BY: KRIS ANDERSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JORDAN VIISION, CHEYENNE SKYY, INDIA ANDERSON
The only cure for the struggle is to hustle for what you want in life. This is something that Nigil Crawford lives by everyday. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with my best friend Nigil back in September of 2019. We got together to do a shoot for my 24th birthday and also to catch up on life. Once we meet up it was like we never missed a beat from the time that we graduated from Hampton University in 2018. We talked at least for an hour before we decided to shoot. It was crazy how much we've both experienced since graduating college and how similar our stories were. Needless to say if you know Nigil you know he's a caring individual that would do anything for his friends. So let's dive into Nigil Crawford The Hustler.
"Photography to me is my way of life," Nigil Crawford tells me, explaining his love for photography and why it's so important to him.
We've been talking about dreams and passion. Also what makes a person fall in love with their gift. I asked him, "Why do you love photography?"
"Photography to me is my way of life. The way I see things I believe time is one thing in life you can never get back. It’s important to make every second count. Moments from people, travel, and most importantly human interaction," Nigil replies.
Nigil is not your ordinary photographer, he's an uncommon breed of photographers. His "eyes" can see things that an average photographer can't. When asked, "What made you choose this career path?" this was his response.
"To be honest, it was never a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to be a sports journalist (or at least I thought). When I was younger, my dad said that I always had a camera in my hand. Something about holding it in my hand just fascinated me. I got goosebumps every time I pressed the shutter. It wasn’t until someone else noticed my work (at the time) and told me “You’ve got an interesting eye.” Today, I look back and think if I hadn’t picked up on that, where would my life be?"
It's clear to see that Nigil's gift was a God given gift and I'm pretty sure that in the next 5-10 years we will be seeing more from Nigil. Nigil's personality isn't the type of personality that just goes with the flow. As quoted from one of his favorite role models Sean “JAY-Z” Carter “Don’t ever go with the flow, be the flow.” So when asked, "Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?" this was his response.
"I just hope to be in a better place than I am today physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I know it sounds vague but these basic principles are important to sustaining success and happiness. Working on being the best version of me is going to benefit in the long run. I’ve made it my mission to learn something new each day no matter the circumstance."
As you can see Nigil is making a name for himself in the realm of photography. However, the journey to where he is now wasn't the easiest path. Nigil endured a lot by taking a leap of faith to go to NYC right after graduating from college. When asked, "What was your most difficult time in New York City and was it worth taking a leap of faith?" his response was unexpected.
"New York is a humbling city known as a the “Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of." For me, it was a rough awakening when I moved here. I thought I had it all figured out when I “secured” a brownstone apartment in Brooklyn off Craigslist. I blew all my money in my savings on a one-way ticket and an Uber just to get to the place. When I got there, I was informed that someone already moved into the brownstone a week before I arrived. I got no heads up, so I was assed out with $5 left to my name. I looked around the area to see where I could camp out, but no luck. All of my “friends” weren’t answering my calls. I took all my bags down to the subway station (Newkirk Ave). Slept down there for a few days. I frantically kept looking for a spot to be stable, but I kept coming up short. I slept on the train, and overnight I camped out in the corner at the station. After about a week, a lady saw me sleeping on my bags and proceeded to walk over to me. I was already paranoid, so off rip I wanted to fight her because I thought she was telling me to leave. She looks at my hoodie and asks, “Did you go to Hampton?” I said “Yeah, I just graduated 3 weeks ago. I moved here for this dope internship.” She then asks, “Why are you sleeping in the subway?” I told her what happened and she tells me to come with her. She had a look of concern, so I grabbed my bags and followed her upstairs and out of the station. I ask her, “Yo, where are we going?” She took me to a house that was up the street from that subway station. “I know the landlord of this house”, she says. “He’s looking for a new tenant because someone just moved out about a week ago.” There were tears I was fighting back in my eyes. I just couldn’t express how happy I was. I told this women she’s my guardian angel. She then tells me, “You’re a young kid with a bright future. The fact you slept in a subway to get to where you need to be takes courage. Welcome to New York kid, a city of hustlers.” Until this very day, I never take any day for granted. I do believe taking a leap of faith was the best thing I’ve ever did. Why? I’ve learned so much about myself in this process. Sometimes you’ve got to take risks. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. There’s ups and downs. The thing about the downs is it can be used as motivation to fuel your ups. The potential that you think you have is there. You just have to tap into it. An amazing soul once told me, “You have everything you need to be everything you are.”
Nevertheless with all the obstacles that were presented before Nigil he never gave up on his dream and ultimately it turned him into a HUSTLER. Nigil has now taken pictures for BET, Nickelodeon, NYFW & more. Nigil is currently taking his stumbling blocks and turning them into stepping stones. Before departing from NYC I asked my friend/brother one final question. "What’s some advice you can give someone else interested in photography?" He responded by saying "Learn everything about your camera and use YouTube. Go out and shoot different landscapes with your camera. Get your friends that support you and shoot them. The best way to learn how to do something new is…well doing it. Some of it can be taught through books, but the best way to learn in this field is through experimentation and trying different techniques. That’s how you develop your “eye”.
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