Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Habib.
Leila, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m an Ethiopian-American Muslim from Silver Spring, MD who has always loved photography since my early childhood, mostly because I was obsessed with remembering things. By taking photographs, I knew that even if I lost my memory, the photographs would provide at least some artifact of my life that could help me remember. Therefore, I was always taking photographs whether it was with my flip phone or a small point-and-shoot camera that was handed down to me. However, I actually started my photography career in high school by taking advantage of the immense amount of free time I had between my events at track meets by photographing events I wasn’t running in. It was the perfect combination of my love of sports and photography.
However, I wanted to take my craft and use it to make some kind of change, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to make that happen. It wasn’t until my second year of college at Northeastern University in Boston that I started working in activist spaces doing mostly documentary work. This means taking pictures at events that are already happening, whether it was at a protest or something I saw in the street. Although that has value, I’m hoping to have more intentional pieces of work in the future. But, through whatever I do, I want it to contribute to society in some way, whether it’s changing perceptions, raising awareness, or simply inspiring joy or pride.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a photographer based in the DMV and Boston. I began with sports photography in high school, but I’ve since done a lot of event photography, portrait photography, and documentary photography, mostly through covering protests.
As I mentioned previously, through whatever I do, I want it to contribute to society in some way, whether it’s changing perceptions, raising awareness, or simply inspiring joy or pride contribute to society. I want to be able to amplify marginalized voices, make sure they have the platform to tell their own narratives, and raise awareness about issues affecting these populations. Art is one of the ways by which I can do that. I try to use general artistic knowledge and creativity in order to create work that is compelling enough to make a mark while also using any background knowledge on the subject matter to maintain the integrity of what I am documenting.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
One of the biggest challenges facing artists is a fear of pursuing art. Art, especially in immigrant communities, is typically seen as a hobby, something that you do on the side. But art requires a special type of vulnerability, and when you pour your heart into something, it’s hard to just keep it on the side. To keep art on the side just leaves the artist stuck – not wanting to devote time to what they’re studying and not being able to devote enough time to what they want to be creating.That’s not good for anyone.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shotsbyleila/. People can support my work through following the page, sharing my work on social media, booking a shoot, suggesting me to someone, and buying prints! I also have a website in the works, so sharing that would also help. I am currently working on a project exploring Ethiopians’ experiences living outside of Ethiopia and what their culture means to them through interviews and photographs.
Contact Info:
- Email: leilashabib@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotsbyleila/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lalahabib_
Image Credit:
Leila Habib
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