By Manayer, Booda, edited by bazaar staff

It is unprecedented. In this special feature, we’ve tasked the ultra-creative duo to take the editorial lead in one candid conversation. They really require no formal introduction. They’ve both shaped our creative perceptions of content creation in Kuwait. Each with their own respective styles, we wanted Manayer and Booda, two bona fide freelance content creators, to spill the beans on the field they are working so hard to elevate. Discover their views on the local creative landscape, Sadu weaving, and their views on the content coming out of Palestine.

Part One: On Palestine.
Manayer: In my mind, the art coming out on Palestine gave people a chance to make art that has a story. Because when a lot of people do their art, they don’t know why they’re doing it. They don’t know how to feel about it, or they’re scared to share it because it’s very personal. This is different as Palestine is an experience that we all share in common. There’s no right or wrong. Anything you make is your expression of it. And you just…Yallah.
Booda: Yes, I agree with that.
Manayer: It forces people to put their emotions into their art.
Booda: I think everyone was trying to find different ways to express themselves, specifically with the Palestinian cause.
Manayer: Yes! I think it added so much. In terms of the variety of the art that came out.
Booda: Even the people that stuck with a certain genre, for example those who usually would do typography and graphic design, dove into other things.
Manayer: We are now experiencing so many different mediums, but they’re all talking about the same subject. So, it’s there as a constant, which is the subject, and then the changing variable is what medium you’re using. It’s like an art project in school, all of us have the same theme.
Booda: Basically, it’s the same prompt and everyone does it in their own way. But how did this contribute to a global awakening?
Manayer: Because there are so many different ways that it is communicated, some people will be moved by a photograph, other people will be moved by information. You know what I mean?
Booda: I think it was purely the shareability factor. It’s the art that was created during the movement. And we saw specific pieces that were shared so often, and so many different versions of it contributed to the global awakening and understanding of the situation. I think art or creativity transcends political war, these intense topics, and takes us to the next level where everything is accepted. Understood. For example, as far as Falasteen goes, there are so many different opinions about it, and when the subject is creatively expressed, and it becomes art, it’s easily understood.
Manayer: Ah! So, art simplifies the situation, and the information just hits home…
Booda: Home in a way where it doesn’t really offend anyone. Yeah.

Part Two: On the local creative landscape
Manayer: So I think that both of us share this quality: We’re not scared to try new things and be shut down 24/7.
Booda: I’ve been shut down so many times.
Manayer: This is something very powerful that I want to inject in every creative, because it is the only way, I think both of our main goals in Kuwait…
Booda: Specifically, in Kuwait!
Manayer: Is to infiltrate the mainstream and try to get new ideas out. Try to get new mediums, new technologies, new ways of saying things. So, I think how we contribute to the local landscape is: We shake things up. This only came after clients began to trust you, being said no to so many times, and having a ‘dead’ folder with so many projects that people didn’t trust.
Booda: It’s also been through me simply calling you up with any idea. “Manayer, hi, I have an idea. We need to do this.” We make something and then suddenly we’re on the beach, and you are half submerged in the water. There are things that we’ve done and photos that we’ve taken that aren’t generally accepted by society, especially in Kuwait. But I firmly believe, and I know you would agree, that it pushed the limits in a way. It gave more room for people to be able to express in a way they didn’t have before.
Manayer: How we also contribute to the landscape is through the intention of the artwork. It’s artistic, and it’s there for it to be beautiful and not for it to provoke anything. We’re not trying to prove a point. I think that translates into our work so much. Honestly, if we do something and it takes us six hours and we never post it, that doesn’t matter. And if we post it, and it goes viral, same thing. We feel the same about a project that we’re excited about whether it’s out in the world or not. And we have so many of them.
Booda: Where do you think the local scene is currently at? Is collaborating really building a stronger creative community?
Manayer: It’s simple! The more brains, the more exciting it is. I’m always curious about how other people think about a project. It’s just that a lot of people struggle with communication and trust. So that sets back a lot of people. But if you just let go, collaborative work can be so good.
Booda: For me, I think the creative community and creators are still at a stage where every creative is trying to prove themselves. So when a creative or an artist hears the word collaboration, maybe there’s either ‘Okay, who does the ownership go to? Who leads the project? What kind of medium? Is it? What kind of style is it? How do we mesh?’ Who’s louder? You know what I mean?
Manayer: Yes.
Booda: We don’t have a lot of collaboration still. It’s very cliquey, we’re at the stage where the creative community still struggles with ownership and proving themselves.

