April 12, 2025 • 14 mins
Shae McCoy - SLT 'the TALK' Interview - Photographer & Author of West Baltimore Ruins
HOST, MRSMELANIN REIGNS & RUDEBOY ARTIST
www.speaklifetour.org
HOST, MRSMELANIN REIGNS & RUDEBOY ARTIST
www.speaklifetour.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome Tolt to talk your co host Roubert Artists alongside.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
This is Melanine Range. You know we are here today
with v Jay McCoy.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
How are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm fine. I got a little bits, but it's okay.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I'm fine.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good. How y'all doing good?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
So, mis Corey, can you just tell us a little
bit about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And yes, So I am an author, I am a
photo journalist and I am also a farmer. I started
out doing photo journalism back in twenty sixteen. Originally I
started out as just a writer. I used to run
(00:53):
a blog and talk about music and county events and
things like that, and I bought my first came and
then I just kind of took off from there. As
far as me being an author, that happened in twenty
twenty one. I published my first book was Baltimore Ruins,
which is a photo book about West Baltimore, LA data housing,
(01:15):
but also it's kind of hiding the beauty of that
and to provide the solda for people who are from
West Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
As far as my farming career, that started in twenty
twenty two and started because of me being a photo journalist.
It kind of led me to the farm and I've
been there ever since, and I enjoyed that very much.
My great grandparents are farmers, so it's in the blood. Yeah, Okay,
And I know you do great work. And one thing
(01:51):
that I noticed about you your execution is like really
really good. You do so many things, but you execute
very well. How would you describe the journey so far
as an artist, entrepreneur and community advocate? It has honestly,
because I know a lot of people have stories where
they start off a little love and then and then
(02:13):
it's better as it goes. But it seemed like for
me it started off good, it just got better. I
will say that my challenges in each career was just
kind of building clientele and making people believe in the
work that I do. But it seemed like when I
got better in one profession, when I started another, people
(02:34):
kind of trusted me and and trusted that I would
be good. So that's kind of how it moved with me.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
So you say you started the farming journey a little late,
and great grandparents are actual farms.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
What made you start? Like where you pick it up?
So like what made you kind of get into it
later on?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Well, I've always had a lot of a nature and
plants and things like that. I grew up eating food
from my grandmother's backyard. I think it was just trying
to find a profession or find a job in it,
because I've always been interested, but I never could find
a way to really get into it. And when I started,
(03:20):
I was actually on an assign with a journalist where
I had to take pictures in Sandtown of all the
black businesses that were in the area. And I ended
up at the farm and I was talking to the
manager at the time and tell him about my grandparents
and about my wanting the farm and things like that,
and they were like, oh, well, we're hiring. And I'm
(03:40):
just like okay. So I took this as sign from
God and I was at Amazon. I was quick, I
just and I just went for it. And now I'm like,
I wouldn't call myself an expert, even though people call
me an expert, but I'm getting it, but now very
knowledgeable in the field and I'm able to teach other people.
(04:03):
So yeah, can you take what you do very very
serious on a genuine level. Yeah, And that's one thing
that made me say, hey, this is like the perfect
person for a speak life to because that's the energy
that's built behind life for I'm gonna ask you.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
We talk about, you.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Know, working at Amazon, thing like that, that's usually like
a soft spot for us, like to come, Okay, I
need to make money to live. But I also I'm
a type of person where like I know, I don't
want to be somewhere where I don't see like it
aligning with my purpose. So how did you balance I know,
to found a big piece of that, but like how
befo you were doing it before? So like how did
(04:43):
you balance that or kind of find like the segment. Well,
I think I always hadn't had in the back on
MyD like even though you're doing this thing that you love,
you gotta live, you feel me. And when I first started,
I was not making as much money. I was not
(05:03):
getting this many jobs and things like that, and so
I'm like, okay, well I gotta have I'm not one
of those people where I could be like, hey, I'm
just gonna believe this state and not know what my
future is the hold or with is gonna happen with
Like I got deals. So I think that's where I
you know, I I just been growing up. Growing up
(05:24):
in poverty will have you that way as well, Like
growing up and not having a lot of things will
always have you in a in a state where you're like,
I gotta have some type of backup plan. So that
was just that's that was my mindset going into into it.
