Alfield Reeves Is Doing the Work and Letting the Work Speak

Dear Grand Rapids

If Reeves were to write a letter to the city, it wouldn’t be sentimental, it would be honest.

When it comes to his work and mission, he keeps it simple: check the resume, check the work. The mission is clear. The receipts exist.

He names something many creatives feel but rarely say out loud, the pressure to constantly prove yourself, even when your work already speaks for itself. Reeves is proving it to himself, and that matters most.

Looking ahead, his hope for Grand Rapids is that BIPOC creatives are given real agency and real capital, to tell their own stories without compromise.

Get to Know Alfield Reeves

In a city where “creative” is often treated like a trend instead of a practice, Alfield Reeves has quietly built a body of work that refuses shortcuts.

Photographer. Writer. Cultural documentarian.

Co-host of The GOATs Podcast. Reeves isn’t interested in surface-level aesthetics, he’s interested in meaning, memory, and truth.

His work doesn’t ask for permission. It shows up fully formed, rooted in lived experience, faith, fashion, and a deep commitment to Black storytelling in Grand Rapids and beyond.

Growing Up Between Worlds

For Reeves, growing up Liberian-American in Grand Rapids meant living in-between belonging and not belonging at the same time. American culture shaped his day-to-day life, while home was a place of intention: Liberian food, history, tradition, and constant reminders of where he came from.

That duality made him curious. It taught him how to listen. How to ask questions. How to connect dots others might miss. But it wasn’t until his family moved back to Liberia in 2006 that things really clicked.

Being there pushed him to find God for himself and understand who he was outside of other people’s expectations, especially the pressure of being compared to his father.

Living in Liberia also sharpened his perspective. It deepened his appreciation for what he had in the U.S. while strengthening his roots and love for his heritage. When Reeves returned to Grand Rapids in 2009 to finish high school and start college, that clarity followed him and became fuel.

That’s when his creative journey expanded from writing into photography.

Today, his Liberian heritage shows up in his work through directness.

No fluff. No dancing around the truth.

Just clear, honest storytelling that values metaphor while centering Black beauty, power, and lived reality.

From Poetry to Photography

Before the camera, there were words.

Poetry was Reeves’ first creative language, shaped by thinkers and writers like W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes.

Storytelling was always the foundation, photography just became another way to speak.

When he finally picked up a camera, it wasn’t accidental. Shoutout to Brittany Glanton, who inspired him to try photography in the first place. From there, his influences came from everywhere: Tumblr-era fashion, raw street photography, and a growing desire to tell stories visually the same way he once did on the page.

The result? Work that feels intentional, textured, and rooted, imagery that doesn’t just look good, but means something.

Fashion Is Never Just Fashion

In Reeves’ world, fashion and photography are inseparable.

Both are tools for self-expression. Both communicate mood, belief, resistance, and joy. What he wears and what his subjects wear becomes part of the story. Fashion isn't decoration. It's structure. Fabric becomes language. Sometimes every detail serves a larger vision.

Photography, though, gives Reeves the ability to step outside himself. To advocate. To document. To tell stories that need to be seen, especially when power and privilege would rather look away.

Sometimes clothing is the statement.

Other times the absence of it says even more, like with his piece: The Souls of Black Folk, where the lack of it forces the viewer to not be distracted by clothing and solely see the subjects.

The GOATs: Creativity, Faith, and Collaboration

Back in 2018, Reeves co-founded The GOATs, a creative collective built on collaboration and belief. Inspired by the idea that God is the original GOAT and that greatness lives within all of us. The collective became a space to make excellent art together.

What started with photo shoots and short films has grown into The GOATs Podcast, now co-hosted with Sophie Rodriguez and George Ward, alongside producer Daveed Benoit and BTS photographer Mary Partee.

The podcast isn’t about chasing clout. It’s about real conversations centered on art, culture, faith, and the realities of creative life, while actively uplifting local artists and voices beyond Grand Rapids.

It’s community-first. Always has been.

A Message to Young Creatives

To the next generation coming up, Reeves offers something refreshing: permission.

Let me say this clearly: create what you want to create. Not what’s trending. Not what you think people want from you.

Create community with each other. Create together.

And when you do, hold each other accountable but always in love.

There’s no doubt that there’s real talent and ability within you, but don’t forget it isn’t just for yourself. That doesn’t mean you need to create for other people. But when you create for yourself and tell the stories you actually want to tell, other people are going to feel valued, appreciated, and seen.

And don’t forget your why.

Always have fun.

The business, the recognition, the money, the competition, all of that can cloud why you do this in the first place. So never stop having fun with it."

Lessons From the City

Grand Rapids taught Reeves lessons that go far beyond art.

Take people at their word.

Build deep relationships, they’ll take you farther than you expect. Don’t wait for opportunities; create them. And while power and privilege will always try to protect themselves, there are people genuinely committed to change. Find them.

And remember this: character will get you in rooms before talent ever does.

Alfield Reeves isn’t chasing visibility, he’s building legacy.

His work stands as proof that honesty, community, and intention still matter. And for a generation hungry for authenticity, that’s exactly why his voice continues to resonate.