How Sharon Miller won a Sony Alpha Female+ grant to make art that empowers creative youth

A $5,000 grant to complete a passion photography project, a year of Adobe Creative Cloud and a free Sony camera and lens?! Sign me up! Those were my thoughts when I learned of the latest Sony Alpha Female+ grant competition.

I had applied a couple of years prior, but did not win. But that didn’t discourage me at all from trying again. Much to my surprise and delight, I got a call from Sony informing me I had won! I was thrilled and ready to begin making my vision of art that empowers creative youth come to life.

The idea

I had long wanted to complete a project that would help empower creative youth in New York City. Many of whom are often marginalized and face adversities such as homelessness, financial insecurity, and foster care. I titled my project “The Creative Ambassadors: An empowering youth portrait exhibit celebrating our future creative leaders.”

My photo project focused on empowering the voices of underserved creative youth by presenting them in powerful photographic editorial style portraits that embrace their future creative career goals, build youth self esteem and help break society’s negative perceptions of youth adversity. It was a labor of love, and I am so grateful I was able to complete the project this past fall.

This project also inspired the youth who were involved, as it allowed them to visualize themselves as future creative leaders and gain confidence in who they are as individuals. For some, it was their first time stepping into a photo studio. For others it was very emotional to shed their insecurities embedded by negative stereotypes and realize their beauty. I believe everyone involved grew from this experience in some way and it was a beautiful transformation! 

My mantra? Creativity is QUEEN! It can transform, it can inspire, and it can change lives! This is why winning the Sony Alpha Female+ grant was so important to me, because I knew it would allow me to fully express myself creatively, help transform others, and give me the tools I needed to do so.

Now I’m here to help spread the word to others so they can apply for their own grant.

The application

When I applied for the Sony Alpha Female+ grant, I had just lost my Nana, whom I took care of for 9 years while she suffered from Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and that was only a few months after losing my dad. There was so much going on in my life at that moment, but something told me to just do it. Just apply! I didn’t have much time though, as the deadline day was the ONLY day I had any free time to apply and I only had 2 hours left in the day to do so. 

The application itself was pretty straightforward and easy. A few questions about you and your photo project, as well as a quick video explaining what your project is — no Martin Scorsese style direction needed here, just a quick video using your phone will do.

My unavoidable last-minute timing didn’t make things easy, but I made the decision that I was going to keep going despite everything. I took a piece of paper and wrote in big letters with a Sharpie “You will win!” and “Nana is making this happen!” I then stuck that paper on the mirror in front of me as a reminder, took a deep breath and kept going. I literally submitted my application at the very last minute of the deadline. And through Nana’s good graces, I WON!

#Winning

When Sony called and told me I had won, there were so many emotions going through me. I was surprised, excited, and truly felt like my Nana (a former reverend) had a spiritual hand in this. I remember holding the phone to my ear while silently jumping up and down as I was told about all of the fabulous things I had won.

Sony was going to help me complete a project that I had been wanting to do for a very long time. Soon I received my special package filled with much needed and super awesome Sony gear and my 30-day journey of creative magic began!

Sony was going to help me complete a project I had been wanting to do for a very long time.

9 Application tips and pointers:

1. Be sincere in what you want and format your answers in a way that is easy to understand. You don’t need to be a literary scholar – you just need to explain yourself clearly. Let Sony know who you are, what your project is, why you are passionate about this project, as well as how winning the grant will help you complete your project and further you in your career. Be sincere and straightforward.

2. Make sure you have a realistic plan to complete your project in 5 weeks or less. Definitely don’t think about winging it. Plan it out to make the best use of your time and allow yourself time for unexpected surprises.

3. Try not to wait until the last minute to apply. I had to because I literally had no other choice, but if you can, apply as early as possible.

4. Typing your answers in a Google doc (or something similar) first, and pasting them into the application portal, will make quick work of completing the application. Not doing so can be a nightmare if the server crashes or the application page times out and you have to start all over against a ticking clock.

