The 10 – Question Interview
A Conversation With
Ashante Charles
By James McKinnon
September 28th, 2018
My Name is Ashanté Khamiylah Charles But I prefer to be called Ashante. I am eighteen years old and I moved to New York from Canada in late August. I actually was born in Queens, NY and moved to Canada in ‘08 to be with my mother. I moved multiple times when I was younger, and raised by several women in my family who would be to me at the time, somewhat mother figures. My mother was single as my father was not present and she was not able to support me as a mother because she was occupied trying to support herself financially for my benefit.
My mom and I since have drastically grown apart which has affected me mentally and emotionally, we had too many conflicts in the past and it continues to affect me today. It has impacted my childhood and my family to the point that can not be repaired. There is a lot to be resolved between certain people in my family and my mother. My mother has was absent in very vital aspects of my life that I really wanted her to witness. The relationship between my mother and has long been broken and she has made it difficult to repair.
I am in New York Currently studying as a first-year student to pursue a career in photography, it has been quite an adjustment here which has been overwhelming. I think a lot about what I have left behind, my best friends my family, my two little brothers, and most importantly my mother who I am even father from. My story is very heartbreaking that it is exhausting to recall those events. The most impactful event that I will recount is being adopted by uncle due to several altercations that elevated, and have since been in the custody of my uncle and his wife since I started high school.
James McKinnon
Q. Did you find comfort in nature as a kid?
A. No. Comfort would not be a word I would mention during my childhood, there was to many commotions that did not allow comfort. I did not have the comfort that needed to be provided to me as a child from my mother.
Q. Did you ever plant anything when you were younger? If so, what was it.
A. It is too long to recount but I think I planted some type of vegetable back home in middle school. It was in a small clear plastic cup, with a small portion of soil. I don’t know how long it grew for but it was fun as a class project.
Q. What inspired your choice to incorporate taste in your memory flashes?
A. I felt that using “taste” had a intimate feeling to my memories, it allowed me to express my memories more vividly.
Q. Do you have a job? If so, where?
A. I have recently started my first ever job at Joe Coffee on campus. I work as a barbacker which involves restocking and refilling condiments, as well as maintaining a clean environment. Anything close to a job was volunteering at festivals and community events, where I had developed a variety of skills and an experience with customers.
Q. Do you like to cook? If so, what do you like to cook the most?
A. I love to cook! I have learned how to cook from my mother. I began cooking at a young age and even cooked for my mother at times when she could not. I actually wanted to become a baker when I was in middle school, I was inspired by this famous baker on the cooking channel, Anna Olson.
Q. What is your favorite way to past time?
A. My favorite pastime is photography, it is my passion and it is what I am currently in the process of pursuing as a career, as I attend this major at Parsons School of Design.
Q. What is your favorite shape?
A. I don’t think I have a specific shape that I am fond of, shapes all have a distinct character that I find unique but I’ll say a shape I find interesting is the hexagon because I always think it has five sides for some reason.
Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A. I always dreamed of moving somewhere in Europe, only when I have retired, I don’t know where exactly but it would either be an urban or rural area.
Q. Would you consider yourself someone who cares about others opinions
A. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t depending on the situation or environment I am in, also my level of confidence.
Q. Is there someone who motivates you?
A. I don’t wanna limit my motivation down to one person, I have a lot of people in my life who have or continue to motivate me, it’s never ending. Life stories that involve coming which inspires me, their passion or even what motivates them.
