Raheem Perry : 0:00
Be yourself. Always be true to yourself because nobody can be you, just you and then all the problems that you've come across there all meant for you and only you can solve them.
Kevin Stalker: 0:08
Welcome to episode #001 of Rawness of Reality. In this episode, you have the opportunity to meet Raheem Perry, A current Duquesne University student whose explored his creative liberties with illustrations, photography and video. Raheem, is a phenomenal individual who has created his own documentary, started up a YouTube channel and aspires to one day be a director. But enough from me. Here's Raheem Perry.
Kevin Stalker: 0:38
So what do you do outside of school?
Raheem Perry : 0:40
Work at Youth Enrichment Service's. I'm the media coordinator there. So I do all the social media make their videos, do the photography. I also I'm very active with the kids that participate in our Voices to Men program giving back to the young male program.
Kevin Stalker: 0:54
Could you talk a little bit on what Voices to Men is?
Raheem Perry : 0:56
There's like two groups and my job. We have kids on probation, which are clients under our diversion staff, which often participate in our Voices to Men program. We also have some just from our program that had to come in to get tutoring and help. It's basically just us as men, the workers, they're also implementing like a teaching part of it. We take them to the seminar. It's like right next to the Obama Academy, and we always have, a lesson.
Kevin Stalker: 1:25
What encouraged you to get involved with that program?
Raheem Perry : 1:28
To be honest, I was forced into the program at a young age. My Mom forced me into it at the age of 13. I didn't want to be in it because I just wanted to stay home, play video games. But, you know, my mom forced me into it, and, I enjoyed it. I ended up always wanting to go back, and I actually loved what YES was as doing for me. I was able to be immersed in the program and know how much good YES can do. And that's why I decided to stay. And I got the internship my freshman year of college that summer, and then it turned into a job for me my sophomore year, and then I've been working here for three years.
Kevin Stalker: 2:04
That's awesome. Do you plan to work with them after college?
Raheem Perry : 2:08
Yes, I do, actually. I definitely plan to be using my talents to continue helping them. But I won't be an employee. I hope to make them a partner I do contract work with.
Kevin Stalker: 2:18
What is the age range of kids that you work with?
Raheem Perry : 2:21
From around 13 to 18 all the way up to high school seniors.
Raheem Perry : 0:00
I was doing a little research on you and I saw that you illustrated a Children's book, could you tell us a little bit about how you got involved illustrating and Children's book?
Raheem Perry : 2:40
I've always enjoyed helping people and somebody came to me with an idea for a children's book. The book is called, I Can and I Will. It's about a black father and his son. I fell in love with it instantly. You don't see this too often, a children's book about black father and his son. This'll man just randomly emailed me. I mean, hit me up on Facebook Messenger. He said, "Oh, I see that you're an artists and I like your art. I wanted to know if you wanted to illustrate my Children's book for me." I said, "Sure What's it about?" So we went through with it and we talked about it and we made it happen. It's one of my great accomplishments. I'm actually about to do another one.
Kevin Stalker: 3:27
That's amazing. Are you doing another one with him?
Raheem Perry : 3:30
Yes.
Kevin Stalker: 3:33
Could you tell us a little bit about what the book is? I know it's about a black father and his son, but tell us a little bit more about this story.
Raheem Perry : 3:43
So the story basically illustrates a Father, going through his daily life with his son. Teaching him to a riding a bike, taking him to the library, cooking ,eating dinner, and fishing with his son. Telling his son different words of encouragement like you can and will you will be great someday. That's basically how it is it's just showing that your child can do whatever he puts his mind to.
Kevin Stalker: 4:12
For me, I I actually lost my father at a young age when I was, I was seven years old and my father passed away and I had a bunch of different role models because of and they were through the Boys and Girls Club. What would you say for people who lost their father at a young age? What would you say? Like, how can the book like that helped him see?
Raheem Perry : 4:34
My loss was a little bit different. I lost my mom.
Kevin Stalker: 4:37
And what what age did you lose your mom?
Raheem Perry : 4:40
Seventeen. Right before I came back from Japan on a scholarship my junior year. And I got to see her one more time, and then she passed away right before my senior year.
Kevin Stalker: 4:51
Wow. What was that like?
Raheem Perry : 4:54
It was eye opening. It gave me like a new look on life. Its is like, Oh, she's not here anymore. My mother. I'm still seeing how my mom impacted my life, like everything. Like you see, I got my job because my mom, she forced me into the program(YES). Now that I'm seeing what my life is kind of. Just like how she raised me, she helped make me. And of course, that's what parents were meant to do. And when you have that absence, you realize that from what you lost, you can only pick up and try to help yourself and take from what they learned and just continue learning. And for those who have lost a father at a young age is it can be very difficult. Just like a losing someone is always difficult. But you can always take what they learned and just apply it to your life and think about what they will expect from you and use that as a drive. Don't always think of it as a negative. I just think that you know that that person would always want the best for you and continue looking for the best in yourself.
Kevin Stalker: 5:53
Okay, that's that's awesome, honestly. What has been the biggest obstacle in your adult life?
