My Portfolio
Social Practice Art centers collaboration and
community. Rooted in process. Centered on people. Created for change.
Hi! I’m Dija and I’m kind of obsessed with how stories create change.
Social Practice Art to me is about creating art with community for the community’s benefit. I’ve been making art this way for the past two decades; teaching and creating art programming for underserved communities. The last decade I’ve expanded my practice into a community based filmmaker creating films in partnership with non profits to amplify awareness on social issues.
Drawing from over two decades of studying story, I developed the Soul Script™ framework—a creative process that helps purpose-driven individuals break free from what’s holding them back and step fully into their calling as creators.You can learn more about Soul Script here.
Below you can see my portfolio of work.
Portfolio
(click to learn more about each project)
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The Sound of Love
The Sound of Love was created in partnership with KIPP Indy students, The Felege Hiywot Center and The City of Indianapolis
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Elevate : Tragedy to Triumph
Elevate: Tragedy to Triumph is a documentary following three justice involved individuals who reveal their perspective on the solutions to crime.
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Rasheeda's Freedom Day
A film based off of the play Rasheeda's Freedom Day. A true story of how one teenaged girl saved her family from domestic abuse.
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Breathe
A short film about a young man dealing with the aftermath of gun violence and grief. Based on true events.
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Love, Jordan
A short film about youth mental health. A teacher finds a suicide note from a student named Jordan. The problem is there are 17 students named Jordan at the school.
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Unity Park
A short documentary telling the story of how teenagers turned an abandoned lot in their neighborhood into something beautiful.
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Moving Still
A story of how a couple struck by grief learns to move forward in life. Based on a true story.
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The Leavenator
She was just looking for a job but she found her purpose when she inspires an unlikely team to overcome a corporate emergency.
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The Watered Seed
A woman comes back to the place that nurtured and grew her into who she is today.
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![Film for Impact Podcast]()
Film for Impact Podcast
A podcast with conversations with filmmakers and the impact in can make in the world. (3 Seasons)
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Film Therapy
This is what happens when you get a filmmaker, a story guy and a mental health professional in one room. A dope podcast about how films affect humans.
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A Song for Peace
A play created with the Giving Back Kids of The Felege Hiywot Center to honor their friend Alexzander Anthony after losing him to gun violence. This is a story of hope that spans two countries.
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Sweatpants and High Heels
A one woman show about the ups and downs of a mother’s journey of going after her dreams while raising a family.
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I Dare You Not to Compare Yourself With Others
"I Dare You Not to Compare Yourself to Others" takes a deep dive into the issues that cause us to constantly compare ourselves to everyone else and explores ways we can break free of this cycle.
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Discover You Film Camps
Since 2017 I’ve been teaching film camps to youth to help them explore filmmaking, learn more about themselves all while building skills in collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.
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Mother Nature
Mother Nature is a character I created to help bring a little joy into the world.