Part Three: On creative insecurities and career setbacks
Manayer: What are some of your career insecurities, and how have you overcome them?
Booda: If we’re going to talk about the past month and a half, I would say that my creative ability to come up with ideas, even for fun, has been depleted. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges and insecurities because I do face it. It’s a challenge for me to be creative during a time when my mental well-being and my mental health are not doing well. It’s also like a double-edged sword. Because at the lowest point with my mental health, I’ve also found the best ideas.
Manayer: For me, it’s not so much insecurity. It’s more like constant thoughts I have, ‘What are you contributing to the world?’ You know? Sometimes it’s a struggle to justify why I’m doing something and how I don’t need to have a reason. You know what I mean? Like, you don’t need to feel guilty about the art you’re making even if it doesn’t serve any purpose. Even that is a myth. It’s a double-edged sword. Because I can’t create something that’s not, in one way or another, functional or purposeful.
Manayer: But here’s another thought, can you share a moment of professional setback or failure and how it impacted your journey? What did you learn from it?
Booda: When starting the journey of being a photographer in Kuwait, I had setbacks, because I would take on freelance projects while working full time in marketing. I worked with people who didn’t necessarily have a vision, but expected the photos to have a certain type of quality. I wasn’t aware that [art] direction played a huge role in the process and content creation management is a 50/50 split: You are creating the content but also the person that’s asking for the content has to be able to give their part and direct you. I tried my best to deliver. And it definitely made me feel insecure because the photos weren’t at the quality that I would have liked them to be. It was frustrating to work on content and not think it looked good, even in post-production. Now it’s different. When I take on a project, I’m able to evaluate the client. There are clients who will make me feel that way, versus clients who I know are invested in their brand. Their project is at 100% and I’m able to vibe off of them to create content that mirrors the 100%. And I’ve seen the difference. Maybe it’s the experience that I’ve added in the number of projects that I’ve done, but it’s also the feeling of being supported by the client.
Manayer: I think for me, it’s the small encounters here and there that are so repetitive. Basically, small setbacks that involve me not accepting how my emotional state plays a huge role in my projects. Like earlier on, you think you’re on it, but then you’re shocked at results. And you make excuses for them. External excuses, when you know deep down it’s you. So accepting that and realizing that it’s okay. Nothing teaches you about what you are good at, or not good at, other than professional setbacks and failures that you face alone. I mean, it’s easier to blame a project not going well when you’re in like a corporate environment, when you’re in a big group. But to go through many failures on your own is different.
Booda: 100% If I’m talking about Booda and photography, one of the worst failures that I’ve had is taking photos of food!
Manayer: Oh my god. Yeah, I can’t do F&B and I can’t do publications because I want screens.
Booda: You know, if you’ve done it once, you’ve done it twice, and you’re like, oh my god, this is just not working out.
Manayer: You have to be okay with the things you’re not good at.
Booda: And them not working for you. I tried full time agency work shooting for an ice cream client. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and I love ice cream! It was just one thing after the other all the time. It was summer in Kuwait, the ice cream kept melting no matter what I did even if the room was cold! I also tried burgers for a restaurant, and it still did not work. I could not connect with what I was shooting.
Manayer: For me, it’s doing a branding thing for a makeup brand. Makeup. It’s a world I know nothing about. And I had to communicate to that audience that I didn’t understand. So, when the deliverables are things I’m so used to but the subject matter is so unfamiliar, I didn’t know! Is this good? I don’t know. I realized that I’m more into time-based projects like sports music, entertainment, not F&B, not publications like a newspaper or anything political, unless it’s propaganda and political in a rebellious way.
Booda: This is one other thing that comes up. I think that the way that marketing execs work and the way that creatives work are so alike but they’re so different. Because if we put on marketing hats, it’s so different than when we put on our creative hats.
Manayer: So true! I can be the most capitalist, consumer hungry designer you will ever see. And it will work. I will hate it. But it will work. That’s also I think a double-edged sword where I can wear that hat. And sell an idea that’s based off nothing because our demographic in Kuwait, I’m sad to say, is so easy to convince.
Booda: Perhaps yes, from that angle. But from my experience, If there’s a marketing brief, you do it.
Manayer: It’s easy. Do you want traffic on a website? Do you want to sell out your product? Easy.
Booda: There are easy ways to implement this strategy, and then you pair third party people. To be honest, if I have to put on my marketing hat and the creative hat at the same time, and it’s something I don’t believe in, then it doesn’t work. That’s a struggle and a clash. One of either elements will be so bad. At the same time, the market in Kuwait expects you to be able to do both.
Manayer: And everything else.
