Anthony Bila also known as “The Expressionist” is a standout creative in South Africa. He embraces youth and urban cultures and also pushes the idea of staying true to yourself. Unique.Passionate.Stylish : three words that come to mind when describing Anthony. His uniqueness is shown in all of his work, he’s very passionate about bringing the world to Africa and Africa to the world, and his style is on point. You may have spotted him as GQ South Africa’s Best-Dressed Reader or maybe have caught his work being reblogged on tumblr. Either way, Anthony Bila is one to watch.Here’s what he had to say on Africa & its future.

What’s your story?

My story. Well, I should probably write a novel, otherwise your poor readers will have to read through reams and reams of pages. But the basic story is this: I was born on the dusty streets of Tembisa, a township in the East Rand of Johannesburg in South Africa. It was in that place that I learned to travel and use my imagination through books, I learned to use my creativity in a number of way, through writing, painting and drawing throughout my life. At my core, I’ve always wanted to make things, create. And that has translated to many forms and mediums all along the way, including the photography I do which I only discovered about 2 years ago now. It’s been an exciting new journey, learning and creating with it.

What are a few things you are most passionate about and how have they shaped your personal and professional choices?

Like I said, I've always wanted to make things, be a creator more than a “creative” and I think that will continue throughout my life, I may not always be a photographer, in fact I'm almost certain I won’t. I want to tell stories, whether that is through writing screenplays, stories or shooting videos, short films or something else, I don't know. All I know is, I want to create and learn.

Where do you see the state of Africa in the next 5 to 10 years?

I hope to see more and more African’s take their talents and skills to the world but at the same time, take the time to invest in developing the continent and the next generation of talent. We have a wealth of talent in various fields, but we need to use what talents we've been blessed with to better the plight of our continent and change the perception of where we are from. I also hope to see us, Africans, take the lead in a number of fields, setting the trends, writing the stories, movies, making the music really becoming the people the world look to for inspiration.

What do you feel are the challenges faced by those living in the diaspora?

I think it’s changing the perceptions that they have to deal with of Africa in the various countries that they may inhabit. Along with that, I think a major challenge is losing one’s connection and identity.

What came first: the chicken or the egg?

The chicken, otherwise, who would lay the egg?

If you could give the world a piece of advice/quote to live by, what would it be?

“Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness, hard & unkind. We think too much & feel too little. More than cleverness, we need kindness” - Charlie Chaplin.

Keep up with Anthony by following his Blog, Tumblr, Twitter & Instagram

Meet Anthony Bila, A South African Creative Telling Stories Through Imagery