And then it's all kind of balanced out to whereas
now everything that I do is something that I love
and it doesn't feel like but I'm still making a
(05:47):
profit and I'm able to let you know, I'm able
to be comfortable, and that's something I worked toward since
I was younger. So I'm I'm very very grateful.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
You also spoken about the author, like, so what was
that process like and could you explain to our audience
like the sweat that went on and went behind you know,
the background as far as like the production and uh
that working with it.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
So how did you become you know, how did you
become that author?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Okay, so that now, that was a very challenging part
of my career. I would say that I did not
plan I I got playing well for that, but it
came out beautifully. But I did not plan well for that.
But as bot I'm going started out It's just like
a photography like hobby project. Like I literally was like
(06:41):
whytching my neighborhood change and I was like, oh, I
want to document this, like because everything's get knocked over
so fast things and changes so fast. So I'm like, oh,
I need to document this. So that's just what I did.
Every day that I went out. I would just take
pictures with my phone or whatever type of camera head
that day. And then I started posting online. And once
(07:02):
I started to post online, people are like, oh, I
would love to see this as a book or like
some type of volume or whatever.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So I made it.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Instagram for it, and I just started posting like every day.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Every day.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Every day I just posted a picture and I'm like, okay,
I'm posting Instagram every day. But like as you see,
as you can see, like that could be taken away,
like Instagram could be ended any day. So I'm like, okay,
I need to find a way to got to like
archive and stuff. And I was like, ohay, I won't
make a book my homegirl she.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Is a publisher.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So I was like, all right, let me see what
I could where I could get with her with it,
and she was just like you know it's a good idea,
so we kind of just started working on it. Slowly
but surely. I had no money, but slowly but surely
we just started working.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
On it and building on it.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
And the hardest parts were financial, the financial part trying
to figure out the design. I had a lot a
lot of pushback because I wanted the book to be
black and white, and it was like, no, these fishes
are beautiful whatever whatever. So we made it calling. So
it's like, yeah, we're getting pushed back about they're getting uh,
(08:17):
getting data, getting like quotes from people, making sure everything
is right and ready to go. She's a big role,
but she went with me on a few missions to
take pictures, so she's crediting.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
My book as well.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But yeah, just gathering out of that. But financial burden
was like the biggest part because printing a two hundred
page photo book on the glass finished and all of
that and making it look really nice, it costs a
lot of money. And the problem I still wanted to
ThisDay is to get somebody to like run a complete
run of it and and it called and to be
(08:58):
cost effective. So that's yeah, that's how that's what I
had to deal with. We're a big on community here. Again,
like I said, that's why that connection was, Like, I
think you were one of the first people in my mind,
and I've seen you in the community in so many
different ways. What are noticing about the community, And I
(09:18):
know that there's a big connection between funding and the community,
So I want you to touch on that a little bit.
So in a general sense, I'm noticing that there is community,
community exists, but I'm noticing that a lot of times
we do breakoff into these different sectors, which can be
can make it difficult for all of us come together,
(09:41):
is one. And because I don't know, we be stuck
in our ways, man, be.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Stuck in our ways.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
And and so that there might be somebody in this
in this sector here that does the does a thing
that you need, and it might be somebody in this
sector it does a.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Thing that you need. But because.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
You see something different than another person, y'all don't never connect.
So I see that a lot. Now, as far as farming,
I learned a lot in the farming community because I thought,
you know, you're farming and everybody's farming. Wun't worry about
other class that's going on. It's just like regardful, refeeding,
everybody whatever. But being in the neighborhood that I'm in
(10:24):
saying how I learned that they actually rejected the farm
for a while, like it didn't up with the farm
in the community, and I think it's just because of ignorance,
like not knowing what we are doing, so we do it.
