What is “The Atwater Project?”
Backstory
Art has always been part of my life, whether it was singing “Ready or Not” by the Fugees in the backseat of a Jeep Cherokee at 4 years old in full or copywriting for multi-billion dollar companies so they could make more bread. I never knew how vital art would be in my life, and most importantly, I never knew how art became EVERYTHING. I look at everything through an artistic lens—the good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly, most of the time to my detriment, but hey, what’s an artist without a little bit of the sads? (Let’s get into it.)
For most of the 2010s, a few years after graduating from high school, I needed to find a place where I could create in quiet. While living in a pre-gentrified Detroit, MI, this was almost a Herculean feat. I wasn’t mad at a little Detroit ASMR because that’s the sound of my people. There’s beauty in it. There’s irritation in it. There’s wonder in it, and I’m here for it all, but for most artists (who I assume are reading this right now) you got to venture and clear the queue of what you think you know to a new world of new shit to consume. A new world filled with a zen so you can bring your chaotic ass to art it up. You know?
I found that place in Detroit. Take a 13-minute drive down the Lodge until it bleeds into Jefferson. Take Jefferson down until you reach St. Aubin Street, make a right, and take it all the way down. You have arrived at Atwater St. You’ll see nice boats on a marina, a slightly off-white lighthouse and a walkway directing you to it that is most of the time graced with Canadian geese shit. There are benches and a stone marker that read “The Black Presence in Detroit.”
The Black Presence in Detroit marker highlights the rich history of Black Detroiters, from the first Black inhabitants in 1736 to the struggles and triumphs throughout Detroit's growth. It showcases pivotal moments like the fight for freedom through the Underground Railroad, the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, and the emergence of Black pride in arts, politics, and social activism. The marker also acknowledges the ongoing struggle for revitalization and progress in Detroit, underscoring the importance of continued community efforts.
I read the marker and was like “Damn” and that was it. It didn’t hit me like it should have. It was just another monument from back in the day that felt far removed from me, like so many like it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I kept driving to Atwater to read, listen to music, write music, think of my wildest ideas, insert more artsy shit here. Atwater became my little home away from home, the place you go to when you knew good and well you didn’t want to be home-home. You know?
(Atwater is actually called Milliken State Park, but it’s called Atwater, tho.)
Years go by, art is made, memories are cemented and all that and now it’s the beginning of 2022. At this moment, I am a fully dependent-independent music artist making enough money to pay for my phone bill, feed myself, and all that jazz but not enough to move out of my Dad’s crib. Music isn’t shaking how I’d like it to, and with the music industry shifting rapidly and TikTok metastasizing to a size of influence that’s insane to peep as an individual, music was feeling like it would be a challenge to pursue and to be real, inspiration to keep this shit going was at a IV drips pace.
Enter the world's biggest advertising agency, Wieden + Kennedy. Thanks to my best friend, Jason Gaines, and his connection with a man eloquently named Smearballz, I was kept hip to an apprenticeship called “The Kennedys” and made a pilgrimage to Portland, Oregon for two years to learn about advertising, how to be creative and crazy enough to learn about myself. I mean it wholeheartedly when I tell you that was a fish-out-of-water story. Embarrassingly enough, being away from a majority Black city for two years gave me a good wake-up call to the world I’ve been living in for 30 years. I have so much to learn, but what I do know is that art brought an awakening to me. The yearn for art, understanding, peace, and liberation. The yearn for my Blackness even without hearing its call clearly. I’m a more attentive listener now, and I hope you hear this call, too.
TL;DR
So, what is “The Atwater Project”? The Atwater Project is my attempt to find the art and beauty in everything related to this ball we’re all on through my black ass eyes and my black ass perspective. I want The Atwater Project to be a lighthouse or a beacon to black creatives across the diaspora to find art/community/stories that move you. If I can go around the globe and share art and experience art with people who look like me, then that’s a life I can hang my hat on. Feel free to share works with me (visual art, performative art, literary art), and I’d be more than happy to showcase it here and share my favorites and things I find on my travels.
I hope all of this makes sense and if I can give you a lasting word, no matter where you are in your life, I believe art can and will change your life and if you look like me and go through what people that look like me go through, we could always use a little change here and there. I’m very proud of you and I hope to meet you soon at like a coffee shop or some artsy ass place that’s aesthetically pleasing that we could both make a story about.
Intentions for this Publication
I want this publication to feel good. I want it to be a hub of art, a give-and-take, a sketchbook, a digital institution rooted in creativity, Blackness, and being.
Through this space, I’ll be sharing:
My thoughts and questions about life
My experiences with the arts—visual, performance, literary, and beyond
Dreams I’m chasing and my creative pursuits
Creative inspirations that make me feel something
Art sent to me by others (and conversations around it)
Reflections on Black history and Black futures
And eventually, resources, opportunities, and other lovely things to let us be
I want this to feel like a journal you’re allowed to read. A place to think. A place to breathe. A place that sees you.
Some days, it might be a song. Other days, it's a photo, a quote, an essay, or a question I can’t shake. But every entry will carry intention. I wonder how much we can put into this together!
This is where I’m documenting the process of building something bigger than me.
Welcome to The Atwater Project.
Be eazy!
— Jay²
🎧 P.S. Here’s a playlist to set the tone for where we’re starting.