Justin O'Keith Creative Submission

My name is Justin O'Keith Higgs and I am a Dallas, Texas based Artist and Photographer. I am probably one of the most eclectic individuals you will ever meet. I am a Licensed Attorney, Photographer, Artist, Former Dallas Mavericks NBA Mavs ManiAAC Dancer, Human Resource Professional and Creative Visionary. I began photography back in 2007 during my first semester of law school. I was in dire need of a creative outlet from the stress and high pressure of the demands of law school. I started off as a natural light photographer, playing around with and learning my camera. I taught myself how to appreciate and understand light, lines, shadows and imagery. I am all self-taught. Whatever I want to learn I seek out the knowledge and educate myself. My mission is to master something and I invest whatever resources in it to accomplish my goal. My mother taught me when I was very young that if I did something I needed to do it to the best of my ability. This aided my multipotenialite abilities, allowing me to take various practices and backgrounds and apply them amongst various fields and disciplines. In August of 2016, I decided to conquer of fear of studio lighting and decided it was time to learn it. I rented a local studio and the first images I took were magic. I was an addict and needed more. I dove in hard to studio lighting, teaching myself yet again another craft. People were impressed with my work, but there was one who said I needed to go further. She is my best friend of 13 years. She said your work is nice, but you need to go further. You need to set yourself apart from others. You have never been a part of the pack and fit in. You need to find out what your take on the world is and craft your own path of photography. After much soul searching, angry nights and confused days, I took her advice and followed my intuition. In mid-April 2017, I decided to venture into something new. I walked into my local Mesquite, TX Michael's Arts and Crafts and bought acrylic paint. I had no idea what I was going to do with it or how, but I knew I needed it. I started doing body paint using various types of acrylic and washable paints creating unique works of art on my living canvases. I wanted to take my photography from simple art to something unique and amazing. I let go of all my boundaries and let my creativity flow and flourish. I have run into many instances when presenting my art that it does not fit certain standards and rules. However, that is why I love art. There are no rules. I have the freedom to truly express myself and show the world who and what I am through my mediums. My style is different. It is modern, funky, pop, whimsical and classic. I love urban culture and use it as the basis of my creation process. This influences the looks, colors, accessories and more. I have learned in life you must take risks and chances. If you do not ask it is a guaranteed NO. But if I try it is a 50/50 shot and I might even be able to get a yes and open the door to so much more! I am eager to share my gifts with the world and hope they can give as much joy to others as I have received in making them. I have spent three decades of my life being selfish and hiding my raw talent. Everything I do is divinely inspired and guided. There is no process to how I create. I just feel and let the art come through me. I know I was placed on this Earth to leave my legacy through art. I am too smart, too intelligent, too creative and too humble to just let this go to waste. I want to inspire and guide others to let their creative spirits soar. I want to help others learn to stroke their crazy and be able to live and stand in their truth. Where they can use art to help them feel, heal and connect. I want to share these immaculate images with people across all corners of this globe. I want to make them feel something when their eyes first lay contact on my creations. That they know they have experienced what it is like to exist in emotion and connect with art on such a deep, intimate and vulnerable level. The time is now. The moment is now. I am Justin O'Keith Higgs and I am here to usher in a new age of art and creativity for all to see.