Meet Aaliyah Johnson | Photography and Comedy

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

Hi Aaliyah, what makes you happy? Why?
What makes me happy is being able to make people laugh, and seeing the joy in their eyes. Being Native American, we often find humor in the toughest of times. A lot of people may think we’re stoic, but it’s quite the opposite! We love to laugh, and I believe our sense of humor is unique. I love to showcase that sort of humor in regards to my comedy. When it comes down to Photography, the very idea of capturing of someone or something has always sent a thrill through me. It becomes frozen in time, and memory that you can look back on.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started my comedy back in 2017, when I was about ten years old. In a nutshell, it became a thing all because of a wig! The wig turned into a little character who I call Rolanda, who is accompanied by another character of mine called Uncle Ricardo. I think the unique thing about him is he’s just a mask. No seriously, I don’t have any specific costume or makeup, it’s an old man mask! The same thing is pretty much the same for Rolanda! As for my Photography, it all started when my mom began her professional Photography career. I began following her around, and wanted to try Photography out for myself. Ever since then, Photography has consumed my life, and I’m not complaining once. I’d say this journey has been relatively easy, as I haven’t experienced any hardships from my comedy or Photography. As I continue to pursue both, I know it won’t always be this easy as it is now. But whatever does come my way, I know I’ll be ready.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would say Minute Maid Park definitely. I enjoy going to Astros games with my family, and I can’t think of any other place! Even if baseball isn’t really your cup of tea, I still think it would be a great experience. I also think the food there is great too. Or maybe I’m just saying that because I’m always wanting something to eat. Either  way, if that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will! I can and will convince you to go to Minute Maid because who can resist food?!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out my mom as she is the sole reason I want to pursue Photography professionally. When my mom started doing Photography herself, I’d watch her a lot and decided myself that I wanted to try, too. Then I didn’t think much of it. I most likely had seen it as nothing more than a hobby. Now that Photography has given me opportunities, all thanks to my mom, I can’t think of doing anything else when it comes to college.

Facebook: Aaliyah Johnson Photography and Rolanda Comedy

Youtube: Rolanda J/Native Rolanda

Image Credits
Image Credit: Victoria Johnson