HCAF STARS SERIES, JULY 2025: INTERVIEW — Yusrah M. Dzukogi
Question:
The Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation is known for its central role in nurturing creativity in youths across the country. How has being its member contributed to your growth as an artist, and what opportunities or experiences have been most impactful for you?
Answer:
The Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF) has played a significant role in my growth as an artist, because, honestly, community matters a lot, right? And HCAF has been that community for me. It’s helped shape me, challenged me, and constantly encouraged me to grow, to learn, and to strive for better. Over the years, I’ve been blessed with many opportunities and experiences through HCAF, each one leaving a lasting impact. One of the most memorable was when my dad used to bring us to the center as kids. We’d dive into the “art of creativity” in all its colors, sometimes it was cool and exciting, other times intense and challenging. But no matter what, those moments taught me so much. They’ve stayed with me and molded the artist I am becoming.
Question:
What themes and experiences push the creativity behind your work, and what part of the creative process poses a challenge to you?
Answer:
I’m deeply moved by themes like justice and injustice, crisis, terror, and mental health…anything that speaks to the weight and worth of human experience and rights. Grief and pain, too, fuel a lot of what I create. These themes drive my work because they’re real, raw, and urgent.
As for challenges, I’d say consistency is my biggest hurdle. Creating with regularity, especially when life gets heavy or when inspiration feels distant, can be really tough. Staying consistent isn’t a “peasy easy” task, as I like to say, but I’m always working on it.
Question:
As a renowned creative, what advice would you give to emerging artists who are looking to balance the pursuit of artistic excellence with the desire for recognition and validation?
Answer:
When it comes to recognition, my first piece of advice is simple: just do you. But do it in the most honest, beautiful, and extraordinary way you possibly can, and keep at it. Stay consistent. Recognition has a way of finding those who stay true to their craft.
As for validation… I’d honestly say scratch that. Why seek validation when you can stand firmly in your own truth? Focus on your work. Do you. And do it with passion and purpose. That’s how you soar.
Question:
What purpose fuels your creativity?
Answer:
Life. The world around me. All of it. It’s chaos, its beauty, its unpredictability, fuels my creativity. And, funny enough, deadlines too! (They have a way of snapping you into action.) But above all, it’s art itself that fuels me, the pain, the power, the peace, the transformation that art brings. That duality, the beauty and the ache is what constantly inspires me to create.
Question:
Fifty years from now, what do you want the literary world to perceive of your art?
Answer:
I want my art to be seen as a voice, one that fought, healed, freed, and loved. I hope it reflects both the beauty and the terror of the real world. I want it to be remembered as something that wasn’t afraid to confront reality, but still held space for hope and humanity.
Question:
Is representation a priority for you, and do you see a need for your writing to reflect your background or ancestral links?
Answer:
Not always, no. I don’t feel an obligation to make my writing reflect my background in every piece. But sometimes, it does and when it does, it’s intentional. I think it’s okay for writing to exist outside of identity too, but when heritage and ancestry show up in my work, they do so naturally and meaningfully.
Thank you for the honor of being featured in this edition of the Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF) STARS SERIES. It’s truly a pleasure and a privilege to share my journey with a community that has played such a meaningful role in my growth as an artist.
