel limitless — cause you can’t quantify passion or light.

This allowed me to receive – hence cultivate a healthy relationship with myself. I learned being a vessel of inspiration and love was a product of seeing yourself as worthy and such. Counteless sessions in therapy to reflection, and conversations with myself allowed me to remember how special I am — even when the world made me feel so small and unworthy as a Black boy growing up. Also, from having a healthy relationship with myself, I realized that I’m not in competition with anyone, but rather in “competition” with challenging and uplifting myself. From this, I reclaimed my power and understood the significance of my healing and relationship with myself that granted space for such creative and personal freedom.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Washannin y’all!! My name is Reggie Myles aka Elijah(s) Rose(s) and I’m from Pasadena, CA. I’m a spoken word poetry artist, community organizer(activist), and cultural scholar. I organize with the L.A and National Black Worker Centers, Pasadena Black Equity Project, and AFROOS(Afro-Salvadoran Civil Rights Organization). Also, I’m a recent college undergraduate from UCLA with two Bachelor Degrees in Sociology and African American Studies. But that ain’t the focus of this interview haha! Most importantly *switches focus, I’m an upcoming and passionate Black creative whose artistic focus is spoken word poetry and I’m currently writing my first poetry book!!!

I also run and founded Elijah’s Roses, my creative brand and artistic platform that showcases the innovation and authenticity in my multidisciplinary projects and spoken word poetry. It’s a space where I can honor myself, create freely, and pay homage to my community of Pasadena, CA. Also, my platform and brand signifies my artistic confidence and evolution. The creation and ideation process of Elijah’s Roses has been such a liberating experience and to see its impact on folks has been rewarding. To be able to inspire, empower, and hold a creative space of healing and authenticity for folks through my art has been affirming to the power behind my pen and creativity. It’s really been a testament to when passion meets legacy. In my ability to share my art through this platform, it has been a place where I can also feel seen and appreciated. A place where I can represent Dena(Pasadena) culture that’s rooted in resilience, West Coast influence, community + tradition, and Blackness.

When I think about visions coming into fruition, Elijah’s Roses are one of them — a creative imagination, drive, and platform that has led to self-empowerment and creative freedom. A key milestone in launching Elijah’s Roses was with the drop of TYYR(The Year of Revolutionary Return) on 4/4/21 which was a visual poem. This multi-faceted project was created out of the intention of honoring myself and reflecting the spirit of change — an inner revolution of reclaiming and becoming. Essentially, Elijah’s Roses has been part of my healing journey and a garden of planting seeds — where I cultivate my deep rooted love for community, art, and legacy through poetic sentiments and creative visions.

Recently, I’ve been expanding into having more time and energy to create artistically and really develop as an artist in my craft. During college, I had really no time to focus on my creative bag, since I was a full time student, worked a job, did a research fellowship, and ran a student organization — it was a LOT! But now, I have time haha! From developing in my craft and recentering my focus, I’ve been intentionally thinking about my poetry book. And my debut poetry book is going to have four chapters!! In 2020 and beyond when I had the idea to write a poetry book, I thought about how my poems were centered on pain(trauma) and change, because mid-pandemic that’s what we all had to do collectively — reflect, address, and heal. Now I find myself(post-pandemic and outside haha), in a healed version of myself, where love is present and the primary source of inspiration. Love is definitely gonna be a chapter in the poetry book I’m writing! Not to say I wasn’t writing about love and other topics before and during 2020, but there is something special about a clear heart and mind — where the spirit and eyes are able to speak a different language on paper.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In looking back, I think the first quality that was most impactful in my journey thus far is being authentic. This for me is Elijah’s Roses being rooted in homage, identity, and artistic integrity that reflects authenticity. From this, I found community at the core of Elijah’s Roses that has shaped who I am today, informs my art, and inspires my personal and artistic growth. Therefore, I create for not only myself, but my people and generations to come. This element and foundational quality allows me to define not only myself, but set me apart that invokes timelessness and innovation. I identify as a rose that grew from Dena’s concrete you feel me doh!

The second quality that was most impactful in my journey was being intentional. I found intentionality at the center of my creative writing and thematic processes. To me, I made the intention to center, explore, and write about the Black experience — speaking to themes of joy, love, growth, healing, ancestry, resiliency, and the struggle. In addition, when I created the name for Elijah’s Roses, it was a culmination of intentionality and significance. Even when it came to the motto of Elijah’s Roses, “Roses given to you from Summit’s concrete”, I pulled inspiration from Tupac Shakur’s iconic + philosophical quote and title of his poetry book “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”, while incorporating the street I grew up on called Summit St. As a proverb and poetic element of my hometown of Pasadena, CA (the City of Roses), I wanted to authenticate and be intentional about my brand — rooting it in this messaging of resiliency, identity, and creative freedom. Intentionality is the foundation of Elijah’s Roses brand, as I wanted to translate this idea of my art surpassing and resisting colonizations concrete of hardship and oppression, while reimagining joy and love as modes of Black liberation and Afro-futurism.

The last quality that was most impactful in my journey was consistency. Consistency is key. I took a hiatus from creative writing and poetry during my recent(last) two years of college because I was so burnt out and tired. Though I had found time to create and write, I found it was only in relation to community events or poetry contests. From this, I realized I didn’t really have the capacity to create just to create. Even post graduation, I needed time to rejuvenate + rest and wasn’t in a creative writing space. I say all of this to say, I came back now into creating writing and completing other projects. I realized it wasn’t about how many poems I wrote or if I wrote everyday, but the intention and assurance that I was consistent in my commitment to my craft – committed to myself, committed to my art, and committed to the power of creation. Essentially, from all of this, I think consistency goes hand in hand with self motivation and discipline. And I think what motivates folks to create and stay consistent looks different for everyone. So my advice for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these is: (1) Take your time with your craft(patience is key) (2) There is a time and place for everything(this involves challenging yourself and being self aware) (3) No one is like you(embrace your uniqueness and what you bring to the table) (4) Be confident in you and your art(involves self acceptance + self love)!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My grandmother(Emma) has been the most helpful in building and developing the essential skills, qualities, and knowledge that I needed to be successful. Growing up, she was the main person who raised me and she poured so much love into me. This love entailed something that was so special that cultivated my sense of identity, confidence, and resilience. My grandmother is a Black woman from a rural town in Louisiana, called Wisner who came to California for better opportunities. In her oral histories and traditions that she’s passed down to me, I have felt a sense of Black pride, empowerment, and learned so much. This has cemented a strong sense of self and life skills and wisdom(knowledge) that has prepared me for the world as a Black man and healthy human being. To her wisdom of treating everyone with respect(“treat people how you want to be treated”), our familial histories of Black excellence and resilience, positive affirmations(believing in me), and to centering community + family as a necessity for success(longevity), this has been my recipe for success. From such a strong foundation and her support system, I have found myself limitless, inspired by the ones who came before me(ancestors), and so grateful for the act of love that has grounded me. This has allowed me to overcome any challenge, flow, and build a legacy such as Elijah’s Roses. We truly are roses that grew from concrete — so let us bloom!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photographer: Charles Averhart-Collins Hair(Braids) by Breze Sloan Clothing Brand Shirt by Pasadena Clsc Roses(Flowers) by Pampered Lady Florist (located in Altadena, CA)

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