A lot of people that don't expect space, like they
just do whatever, don't they use the bad term, They
(10:45):
do all types of stuff. But in the actual farming
community as a whole, it's the same as I learned
that it's the same as any other community in the
city as far as like art or whether you're making
I don't know, yeah any year that is the same
type of deal. Like when money is in the right.
It seems like everybody just act crazy, act differently, and
(11:08):
it's just like, you know, we all could help each
other like I and that's what I want to do,
Like as a farm, I really I would want to
the other people's farm to help them out, or if
we can barter goods and things like that. But everybody
don't be on that same and we needed so much community.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Everybody will be on the same way to to the
point where we've been like to advantage a few times
just because people don't people that's just what it is,
and it's just like we're all doing.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
The same time. Just don't understand it. But I went
for it.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I'm going to push for it together. It's like you
got to leave by example.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
So so everything that you got going on, what has
been your biggest inspiration to stay motivated and continue to
do the.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Work you do?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Back Each career is different, so that what farreming is
the people that we feed, people that come back and
tell us. Like I literally was working at the farmer's
market last weekend and his lady cried my arms because
she was just like, thank y'all for what ch'all do,
Like we need y'all, And that keeps me motivated. The kids,
(12:21):
of course, like I love when the needs come to
the farm and they get to do the work that
we do and they get to help us out. As
far as being up for photographer, I think it's my crents.
I think it's I think it's the people that I
work with, because every time I take a picture of
someone tells me, oh my god, you really look so good,
(12:41):
I'm like, yeah, home, But I'm always inspired by my atmosphere.
Like my atmosphere inspiring the most to do everything. Okay,
so tell us where we can find you, what you
have coming up in any last words, You'll find me
in the dirt right. You can find me on Instagram
(13:05):
at Shae dot McCoy dot photos. You fought me on
my website Shane McCoy Photography at g that's my email,
photography dot com. For the farm, you can find me
a strip to love Farm and I love all y'all
(13:26):
and thank you for having me, Thank you for coming in.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
No Problem wraps up our episode series with Shae McCoy again.
I am your co host boy artist alongside. We thank
you for tuning in to sl T to talk.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
And follow us on all social media at speak like.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Story, different, different, different, different to different Leve
Welcome Tolt to talk your co host Roubert Artists alongside.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
This is Melanine Range. You know we are here today
with v Jay McCoy.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
How are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm fine. I got a little bits, but it's okay.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I'm fine.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good. How y'all doing good?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
So, mis Corey, can you just tell us a little
bit about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And yes, So I am an author, I am a
photo journalist and I am also a farmer. I started
out doing photo journalism back in twenty sixteen. Originally I
started out as just a writer. I used to run
(00:53):
a blog and talk about music and county events and
things like that, and I bought my first came and
then I just kind of took off from there. As
far as me being an author, that happened in twenty
twenty one. I published my first book was Baltimore Ruins,
which is a photo book about West Baltimore, LA data housing,
(01:15):
but also it's kind of hiding the beauty of that
and to provide the solda for people who are from
West Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
As far as my farming career, that started in twenty
twenty two and started because of me being a photo journalist.
It kind of led me to the farm and I've
been there ever since, and I enjoyed that very much.
My great grandparents are farmers, so it's in the blood. Yeah, Okay,
And I know you do great work. And one thing
(01:51):
that I noticed about you your execution is like really
really good. You do so many things, but you execute
very well. How would you describe the journey so far
as an artist, entrepreneur and community advocate? It has honestly,
because I know a lot of people have stories where
they start off a little love and then and then
(02:13):
it's better as it goes. But it seemed like for
me it started off good, it just got better. I
will say that my challenges in each career was just
kind of building clientele and making people believe in the
work that I do. But it seemed like when I
got better in one profession, when I started another, people
(02:34):
kind of trusted me and and trusted that I would
be good. So that's kind of how it moved with me.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
So you say you started the farming journey a little late,
and great grandparents are actual farms.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
What made you start? Like where you pick it up?