5. When uploading your portfolio, don’t submit every photo you ever made from every niche possible. Your photo grouping should be cohesive in style or tell a story.  Your photos don’t have to be the same content, but at least the same feel. The point of the portfolio is to show Sony that you have the ability to create a series of cohesive images.

6. When recording your application video, just be yourself. Show your personality and just tell them how passionate you are about your project. You don’t need a full production.  You can literally record your video with your phone. I did.  

7. Be different. Don’t focus on submitting a  project based on what you have seen everyone else do. Focus on what means the most to you.

8. Don’t doubt yourself. We all have a habit of thinking our work is not good enough at some point in our lives, but ask yourself “What is good enough? Who are we comparing ourselves to when art is subjective?”

9. APPLY… APPLY… APPLY. Just do it. These tips mean nothing if you don’t apply. Don’t worry, you will be fine. The earth will not swallow you whole and if it does, you probably taste like cinnamon so cheers!  

The concept

Within all of the marvelous artistry New York City has to offer, an entire sector of creatives is constantly being overlooked. These are our potential future creative leaders overcoming adversities within marginalized NYC communities. These youth create magnificent works of art, born out of obstacles, and would thrive in a more positive direction if only provided the same exposure and opportunities as other creatives. 

This is what birthed my Sony Alpha Female+ grant project. My photo project focused on creating art that empowers the voices of underserved creative youth by presenting them in powerful editorial style portraits that embrace their future creative career goals.

My “Creative Ambassadors” project focused mostly on youth dealing with adversities and was open to youth ages 13-24 of all races, backgrounds and genders. By overcoming my own set of adversities growing up, including poverty and homelessness, I could relate to every youth in front of my lens. My introduction to the arts at an early age transformed me into who I am today. This is why representation and inclusion matters so much in the arts.

I am an extremely passionate believer in using my art for social justice and change. This was a passion project idea I had for a long time, but just needed the extra help to start and complete it. Winning the Sony Alpha Female+ grant came at the perfect moment! 

The Process

I had the concept, I had the tools, and I had the support from Sony. Now I had to begin the process and complete my photo project within 30 days. How I was going to do this while teaching, running a business and coming back from the loss of loved ones, I had no idea. However, winning the grant at this moment happened for a reason, so I just had to figure it out!

I had already begun working on the concept of my project prior to my Sony Alpha Female+ grant application because I was already set on making this project happen. Therefore, I already had specific youth models in mind for whenever I was able to complete the project, because with or without a grant this project was getting done somehow.

I recruited youth via an application questionnaire, which asked about who they were, their goals, interests, etc. Based on the answers I received, I created a theme for each youth’s photo shoot. The goal of each portrait was to showcase each individual participant based on their own personal style, while highlighting each of their creative career goals. I wanted to showcase each career goal without being too literal.

Once the theme was figured out, I created a mood board for each youth, which broke down the theme, set, wardrobe/costume, hair and makeup styling for each shoot.  

My Team

Although I had the creative capability to do everything I needed to do to complete the project, I built a team of supportive and creative people to help me see my vision through and avoid burn-out! 

My team consisted of noted makeup artist, Eloria Michelle, as well as rising make-up artists, Michelle Ravelo and JADE. I also brought on board noted performance artist and creative business wiz, Helixx C. Armageddon to help me keep the project running smoothly, because as you know, a creative with a free license to create can mean distractions like no tomorrow and my brain was all over the place! I handled the photography, hair and wardrobe for each shoot, as well as the set and prop installations. Mysteek Naturals graciously sponsored the project with amazing temporary hair color for the youth to choose from for their shoots.

 It was really inspiring to see all of these ideas I have held in my head for so long come to life!

The Execution

Since I was dealing with youth, scheduling was tough as I was competing with school schedules, new jobs, family situations, etc. I originally recruited 13 youth for the project, but wound up photographing ten.

