In a swirl of images and verse, Tahj Jones captures the heart and mind with his poetic-photographic work, Drops of Life, which took home Best in Show at the Teammate Art Show last year. But Tahj’s story stretches far beyond his art.
Tahj joined the organization during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, working remotely with the call center. After two years, he transferred to the lab, supporting scientific discovery by processing samples, running cytometers, organizing supplies and maintaining critical storage systems. Recently, he pivoted into a new role that supports his goal of returning to school to complete his degree and earn a Medical Laboratory Certification.
But Tahj is more than the sum of his titles. He’s a philosopher at heart. “Barely a drip out of the faucet or full blast,” as he puts it—and art is how he opens conversations that many shy away from. Drops of Life is a quiet call to connection, layering poetry with photography to explore individual journeys within the collective story of community. “It’s not about being poetic,” Tahj says. “It’s about having a conversation.”
His creative approach is intentional: poetry for its emotional density and brevity, photography for its visual storytelling. Together, they weave a narrative inviting viewers to reflect, relate and respond. The piece doesn’t demand answers; it offers perspective. “We all walk different paths,” Tahj shares, “but we need each other to be whole.”
He sees his work as a platform for inclusion and empathy, where dialogue—verbal and non-verbal—can lead to mutual understanding. It’s also deeply personal. Tahj confronts generational trauma, societal tension and emotional isolation with the courage of someone unafraid to ask the hard questions. His art doesn’t try to solve every problem—it just asks us to look.
Outside of his current role and studies, Tahj explores how science, spirit and art converge into storytelling. He dreams of building an AI-integrated program to push those ideas even further. “There’s no real place for philosophy in modern society,” he reflects, “but I find it everywhere, in people you’d never expect.”
Tahj credits those unexpected teachers—cafeteria workers, environmental service workers, security guards—as the quiet philosophers of daily life. Their wisdom sparked his journey into photography, following in the footsteps of his father, a photographer himself. Though Tahj admits he doesn’t love photography for photography’s sake, he treasures what it makes possible: empathy, curiosity and conversation.
At his core, Tahj is on a mission to create hope. Not just in the world, but within himself. His art is his offering, a vessel for the kind of transformative conversation he believes we all need. “If you're thinking about it, you're talking about it,” he says. “And if you’re talking about it, you're growing.”
That growth is evident in Drops of Life. And if Tahj’s trajectory is any indication, he’s only just begun.
