From Us in Charcoal: Asjha
Meet Asjha Malcolm (she/her) – a graphic designer within Charcoal since Spring 2021. Asjha is currently a junior studying painting and graphic design.
“In the graphic design field, there aren’t a lot of people of color, so getting their feedback from that perspective is really rewarding,”
Born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut, Asjha is a first generation American with family hailing from Jamaica. She describes painting and graphic design as tools that help her unpack and share her family history with others, “We’re really family oriented, trying to stay close together… in a way, that’s impacted how I follow my [art] practices.”
Asjha cites the sense of community among her team as her favorite part of Charcoal. “In the graphic design field, there aren’t a lot of people of color, so getting their feedback from that perspective is really rewarding,” she said.
She is grateful for the feedback and companionship she’s received from the design team, and hopes to implement a stronger sense of community to the other organizations she’s a part of.
“Some things I have been looking at recently are music flyers and thinking about how I can transpose design from everyday life into my work,”
Inspiration begins with visuals and moodboards for Asjha. Describing her artistic process, she begins by plopping a bunch of images into documents, later revising and refining her work with the help of feedback.
Asjha describes a newfound sense of independence and the opportunity to explore different interests as the highlights of her college experience. Although frequently having to balance discovering new passions — such as woodcutting and skating — and refining her current skills, she’s grateful for the resources that Boston University has provided her.
“[I’m] putting myself out there, joining groups and clubs that aren’t so oriented around things that I like to do, just trying different things.”
Currently, Asjha is committed to improving her artistry, and hopes to continue to refine her skills with her work for Charcoal.
Make sure to come back and read more From Us in Charcoal.