HOW TO THRIVE AS A YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER
a CHAT WITH HANA ZEBZABI.
Wildly talented photographer Hana Zebzabi joined us in The Studio to share how you can thrive as a young photographer in 2024.
Her unapologetically bold work coupled with her experience as a young Moroccan woman is an ode to femininity and self-expression. Naturally, a chef’s kiss for International Women’s Month.
Hana’s energy is definitely one that should be captured and bottled in times of self-esteem emergencies.
Only blue quoted text is the opinion of Hana Zebzabi (marked HZ), the rest is my own. Enjoy some of Hana’s incredible work throughout this piece.
#1. Don’t compare.
Social media is a horrifyingly easy way to go down a rabbit hole of comparison. Annoyingly, it also doubles as an incredibly valuable tool for growth as a photographer. Avoidance may not be possible, but establishing boundaries is.
Despite most artist’s styles and aesthetics being as unique to each other as snowflakes, arguably making comparison benign, we so often just can’t help ourselves. We can be such self-defeatists.
When it comes to comparing progress, Hana is a firm believer that things happen when they’re supposed to.
AH: I feel like with this industry you must be so integrated with social media. I mean, I know you have to be and you can't get far in 2023 without it, but with that comes its downfalls of having to be constantly surrounded by toxicity.
HZ: And comparison. When you don’t even know half the story and you’re like how did they do it? And it's like, bro, their mum is this person? Like, it’s okay, it's just gonna take you a couple more years because your mum is… not this person.
And it's also like, being in the right room, meeting the right person, getting the right break. Just like things happening in your life when it's supposed to. There's just no point being like: “but she did it at 21!” Its like, that does not matter.
At 26, you could have the whole world you know, like next year everyone could know my name. It could just take a month for that seven years of work to pay off. I just think it all comes when it's supposed to come.
#2. proceed with caution.
My opening questions for Hana revolved a lot around her experience as a woman, however she soon revealed that her age has caused her more friction than anything else.
AH: Have you experienced oppression in the industry for your gender at any point?
HZ: Not for my gender; I'd say that I'm actually liberated because I'm a woman. But I like to put myself in safe spaces. I think it's less gender and it's more my age.AH: Ah okay, so it’s like an experience thing?
HZ: Yeah. I think in the industry, there's so many people who are older who have been in it who understand the manipulation, and who'd like to get the most out of young creatives because they're young and need the experience.They do that because they know that they're not going to say no to something, and then you find out someone that's a bit more experienced has been paid double.
Hana shared that near the beginning of her career, she often didn’t even concern herself with contracts for jobs and trusted that those employing her would do right by her.
Unfortunately, like a lot of industries, it takes learning a few lessons the hard way to understand the reality you’re living in.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure you’re leaving a paper trail: have any agreements written down and signed off by both parties. In Hana’s words: “You must protect yourself.”
#3. BE YOU.
These two words came up the most when I asked Hana’s advice for aspiring photographers. And I don’t think that advice on making it in this world authentically and contently needs to deviate much from that.
Therefore, I’m not commenting much on this one. 😜
HZ: They like to say women take longer to make decisions, but it's like no. Be that person that completely knows yourself. And it might be that you're taking longer because you're doubting yourself because of other people.
So that's why it's like, believe yourself: That decision that you've already made that you're like, hesitant to say? No, we don't have time for that.
Just believe in yourself and believe in your point of view and try not to compromise for others. That's how you become special in this world. Because you've stayed on your path, you're aligned on your path and you're not listening to 20 other people telling you how to be you.
#4. PUT IN THE WORK.
Being an artist is one of those careers where you often have to wear multiple hats: the director, the lighting tech, the promoter, the businesswoman, the finance dept, the location scout, the goodness knows what else…
Last June, Hana put on her first exhibition Prelude (the predecessor to Not Your Girl) which took place in Unit 3. The venue lovingly gave Hana the space for free: a heart-warming example of small businesses helping small businesses.
HZ: So that changed my life: those two weeks. Everything was done by me, literally. Apart from on the last day. My friends obviously came and helped me put things up, but I only had two weeks to promote it and we had like 300 people at the opening.
And obviously it's not a gallery so I had to like promo the f**k out of it because it's an: “if you know, you know”, place. It's not a footfall place.
If anyone's gonna pack this sh*t out it’s me. So I was like, Yes, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna work so hard.
Talent is only a part of success. Hana is a very good example of a creator who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and put the work in. It takes tenacity and courage to put yourself out there, but it seems that when you believe in yourself and your art and you speak with conviction, people listen.
HZ: I'm gonna take this opportunity. The exhibition [Not Your Girl] is not ready, but I could do a prelude. So I literally named it prelude: the bit before the main bit. And I nearly sold out. It was wild.
But again social media is my saving grace because I was loud. I was smart. I emailed Dazed, they put it on the newsletter. So many Dazed people came.
#5. LET YOUR SCARS HELP you grow
Juggling the UK and Morocco throughout her formative years, Hana gained insight on how it felt to be a woman in two considerably different cultures.
AH: And as a woman, there must have been such a difference in culture. Your lived experience must have impacted your work, I assume.
HZ: I'm definitely like getting more mature and growing up and not wearing it as like a: “big trauma thing” anymore. Because I’m healing through my work, through communication, through speaking to my family, but it definitely wasjust the worst thing I think for me.
Because I was like, there's so much fire and love and I felt like I could change the world. But my family felt like they needed me to be a small little thing.
She shared some difficult realities of her childhood; reflecting on how she was treated and regarded, simply because of her gender.
HZ: I'm like, bro, you don't even know what kind of woman you have as your daughter. Could be Prime Minister if I wanted.
I was mad. Why didn't my parents want the most for me?
Her bold and fearless personality is reflected in her work: a story of healing from unwanted roles and biases. The hardships she faced growing up have become the catalyst of art that challenges a normalised mistreatment of women. Bold colours, unapologetic celebrations of women’s forms and the masterfully executed female gaze all acting as a great big middle finger.
Something that I personally try to remember: all of the hardships I’ve faced have actually been the most transformative, eye-opening and life-altering events of my life. Always for the better.
It is difficult, but such a rewarding skill, to take that pain and use it to influence your work and create positivity. Create rebellion. Challenge society. All in the name of what you lacked.
IN CONCLUSION
It was a very uplifting and inspiring experience speaking with Hana about her art. I believe that every young photographer should take some of her energy and carry it through their career with them.
Be yourself, and try not to fall into the trap of comparison with others. Make sure you’re protecting yourself in such a competitive industry — and work hard!
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to use your past as a catalyst for growth and creative expression. I’ll bet it’s where you’ll find your best work.