“Long before I picked up a camera I was deeply concerned with the ways in which ­African-Americans were depicted, and, for the most part, I didn’t like what I saw. So one way of dealing with it was to step in and rethink how black women, more specifically, need to be represented. That’s been the guidepost; I’m always on that track. And today I was just looking at another woman, somebody I’ve admired, whose music has been a backdrop to my life. Mary, I see you as an extraordinarily beautiful woman who needs to be defined, described, articulated in an authentic way that celebrates the complexity and depths of your beauty and your internal self. From the moment you walked in, I wanted to greet you personally and invite you into a space of welcome with the understanding that I see me and you.”

“What does a really radically generous community and intentional world building look like? We’re generally cynical about ideas around utopia, like ‘oh they never work’ but there have been instances where people have built intentional communities that were really successful.

The only people who are going to save us are us. It is possible to build a better world. It’s possible to be generous. It’s possible to build something that’s not only good for yourself but for others; it’s possible to leave something behind. It’s just possible to make a better world — people do it all the time.”