Meet Eszquire Harris | Chief Executive Officer & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eszquire Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eszquire, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risktaking.. is an interesting topic lol. I remember as a kid, I was afraid to leave my foot hanging off the bed. I felt like a monster would grab it because that is what my older brother taught me.. to scare me. I’m sure I saw it on TV at one point or another as well. But I remember one night my foot was hanging off the bed because I was hot and just trying to stay comfortable and cool, and I remember thinking to myself “if a monster eats me, at least it’s going to eat good because I am hot!” lol. In Arkansas, it gets extremely hot! Lol! I remember waking up in the middle of the night and my foot was fine. No blood, no growling, no monsters… and I believe that was when I started challenging and taking risks on things that people around me wouldn’t take risks on. Including myself! So here I am as an adult and there are things that seem scary to me and I realize that it’s just how I feel.. they just seem scary. that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.. it doesn’t mean that it is scary.. it doesn’t mean that it should stop me! Now I’m “both feet off the bed” all In. I decide I’m going to live until I die… that will be my story!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think my art is hard to describe because it consists of so many layers. I connect with people through music, media, and mental health. We use these things to create content that allows us to see ourselves, allows us to connect with other people, and most important to me, helps us to understand ourselves. Most people don’t know who they are because we spend too much of our young life creating and living in our trauma, and trying to survive! Understanding who you are makes you great and I create art that allows people to see how great they are.

I struggled to learn because I was in the wrong environment. I wasn’t in an environment that focused on me, so that made it hard for me to learn. I always felt different! I would get stuck on words and my imagination would go crazy, and then the bell rings and I realize I learned nothing in class. These are things I will get disciplined for, or shamed for talking about. And sometimes, I didn’t even notice it was happening.

If I grew up in a space where I can communicate those things, I could’ve received help and attention.

You only struggle to learn math because you’re learning math the wrong way. I want to figure out the best way to teach you math! Is it with music or instrument lessons? Is it through landscaping and community development? Is it by playing madden, gaming, and streaming? It could be through event planning and budgeting! Grant writing with budget proposals for programming they want to do or goals they want to accomplish — dreams that you want to realize.

I never watched a biography movie such as Ray Charles, James Brown, or any other celebrity movie, that shows their life without hard times. Look how challenging Tina Turner’s story was… but also, that’s what made it Tina Turner’s story.

So I would say, My art is “Providing a safe space”, The studio is “my canvas”, and my life is my motivation. Now everything I go through, allows me to create new Content.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A whole week in Pittsburgh sounds like fun. We will definitely hit up a festival. Pittsburgh always has festivals going on like the taco festival, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Black Arts Festival, the Black Music Festival, and so many more. So I’m sure we would find a festival to go to which would definitely include a bunch of food options. We would catch a Steelers game, a Penguins game or a Pirates game. We would go to Obey House Tavern on Wednesday night for some of the best bar tacos and amazing staff. My team and I go every Wednesday. I would take them to ride the incline. We would go through McKeesport and Homewood. I know those neighborhoods aren’t where they used to be, but there is still so much beauty in the people that remain. Sometimes I find myself driving through just to connect with some people in the neighborhoods and have conversations. Asking about all the buildings and what used to be there and unlocking memories just from having conversations with strangers on the streets about how things used to be, transforming those conversations into what could still be. Read in conversations with both of us feeling so much hope. We will go hang out on Friday night at the Parkway Theater to hear my good friend, Taris Vrcek, play the piano where he has his residency. His artist name is Leaky Faucet and he’s an amazing artist. We’d probably meet the mayor of McKees Rocks, David Flick, and Mary Sue a talented artist, business owner and David’s wife. Aaleah would probably get up and sing and pull you up with her. Of course, that would make me jump on the drums. Afterward, we would go to one of the overlooks to see the amazing skylines of the night. Pittsburgh does such a great job investing in itself. Saturday we would hit up Pauline‘s Caribbean restaurant on the Northside and get some jerk or curry chicken with beans and rice and cabbage. I don’t know, maybe a beef patty if we got some spare change. And then Saturday night we would head down to the BTBSN studios and check out an Open Mic Night Vibesz with B-Mic Djing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Recognition? I don’t even know where to begin! Aaleah, Ishara, Mike, Evan, and now Nate! The biggest recognition goes out to my BTBSN team! I was homeless through this journey and they were there! Whether I was sleeping in the studio, sleeping in my car, or sleeping in the park, they were there! My team has loved me unconditionally through my mental health journeys and helped me find love for myself. I have lost over 100 pounds, I am organized, I have daily routines, I set boundaries, I communicate, hell.. (can I cuss?).. heck… I am able to express myself here and now mainly because of their love! These are things that I have never done for myself and have struggled with. I’ve never seen a black man take care of himself, so I never knew what that looked like. I felt like I always struggled with self-care seeming “feminine” and I need to be “Macho”. Adding to me being molested growing up, I felt like I had to work extra hard to prove my masculinity, And crazy enough, most of the time that included not taking care of myself. My team has loved me enough to teach me how to love myself and just be me! I am the CEO of The BlackTeaBrownSuga Network, I am the Creative Director of this successful company! I am Eszquire! And I know these things to be true without a doubt because of the love my team has shown me within myself. I say it all the time, “Family isn’t just who you’re born with, it’s who you die with”, and they’re my family no matter what!

x

Website: www.btbsn.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eszquireharris/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eszquire-harris-35a11b195/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTBSN

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcxn3agPiCiPgGwXbrAcSJg

Image Credits
Ishara Henry Visuals By IShara