Booda: Yeah, it’s extremely hard to be able to manage a project, do the marketing and do the creative part because that’s not how it’s supposed to be. There are creative teams, and marketing teams that work together to be able to create great projects that make an impact. That’s 100% a challenge for me and that’s one of the first things I think about before going into a project. I look at the team that’s involved. ‘Oh, this is the amount of people that are here. Perfect, I know it’s going to work.’ Miami. For me, was easily one of the freshest experiences I’ve had. I knew who is there. You are the one that’s leading the creative, Jassim AlQamis and the rest of his team were leading the production and creating… Manayer: Clear cut roles.
Booda: Yes! I know what’s gonna happen. That’s why it was amazing. Regardless of how big or small the project is, when the right team is in place, this signals to me that it will leave a mark on everyone else.
Manayer: I think another challenge in Kuwait specifically, is convincing clients that the Western idea of doing things is not the way to go here. You know, I’m all for polished work. I’m all for hiring the best of the best from abroad to do things, but convincing clients that the more local you are, the more human you are, the rawer it is, the more successful the project is going to be, is the hardest thing in the world. We have creatives here, but this trust in them isn’t there…
Booda: Yes, and we don’t mean anything by it. It’s just…
Manayer: The only way the industry is going to grow is by giving people here chances to execute.
Booda: Allowing more voices to be involved, that creates change.
Manayer: It taught me the power of community. Any strategy that’s based on grassroots content, and crowd sourced content, is successful. I haven’t worked on any project where the strategy is crowd-sourced and it didn’t hit home. You can use the best cameras, the best equipment, the most expensive lighting structures. At the end of the day, if you relate to people, then you’re successful.
Booda: It also depends on the brand that you’re working with in the project and if it’s something that requires for it to be as related to the culture is something that connects with the masses and this relates to people in Kuwait. Not so much with westernized, Niche brands where you have to follow clear-cut dictated brand guidelines from abroad.

Part Four: Achievements and reflections
Booda: I think you have a real good one to start off this part. Your Sadu work.
Manayer: [Laughs] Yes. This year, for me has shaped so much of my creative personality. Let’s call it okay, because I always knew that I wanted to mesh the art world with the design world.
Booda: Multimedia design, multimedia artists.
Manayer: I was never about the medium. It’s more about the concept of something old and putting in my two cents. That contrast. I love anything that has to do with that contrast of an old craft that is being revived. I didn’t think that was possible. Three years ago, I was like ‘Oh my God, I wish I can just be in the desert and weave’.
Booda: Which is what is going to happen!
Manayer: And then this winter, I have a custom, two-meter loom, that I will have in the desert. And potentially sell! Something I thought was so far-fetched as merely a hobby can turn into a profession. I’ve never felt…
Booda: Hobby turned expression turned into a profession.
Manayer: Yes! But I’ve used all my skills in my professional world before, but this feels different. I’ve never felt prouder of myself other than saying things like I graduated, or we did a huge project, we signed a massive deal.
Booda: You created an amazing platform called Abaih!
Manayer: We created that entertainment platform out of passion. We rebranded one of the biggest marathons in Kuwait.
Booda: You built another platform from scratch.
Manayer: I mean, we’ve done so much, but when I just merely finished the five levels of Sadu, however, it was one of the best moments of my life. How? Because it felt so real. It felt so right. That’s the only way I can explain it, and then there’s the show, right! Working on my childhood dream project, which was Miami, was a close second. Miami isn’t just a band, it’s songs, feelings and memories that have helped me through the roughest days of my life. I think maybe this is the first time I say it out loud. They don’t know that they’ve been there for me for these moments when I’ll feel something and then put on a random Miami song, and it just changes my perspective for that day. Miami was a game changer. It was my therapy. To get to design the visual identity for the best concert they would ever have and do them justice…
Booda: Hang on, it’s not just that! To be able to design and lead the whole creative part!
Manayer: No, it’s just being on stage with them, and working on it with you!
Booda: Creating content for the whole thing…
Manayer: I will forever…
Booda: Curating magical back-ups, putting together last-minute moving parts…
Manayer: It was amazing! So… What about you?
Booda: I’m going to keep it really simple. The best accomplishment is quitting full time work.
Manayer: Took you long enough.
Booda: Oh my god.
Manayer: I know! But I have to say this. It’s hard. It’s hard trusting yourself and trusting your financial ability to stay afloat. Because it’s not easy. I remember a time when I went into an interview for one of the biggest banks in Kuwait. And I went I went through all the interviews. I was gonna work in a bank. Do you realize?
