Meet Hey Isaiah, how are you feeling today? I’m feeling a little overwhelmed being a starving artist trying to make it in New York City, but happy to be alive nonetheless. If you had one sentence to introduce yourself what would that be? A flower isn’t beautiful because how it looks but for how much hard work it took for it to bloom. What were you like as a child? In what ways is that different now? I was adventurous, I enjoyed climbing trees, going to the beach and playing make-believe about the lives I wanted to live. In a way, I’m still that same kid who climbs the tallest trees just to see if I could do it, but now that tree is life and I’m climbing toward becoming the best version of myself as a person and an artist. What is it about stardom that captured you from a young age? When I was young, I watched a lot of Disney and Nickelodeon. The lives these kids my same age were having looked amazing, the fashion they wore, the confidence they exuded, and the love they receive for being themselves. I wanted that. How have you pursued that dream of becoming a star and how do you define that? I pursued my dream of being a star by progressively becoming the best at what I do and at who I am. In terms of what a star is, someone who has potential to change the world when they acknowledge the light within themselves. Why did America appeal to you? Hmmm, The States appealed to me most because of how advertising, television shows and movies made it appear. It seemed like a place where you had the freedom to be who you decided, a place with more opportunities, and it was foreign to me. I loved traveling and exploring as kid, I still get bored of being in one place for what seems like too long. How are you forming your identity in this new
102
KALEOJOURNAL.COM INSTAGRAM @IISAIAHB
space and how has modeling contributed? I’m following my intuition a lot right now. Trying to find what feels right and then going with that. I’ve never been much of a planner, more of a jump off a cliff and hope to land in water kind of person. America has given me the courage to take that jump repeatedly whether it be about the clothing I decide to wear or the way I decide to act or talk, being in a foreign place has given me the ability to outgrow my old self, creating myself anew. Modeling has played such a huge role in the way I view fashion and myself. There’s been times I thought I wasn’t as beautiful and then too pretty, but the thing about fashion and modeling is that it isn’t about what your other counterparts are doing, it’s about you and how you express your individuality. For that, I love them both. If you had one sentence to capture your look, what would that be? Delicate but Deadly. Why do you think people are so fascinated by your appearance, especially in some of your more ‘feminine’ shoots? I think people find what I do so interesting because it isn’t what people are comfortable seeing. Throughout history, there have been men who have made it their life’s work to be a balance of male and female and continuously throughout history those men have been ignored or misunderstood. I’m here to change that in any way I can and if that means being myself 100% and putting my soul on blast for people to judge, so be it. This world needs to accept fluidity and the ability to change who you are to become who you want to be. We are shapeshifting creatures made to be how we see fit and I think that starts with making the general public feel uncomfortable. What does masculinity mean to you? Masculinity to me means