So like what made you kind of get into it
later on?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Well, I've always had a lot of a nature and
plants and things like that. I grew up eating food
from my grandmother's backyard. I think it was just trying
to find a profession or find a job in it,
because I've always been interested, but I never could find
a way to really get into it. And when I started,
(03:20):
I was actually on an assign with a journalist where
I had to take pictures in Sandtown of all the
black businesses that were in the area. And I ended
up at the farm and I was talking to the
manager at the time and tell him about my grandparents
and about my wanting the farm and things like that,
and they were like, oh, well, we're hiring. And I'm
(03:40):
just like okay. So I took this as sign from
God and I was at Amazon. I was quick, I
just and I just went for it. And now I'm like,
I wouldn't call myself an expert, even though people call
me an expert, but I'm getting it, but now very
knowledgeable in the field and I'm able to teach other people.
(04:03):
So yeah, can you take what you do very very
serious on a genuine level. Yeah, And that's one thing
that made me say, hey, this is like the perfect
person for a speak life to because that's the energy
that's built behind life for I'm gonna ask you.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
We talk about, you.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Know, working at Amazon, thing like that, that's usually like
a soft spot for us, like to come, Okay, I
need to make money to live. But I also I'm
a type of person where like I know, I don't
want to be somewhere where I don't see like it
aligning with my purpose. So how did you balance I know,
to found a big piece of that, but like how
befo you were doing it before? So like how did
(04:43):
you balance that or kind of find like the segment. Well,
I think I always hadn't had in the back on
MyD like even though you're doing this thing that you love,
you gotta live, you feel me. And when I first started,
I was not making as much money. I was not
(05:03):
getting this many jobs and things like that, and so
I'm like, okay, well I gotta have I'm not one
of those people where I could be like, hey, I'm
just gonna believe this state and not know what my
future is the hold or with is gonna happen with
Like I got deals. So I think that's where I
you know, I I just been growing up. Growing up
(05:24):
in poverty will have you that way as well, Like
growing up and not having a lot of things will
always have you in a in a state where you're like,
I gotta have some type of backup plan. So that
was just that's that was my mindset going into into it.
And then it's all kind of balanced out to whereas
now everything that I do is something that I love
and it doesn't feel like but I'm still making a
(05:47):
profit and I'm able to let you know, I'm able
to be comfortable, and that's something I worked toward since
I was younger. So I'm I'm very very grateful.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
You also spoken about the author, like, so what was
that process like and could you explain to our audience
like the sweat that went on and went behind you know,
the background as far as like the production and uh
that working with it.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
So how did you become you know, how did you
become that author?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Okay, so that now, that was a very challenging part
of my career. I would say that I did not
plan I I got playing well for that, but it
came out beautifully. But I did not plan well for that.
But as bot I'm going started out It's just like
a photography like hobby project. Like I literally was like
(06:41):
whytching my neighborhood change and I was like, oh, I
want to document this, like because everything's get knocked over
so fast things and changes so fast. So I'm like, oh,
I need to document this. So that's just what I did.
Every day that I went out. I would just take
pictures with my phone or whatever type of camera head
that day. And then I started posting online. And once
(07:02):
I started to post online, people are like, oh, I
would love to see this as a book or like
some type of volume or whatever.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So I made it.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Instagram for it, and I just started posting like every day.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Every day.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Every day I just posted a picture and I'm like, okay,
I'm posting Instagram every day. But like as you see,
as you can see, like that could be taken away,
like Instagram could be ended any day. So I'm like, okay,
I need to find a way to got to like
archive and stuff. And I was like, ohay, I won't
make a book my homegirl she.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Is a publisher.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So I was like, all right, let me see what
I could where I could get with her with it,
and she was just like you know it's a good idea,
so we kind of just started working on it. Slowly
but surely. I had no money, but slowly but surely
we just started working.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
On it and building on it.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
And the hardest parts were financial, the financial part trying
to figure out the design. I had a lot a
lot of pushback because I wanted the book to be
black and white, and it was like, no, these fishes
are beautiful whatever whatever. So we made it calling. So
it's like, yeah, we're getting pushed back about they're getting uh,
(08:17):
getting data, getting like quotes from people, making sure everything
is right and ready to go. She's a big role,
but she went with me on a few missions to
take pictures, so she's crediting.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
My book as well.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But yeah, just gathering out of that. But financial burden
was like the biggest part because printing a two hundred
page photo book on the glass finished and all of
that and making it look really nice, it costs a
lot of money. And the problem I still wanted to
ThisDay is to get somebody to like run a complete
run of it and and it called and to be
(08:58):
cost effective. So that's yeah, that's how that's what I
had to deal with. We're a big on community here. Again,
like I said, that's why that connection was, Like, I
think you were one of the first people in my mind,
and I've seen you in the community in so many
different ways. What are noticing about the community, And I
(09:18):
know that there's a big connection between funding and the community,
So I want you to touch on that a little bit.