Once the youth for the project were confirmed, their mood boards were sent to them and my team. I then used part of my grant to begin sourcing the materials for the shoot, including costumes, wardrobe, props and set materials. I also bought a couple of new lights and modifiers to help with the photo project.

The grant also allowed me to provide great meals for the youth and my staff, as well as transportation to and from my studio for the youth, which helped them out financially. All of the photos were shot at my studio in Long Island City, Queens, New York.

I spent hours upon hours prepping sets, shopping for wardrobe, crafting costume accessories and building props. With my own personal and work schedule, sometimes I had no other choice but to work on my photo project overnight without sleep before my next work day because I knew I had to get everything done by a specific date.

This was indeed a labor of love, and if you are going to go for it, you have to be committed! The reward outweighs the sleepless nights.  Despite the lack of sleep, I had a lot of fun doing this. I was in my element: Building, painting, designing costume pieces, planning my lighting set-ups. It was really inspiring to see all of these ideas I have held in my head for so long come to life!

Here’s a behind the scenes look at one of my youth empowerment photo projects:

Once selected, I analyzed Zoria’s application and created a mood board based on her career goal of acting in theater and film, which became the theme of her creative portrait.

And here’s the final result with Zoria transformed into a theater actor!

Why you should apply

I believe you should apply, because….WHY NOT?! You have a passion for creativity just like anyone else and you express it in your own way. The application process is also pretty easy. Why not take advantage of an opportunity to share that creativity with the world while building your own skill set in the process? You deserve to be able to knock on ALL doors until one opens. Don’t view this as a battle to see who has the best photos out there. View this as a way to learn about yourself, as well as give yourself the opportunity to grow as an artist and professional. 

Just filling out the application alone allows you to really think about your photo project and plan it out, which will help you regardless of if you win or not. I went in knowing I was going to complete this project even without winning the grant, so creating my plan during the application process helped me to really see the possibilities of how the project could be completed.

Your application also rolls over to the next month. Therefore you have multiple chances to win with one application, which is pretty cool! I believe in throwing my name in all hats of positive opportunity regardless of outcome and so should you! 

During the execution of my photo project, I was on level 100 all of the time as I tried to complete my project by the deadline. It was a lot of work! It was when I saw all of my photos hanging in large format on a gallery wall that I really realized what I had done and how much work I really put into it. It was at that moment that I felt the emotion I was too busy to acknowledge while working on my project. It was one of the proudest moments of my life outside of seeing my son graduate college.

That night I sat in my studio and shed some tears. You can get so wrapped up in getting stuff done, that sometimes you forget how beautiful of a process this is and when you are reminded, the feeling of love for yourself and others is powerful. 

If you are going to apply, remember who you are! You are a person with vision and hope transformed into creativity. You don’t have to worry about what others are doing, because that is their story, not yours. You write your own book and fill it with your own chapters and characters. However, no one will ever know your story or read your book until you open it!

About Sharon Miller

Born in Brooklyn, but raised primarily in Queens, New York, I am what you would call a serial creative. I am a former well-known hip hop artist and champion battle rapper turned self-taught photographer. My creative skills also include carpentry, set design & construction, music production, painting, interior styling, retail window display, graphic design, hair styling, costuming, and furniture design. I eat, sleep and breathe creativity.

I run a photography business with brands Honeydark Studios and Honeydark Kids and teach what I know to youth within my community. I also formed an organization called The Creative Youth Society whose mission is to empower NYC youth to rise above adversity by teaching them creative skills promoting future leadership within the creative industries. As a mother, I used art to help my son overcome autism as a child and he too is now an artist with three college degrees, pursuing an animation career. 

If you want to learn more about my photo project, visit The Creative Ambassadors. You can also find me on IG @thehoneydark, @honeydark_kids_photo and @honeydarkstudios.

To apply for a Sony Alpha Female+ grant, click here.

Photos and video by Sharon Miller

This is a sponsored post, but opinions are those of the author.

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