Raheem Perry : 5:59
Trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Coming into adulthood took me a while because I feel like I had to experience adulthood early. It was like right after my mom passed. Boom, my dad gets hit by a tractor tailor . My dad really couldn't do too much once he got hit by a tractor trailer. He had already went through surgery before this tractor trailer incident. I'd seen my father go from like, Okay, I'm moving and then, back down. It's like he had a one surgery and they put the pins in place in his back and while he was recovering and start getting to better and even, like, a light jog. Suddenly, the tractor trailer took all that away from him again. Since then, hes finally getting back to where he is good again. But, I basically had to fend for myself and being this stubborn person. How like being a man, you don't want to ask for help, an underlying thing. It feels like you're afraid of hearing no and feeling like they're they're not gonna want to help you too. So it's like I have to go get it for myself. Go get it for myself and then eventually I had mentors. Like you said, I have mentors as well, and then once I found what I wanted to do, it made it so I wasn't so afraid to ask. It's like I have a reason ask, because this is what I wanted to do. Film making and directing. Once I found that it just made life a whole lot easier for me. It was like that barrier has been gone and now I know my purpose. I know where I want to go, I know the route I'm going to take.
Kevin Stalker: 7:17
Could you talk a little bit more on how you film and direct?
Raheem Perry : 7:20
I'm a natural storyteller so I can see what's in my head and put it into words. I can add music to it. Taking those things i'm able to storyboard it, and I figure out what I want, and I can tell people what I want.
Kevin Stalker: 7:33
Okay, so is there a channel people could go to to check out your work?
Raheem Perry : 7:36
Yes, I have a YouTube channel called me Meehar Visions. It's my name spelled backwards. My mom came up with, I'm telling you she really impacted my life. When I wanted to become a comic book artist when I was a kid, she said, "Meeher Comics" and so I just stuck with that and that's where the name came from.
Kevin Stalker: 7:54
Meehar Visions on YouTube.
Raheem Perry : 7:56
Yep.
Kevin Stalker: 7:56
That's awesome. My name Backward is a Nivek Reklats.
Raheem Perry : 7:59
Hahaha
Kevin Stalker: 8:01
Yeah, that's always been fun for me. How do you balance back from failure?
Raheem Perry : 8:06
Figure out what you did wrong. That's like, the immediate thing is like, Okay, I messed up. What did I do? So I make sure I don't do that again. Just learning from your mistakes. I feel like as humans like, we're made to learn from our mistakes. And if you keep making him again, what was the purpose of being him?
Kevin Stalker: 8:22
And so do you embrace failure? Yes.
Raheem Perry : 8:24
You have to embrace failure because we're gonna mess up eventually. It's only a matter of time. And so all you can do is just learn from your mistakes and pick up where you left off.
Kevin Stalker: 8:32
I love that. I do. What encourages you to keep creating?
Raheem Perry : 8:36
To inspire people. The reason why I started creating was because my nephew. He's older than me. He could draw, he could draw his but off and he would draw stuff with me, draw stuff for me. He would draw Goku, Mario and just like give me a whole bunch of drawings. I thought this is so cool and I've continued drawing ever since. I just want my work to inspire others the way everything that I have watched had inspired me and impacted me.
Kevin Stalker: 9:03
That's awesome. Honestly. I love creating things, too. It's really cool to create something and put it out there for the world to judge you. Regardless of creating something or not creating something, you're gonna be judged anyway. So why not put something out there that's authentic to you?
Raheem Perry : 9:20
Yes, out there for the world to judge. But nobody really can judge it because only the creator can understand it fully.
Kevin Stalker: 9:25
Oh, I like that. What was it like when you were bullied?
Raheem Perry : 0:00
My bully was, like, it was weird. I didn't get physically bullied or anything like that. I was always bigger than everybody. When ever I would step up, they would step down. You know how people just flame you. They would point out my shoes or what car my Mom was driving. Basically ripped on because I was poor.
Kevin Stalker: 0:00
What's it like to be lonely?
Raheem Perry : 0:00
It's very eye opening. Being lonely. You realize that a lot of people don't like to be alone. It's because we have phones and stuff like we're connected with everybody at one point in time. It's just like, we have instant gratification with communication. I'm happy that I could be alone. Because A lot of people can't. They will make a post on Facebook saying, "I'm bored like somebody hit me. I'm just looking for attention.". It's like, I don't I don't need that attention. I'm comfortable in my space, by myself. You learn a lot when you're by yourself.
Kevin Stalker: 0:00
The iPhone was released in 2007. I believe that was the start of an ever disconnected world in a connected society. Many people can agree or disagree with me. What do you think about that?
Raheem Perry : 0:00
I definitely agree. We're always were connected with everybody. It's like if you go to dinner and the people with you are just on the phone, a family dinner. They're there. But they're disconnected from each other.
Kevin Stalker: 0:00
Phones off, friends on. I love that.
Raheem Perry : 0:00
Yes, that should be like a sign, or on like a shirt or something. You know what, get a phone case for it. there you go.
Kevin Stalker: 0:00
What would you say Rawness of Reality is to you?
Raheem Perry : 0:00
We can only affect what's in our own reality. We have the power to shape our reality. Our rawness affects our own reality. Our rawness as our individual individual self will help shape our reality. We can make it to whatever we want. Be yourself. Always be true to yourself because nobody can be you. Just you and then all the problems that you've come across there all meant for you and only you can solve them.
Kevin Stalker: 0:00
BIG Thank you to Raheem Perry for sitting in with us today. Check out his YouTube channel at Meehar Visions. Or you can also check out some of his work on Amazon. Look up. I Can and I Will. Thank you. And that's a wrap.
Kevin Stalker: 12:15
Whoa! Not a wrapped yet. If you enjoyed listening to our channel please subscribe. Our episodes can only get better from here. Another big thank you to Mike Kampas our production manager and Joe Calon the beats. And Remember, Stay Raw with Reality.