We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Seleen Saleh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Seleen below.

Alright, Seleen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I created a book called “Street Culture.” This street style book focuses on featuring Black creatives in the fashion industry. The concept was birthed in 2014 when I was covering street style for Essence.com. At the time their were a handful of photographers shooting for publications however they barley photographed BIPOC. This was pre Instagram. Now creators are assisting in taking control of the narrative.
“Street Culture” didn’t publish until May 2020 during the pandemic. This was right before the Social climate changed and there was a focus on Black people including the arts. I am very grateful for this shift and that I was allowed to push my book through ahead of it.

Seleen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In high school my focus was photography and art. I would paint fashion editorials while I was learning photography. During that time I would scour fashion magazines at the library mainly international. One image stuck with me through the years. It was the 1990 Peter Lindbergh, Black & White cover for British Vogue, featuring Naomi Campbell and the rest of the super models. Seeing a Black model on the cover of that magazine labeled “Supermodels,” was powerful.
Shifting perspective from the otherwise norm is profound and representation is necessary. Shortly after I attended Art Institute of Philadelphia with a focus on Fashion photography. My work has always always amplified diverse beauty in fashion.

When I create my work I strive to connect with the individuals to allow our creative fields to work together. My craft is another tool to tap into something deeper. My objective is to create timeless images that will live beyond.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my book “Street Culture” in 2014. I had sifted through countless images to build a cohesive piece and did many interviews. In 2016 I did a massive Kickstarted campaign to raise funds to self publish the book my goal was 30K. In my mind if 1,200 preordered the book for $25 the goal would be met. I was very naive and spent money on video and an assistant. At the end we did not reach our goal it took me a while to recover from that.since all the money raised was returned.

In 2018 I made a pledge with myself to talk about the book to as many people as I can. I had a professional preview of it with about 10-15 pages. Late that year a friend of mine connected me to her publisher friend, Gregory Geoff. He published my book and it was released on May 2020. In the middle of the pandemic. I had no book tour or any big buzz around it. Now its almost 5 years later I am actively seeking funding to start book 2 which is very exciting.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I had a near death experience as a child and since then I knew there was something profound I had to contribute to society. I would like my work to resonate with every BIPOC child across the globe that they are seen, they are beautiful and they are sacred.

Although I feel like I am still evolving, eventually my work will align with my higher calling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seleentsaleh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seleen.saleh/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seleensaleh.studio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seleensaleh/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/seleensaleh