We stumbled one day upon the @daddysdreamjournal instagram feed and were quite intrigued by the striking visuals. 30 volumes of work, each with a different theme, taking inspiration from a wide variety of concepts such as PRIDE, ISOLATION, ROMANCE, TRANSPARENCY, and even one inspired by the STARBURST candy.

The images range from ethereal to candid, raw to beautifully styled, and the subjects are from all walks of life. We sat down with Kyte Dlamini, the photographer, stylist and often even subject of the work, to explore more about thier vision behind and in front of the lens

What is Lucid? How did this project come into existence?

“So Lucid is in short, my attempt to bring my dreams to reality. As a young, queer, black child growing up in a country that was very divided between acceptance and discrimination; I didn’t really have many people to look up to or that I could see myself in. And that only bothered me because people always told me I could go into modelling, which is an unbelievably daunting idea when you’re still at an age where you’re more worried about if you like boys or girls and do they even like you?? So it started as an artistic outlet to build my confidence at first, and as it slowly grew I realised it was actually bigger than just trying to convince myself that who I am and my way of viewing masculinity were acceptable.”

LUCID is branded as “male erotica”. Why did you choose this specific medium?

“Something about the idea of erotica always intrigued me. Men have been depicted to either love so intensely that it’s to the detriment of others, hyper romanticized in ways that make them feel like they have to reach for standards that don’t exist or simply not being able to contemplate romance/affection without it being seen as effeminate. And to me, erotica has always been that safety bridge that joins two not so different worlds. Erotica by definition is softer, more intimate and seductive. Other traits people usually don’t associate with men unless they’re being used as forms of manipulation. Things like that are why I’ve made sure my message is understood and that message is simply ‘let’s redefine masculinity.”

We’ve noticed a variety of styles being used together with your photography. How do you find inspiration for the individual volumes, and their themes?

“Each volume of the Lucid project is as unique as the people they feature and more often then not is inspired by the individual or collectively we form a concept around the idea of a specific aspect of masculinity that perhaps they feel that I haven’t personally felt. I love being given the honour to document someone’s own metamorphosis and help them tell their story. Other times it was my way of documenting the times we live in, going through a global lockdown, the war in Palestine, sometimes something as simple as ‘so how have we been feeling lately?”

Is there anything you’ve discovered about yourself while working on this project and its different subjects?

Photography has been a wonderful means for me to explore myself creatively and the pride I feel in myself is usually always magnified by the fact that I’m completely self taught. I love pushing new ideas and concepts and experimenting with different themes and nuances, I love seeing my skills grow with me as I go. I also was so relieved to see there was actually an audience for my work. Like guys from all ages, sizes and walks of life felt similarly to how I felt and I honestly think it gave my life purpose outside of myself. 

For us, the most recent volume, BREAKTHROUGH, is our favourite. Can you tell us more about the final volume and the inspiration behind it?

“I’m so glad you asked about that one specifically because I think out of all the concepts in the series it covered the most diverse group of male subjects and was the most wide spread project out of the series. It started with me and a lone idea involving flowers and two boxes of milk in a bathtub for a photo just for myself. And it broke out into this experience that I thought anyone could look beautiful in, there was a message there because in its essence, the whole thing was the ultimate display of ‘what are you comfortable showing? What are you proud to show? What do you feel the water hides from not just the camera, but from yourself too?’ If I could pick three volumes that visually, metaphorically and spiritually define who I am as an artist it would be Breakthrough, Afterimage and Flaws. I really enjoy working with other people and other artists, seeing how my very open but linear perspective blends with another to create something great is just so beautiful.”

What would you say is the overall message behind your work on this project?

“Overall, the message is not to define your masculinity, it’s to redefine the concept as a whole. Normalise different responses and reactions to situations instead of letting emotions get pent up, turning to bile and manifestating in ways that frankly, I’d rather not even make reference to. I know I’m just a full grown little gay boy who wants all the boys to love themselves as much as I love them but we all come from different places and mental spaces, growth takes time. I’m just happy the seed has been planted.”

After 8 years and 30 volumes in the LUCID series, what is next for you as a creative?

“Phew! Honestly, I’m not too sure myself. There’s a lot of options, a lot of possibilities and a few chances that you only get one shot to take. So for now I’m at a bit of standstill creativity wise but I’ve started jotting down ideas, concepts and outlines for a new project I plan on doing as my first gallery submission. As you can imagine, I’m out of my mind nervous about it, and it’s fully okay to doubt yourself as a creative when you feel yourself hitting new creative heights. Fear and uncertainty are almost par for the course when attempting something new, even something you’re really good at. So for now I want to focus on me. Working on my people skills and talking about my art openly  because I want to put some respect on my name as an artist in a big pond full of very beautiful and talented fish. I put everything I am and everything I love into my work because making people feel special and feel something by looking at your work is, to me, one of the most awe inspiring things you could do in this world.”

You can check out the full body of work on the instagram feed, @daddysdreamjournal, and explore for yourself the different shades and definitions of masculinity, in their various forms.