Booda: If you worked in a bank, I don’t know how our relationship could be like. It would be very different.
Manayer: You have to admit like the offer was attractive.
Booda: Oh my god, the bonuses.
Manayer: The easy hours. The clear-cut deliverables.
Booda: The fact that you can go in at eight or nine and leave it at two or three and be done. No more work. It’s done.
Manayer: It’s hard to say no to that.
Booda: Because we’ve been traumatized. Always working PTSD. Continuously being PTSD’d every day. But even the fact that we always complain about how the work is never ending. It doesn’t beat the satisfaction level that we get out of freelance projects. It’s me lately, how I feel compared to the satisfaction level of working a full-time job where you’re just pouring project after project. Another day, another brief. Another artwork. Another client. Suddenly it’s a million done tasks and none of them mean anything to you.
Manayer: It’s not to say that everyone should do that.
Booda: Yes, some people are so well made for that grind.
Manayer: So, what do you want to channel your energy on?
Booda: It’s also about time and knowing that it comes with experience. Time always told me when to end the marketing chapter of my life. It said Booda, you cannot do marketing. I learned so much from it. I met so many people from it. I cannot do it full time. It’s not something that I’m able to keep up with. There are other people that are so able and I’m so impressed by their ability.
Manayer: I think that’s what it is. I can’t relate to a competitive strategy when it comes to work.
Booda: At all.
Manayer: That’s why freelancing works with us. Many people thrive on a competitive mindset when it comes to career. I don’t relate to that at all.
Booda: At all!
Manayer: I think I’ve evolved. More and more, I am standing by how I am as a creative. I take things for what they are. This is what I’m doing now. I remind myself that life is now. What is it that I want to do now? It’s a double-edged sword, again, we said this 600 times.
Booda: Because everything is a double-edged sword.
Manayer: I really struggle with finishing projects that are not client based. It was so hard for me to admit that all my passion projects that have been open ended, and this is because I take things as a practice, they never finish. But you have to create some sort of check-point. When it’s a client, and I know the deadline, I am so disciplined. But for personal projects, it’s a a state of flow. I’m scared with pressuring myself to finish something. Now I acknowledge: No, you can set a deadline. You can finish a project, even if it’s not client related. So, for now, this is what I am struggling with: Making my creative practice that’s not client based as result-worthy. It needs to fine a result.
Booda: Is that changing for you?
Manayer: Yes, because people are expecting an exhibition. That’s shifting this year because people are expecting results.
Booda: Doesn’t that stop it from staying as a passion project?
Manayer: Yes, but it’s still more a passion project than it is something serious. So, it’s fun. It’s fun to tap into that new side of me.
Booda: For me it’s the opposite. You know me with passion projects versus client-based projects. Manayer: You’re too strict!
Booda: Yes, I will plan it so hard! Maybe my passion projects are different than your passion projects. Mine are not as easily time changed as yours.
Manayer: Yeah.
Booda: Because you do have the advantage of being able to pause. I can’t really pause. With photography, it has to be done. It’s can’t be undone or changed- it’s taken, it’s done. That’s how it is. It’s one of my favorite things about photography. And I think all of my passion projects have been like this. Super planned. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Can’t sleep. I have to edit the photos NOW. Yeah. And you know how fast that I edit anything. And I think that’s something I need to work on. Yeah, I think I need to work on giving myself time to be able to…
Manayer: Change up your creative process.
Booda: Yes, be lenient and allow for more room to make mistakes, and learn from the mistakes because I’ve been so militant when it comes to photography, that now when I’m not, I feel like something’s wrong.
Manayer: And we are our worst critics.
Booda: Yes. And also, learning how to say no!
Manayer: I’m so okay with not being the best all the time.
Booda: [laughs] I get it.
Manayer: And it’s not to anyone’s standards, it’s my own. They are so high!
Booda: Like, did you think that people are going to levitate?
Manayer: It’s fine. No one cares. No one’s watching you.
Booda: Nothing matters.
Manayer: This is something I love about myself. I can easily go there. There being that I’m so okay with me being so insignificant to this world. It humbles me so much. If you look at the world, in that perspective, in a positive perspective, it’s so liberating, because it allows you to make the biggest mistakes allows you to test out the craziest ideas. And the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.
Booda: It teaches you to get out of your own head.

For more information, follow Munirah Adel AlSha-mi @manayer.co, @munirahadel, and Abdullah Abdulatif Alsaleh, @iambooda_ on Instagram. Photography, styling, and Art Direction: Shouag Sameeh Hayat @amplifiedeyecandy.co