So in a general sense, I'm noticing that there is community,
community exists, but I'm noticing that a lot of times
we do breakoff into these different sectors, which can be
can make it difficult for all of us come together,
(09:41):
is one. And because I don't know, we be stuck
in our ways, man, be.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Stuck in our ways.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
And and so that there might be somebody in this
in this sector here that does the does a thing
that you need, and it might be somebody in this
sector it does a.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Thing that you need. But because.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
You see something different than another person, y'all don't never connect.
So I see that a lot. Now, as far as farming,
I learned a lot in the farming community because I thought,
you know, you're farming and everybody's farming. Wun't worry about
other class that's going on. It's just like regardful, refeeding,
everybody whatever. But being in the neighborhood that I'm in
(10:24):
saying how I learned that they actually rejected the farm
for a while, like it didn't up with the farm
in the community, and I think it's just because of ignorance,
like not knowing what we are doing, so we do it.
A lot of people that don't expect space, like they
just do whatever, don't they use the bad term, They
(10:45):
do all types of stuff. But in the actual farming
community as a whole, it's the same as I learned
that it's the same as any other community in the
city as far as like art or whether you're making
I don't know, yeah any year that is the same
type of deal. Like when money is in the right.
It seems like everybody just act crazy, act differently, and
(11:08):
it's just like, you know, we all could help each
other like I and that's what I want to do,
Like as a farm, I really I would want to
the other people's farm to help them out, or if
we can barter goods and things like that. But everybody
don't be on that same and we needed so much community.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Everybody will be on the same way to to the
point where we've been like to advantage a few times
just because people don't people that's just what it is,
and it's just like we're all doing.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
The same time. Just don't understand it. But I went
for it.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I'm going to push for it together. It's like you
got to leave by example.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
So so everything that you got going on, what has
been your biggest inspiration to stay motivated and continue to
do the.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Work you do?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Back Each career is different, so that what farreming is
the people that we feed, people that come back and
tell us. Like I literally was working at the farmer's
market last weekend and his lady cried my arms because
she was just like, thank y'all for what ch'all do,
Like we need y'all, And that keeps me motivated. The kids,
(12:21):
of course, like I love when the needs come to
the farm and they get to do the work that
we do and they get to help us out. As
far as being up for photographer, I think it's my crents.
I think it's I think it's the people that I
work with, because every time I take a picture of
someone tells me, oh my god, you really look so good,
(12:41):
I'm like, yeah, home, But I'm always inspired by my atmosphere.
Like my atmosphere inspiring the most to do everything. Okay,
so tell us where we can find you, what you
have coming up in any last words, You'll find me
in the dirt right. You can find me on Instagram
(13:05):
at Shae dot McCoy dot photos. You fought me on
my website Shane McCoy Photography at g that's my email,
photography dot com. For the farm, you can find me
a strip to love Farm and I love all y'all
(13:26):
and thank you for having me, Thank you for coming in.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
No Problem wraps up our episode series with Shae McCoy again.
I am your co host boy artist alongside. We thank
you for tuning in to sl T to talk.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
And follow us on all social media at speak like.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Story, different, different, different, different to different Leve
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Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.