The Negotiation Space

Oritsemisan Edema

This documentary explores the stories of Black Christian Creatives as they navigate the “Negotiation Space.” It is an undefined space; it can be a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual zone where creatives navigate the tension between faith or beliefs, cultural expectations, and modern creative aspirations. Inspired by my own experience, the film follows 3 creatives as they talk about identity, claiming agency, and potentially make career decisions with the considerations of faith, family pressures, immigrant narratives, and the weight of respectability. The film draws on research about black parental expectations, identity negotiation, and spiritual creativity. The documentary reveals how creativity becomes a site of reconciliation, resistance, and self-definition, not just for Black Christian creatives, but for anyone learning to navigate who they were taught to be and who they are becoming.

Media

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

A close-up studio portrait of a smiling young Black man with dark skin, textured dreadlocks framing his face, and a short beard. He wears a dark pinstriped V-neck top and a silver chain with a vibrant red cross pendant. The backdrop is a smooth, solid royal blue.

Oritsemisan Edema

Oritsemisan Edema is a Creative Director whose creative journey began during the 2020 lockdown, when he started customizing jeans. After joining the Fashion Design program at Toronto Metropolitan University, what started as a passion for design evolved into a multidisciplinary practice spanning fashion, film, and event production. Through my Toronto-based creative hub, 38, he has produced and directed large-scale projects that merge art, fashion, and community, including 38Exhibit, 38Scavenger Hunt, and my most recent 38Expressions. He has worked on various creative sets in roles ranging from PA, grip, stylist, director, producer, creative director, and even talent, gaining extensive experience in storytelling, pre-production planning, team coordination, and visual coordination.

Over his 5 years running 38, he has chosen to focus on campaigns, working as a creative director or art director. He loves working on large-scale collaborative projects as collaboration sits at the core of his design process. Whether it’s at 38 or brand work, his mission is to build inclusive spaces where art and design become tools for dialogue and collective growth. Guided by a philosophy of conscious creation, he see’s creativity as a catalyst for connection, empowerment, and social impact.