Holloway brings local creatives together

Darion Holloway at a recent event he hosted. Photo courtesy: Jaela Davis

Darion Holloway, a senior pre-occupational therapy student at Florida A&M University, is changing the creative scene in Tallahassee.

“Art is an expression, art is a way of living, art is what you create, what you build,” Holloway said.

Responsible for hosting events such as poetry slams, supporting Black entrepreneurship and promoting a community based on art and creativity is unlike anything seen here before.

“This is my life, this is what I grew up on, this is what I saw growing up, I didn’t see it in my community as far as poetry nights or bringing the community together,” Holloway said.

Part of a group of five creative individuals, The Street Noise Family, is Holloway’s team. He said these individuals are reliable and, “I just wanted to make sure they got their flowers,” when acknowledging them as part of his venture.

Creative venues and art scenes are minimal in Tallahassee as parties and party promoters occupy most of the space and have a targeted audience among college students.

Holloway is refreshing the typical night out or day event with options that allow individuals to come together on a more unified and sound level that promotes all things positivity.

“That was my whole idea to expand the community, to expand visual arts, to give people a safe place to where they can express themselves in front of an audience in front of their peers, in front of their friends,” Holloway said.

Visibility and recognition are two things in the creative world that allow individuals to continue going. Holloway has figured out a way to bring it all together on an organized and organic level.

“Just enjoy being creators, enjoy expressing what they know, what they have seen and who they are with the gifts they have been blessed with,” he said.

With a warm and welcoming spirit, Holloway receives a lot of love and support from artists, creatives and others. His great character and love for all humanity and art all contribute to his successful events.

“The support I get from peers, from family, from friends, classmates, even professors it’s just amazing to me that they believe in me, that they want to see me continue going,” Holloway said.

When one does something out of the ordinary, the reward is usually built and dependent upon the willingness to believe in themselves and the future of what is occurring.

“I see this going worldwide,” Holloway said.

Inspired from his roots as a child, and the homes of his parents, Holloway speaks about how togetherness was highly common back in the day. Def Jam Poetry has inspired this event curator to bring that energy back to the community.

“I grew up with my mom being from California, my dad being from New York, they always talked about how people would just come together and enjoy each other,” Holloway said.

Spreading love and awareness by way of art, Holloway understands that community exists in many places at once.

“When it comes to community my goal is to leave my footprint in wherever I can, and hopefully set the stage so that the people after me, the community surrounding, will be better and grow better from it,” he said.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of planning and executing events. However, Holloway is a true leader and what shows the most is the effort, love and appreciation for others.

“Making sure everyone is involved and making sure everyone has a feeling of love and they feel their presence is felt and they feel the presence of self within community,” Holloway said.