Priscilla

Who is Priscilla?

My name is Priscilla Tsagli. I'm 16 years old, and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I'm from Cambridge Massachusetts but my parents are from Ghana.

My method of creating comes from photography and writing.

How do you define a creative?

To me being a creative is the ability to use your ideas and bring them to life regardless of the form of media being used. Being a creative is allowing your mind, visions, and genuine passion to elevate and lift up the rest of the world. To be a creative is to share and inspire your thoughts in order to enlighten others.

Why do you create?

Around summer of last year, I got into digital photography. At first I was hooked but overtime I realized how boring digital photography was to me. To me, its like you click a button and you can instantly see what the picture you took looks like. Then, you can delete it and retake it as you wish. Although that may benefit some people, I didn't really like how “easy” it felt. I wanted to be challenged, which is why I got into film photography. I liked the fact that you are able to not see what the pictures look like until weeks later. I liked the thrill of holding the film in your hands and even wondering what day the photos were taken on. Most importantly, I liked the vulnerability each photo had.

For example, when I took photos in LA, one of the models felt really insecure about her acne. When I got the photo back and saw them, they literally almost made me tear. I enjoyed how you can see the fear in the models eyes. I live for moments like those.

Creating makes me feel free. When writing poetry or sometimes stories, I feel in control. I feel as though my ideas are valid and my perspective is seen. Writing has always come easy to me and I enjoy the overall idea of me being able to write about whatever I want. No prompts. No guidelines. Just a pencil and some paper.

What makes you a creative?

What makes me a creative is the way I am able to include people of color into most of my shoots. To me, that is so important. Although people of color are slightly getting the recognition deserved, there is never enough recognition. Ever. I try to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to people of color because, I want to shed light on our struggle. Our beauty. Our mind. Our style. Our flavor. I want to be able to let the world know how badass we are.

I am a creative because I don't limit myself. Don't get me wrong film is expensive. It took me awhile to even start charging people for film because I hate asking people for money. It's important to pay creatives because so much effort goes behind that one photo you see behind a screen. Throughout my use of photography, I make sure that I never let money or ideas get in the way of me actually bringing a shoot to life. I always tell myself there is always a way.

Why is it important as a Black woman to create?

As a black woman, I believe it's important because we as girls of color hold so much creativity and style that has yet to be realized. The fact that we're black and girls already hold so many stereotypes against us, it's also important to inspire other black creatives and to let them know that they are also capable of the things I do. Black women should never ever stop creating regardless of the circumstances that they face. It's not worth it. Black women creating helps others build off the same energy as well as helps people see things in a new perspective.