Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yasmine Messaoudi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yasmine, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

The first time I ever made money from a design I made was back in 2015. I had just finished my high school diploma and my summer vacation felt like the perfect time for me to get a first job. While I was expecting that that would be a job in the service industry it ended up being an intership with a communication agency. I had started just as an unexperienced designer who’s best attempt at doing graphic design was making flyers for school to now having to make logos and flyers for actual businesses in my hometown. I spent around ten days with them when my boss decided that he liked my work and that I should be paid for it. You can imagine my excitement to receive my first paycheck that next week. The happiness came mainly from the fact that I discovered that could do what I am passionate about and get paid for it.

Yasmine, 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?

I’m in the arts industry. I’ve been experimenting with multiple forms of art ever since I was a child and my passion towards all the artistic forms grows in me everytime I allow my inner child to play. To be exact, my domains are photography, painting, music, poetry, and graphic design. Some have always been a passion, others I’ve grown to adore. My first gig as a graphic designer opened up the opportunities to get paid from a passion project. As for photography, it was a learning process that lasted a few years before I truly got the hang of it. Yet, it remains my favorite form of art and some of my most beautiful works are photographs I captured. My work from these past few years as a photographer and singer has been the thing I am most proud of and the one thing I truly want to focus on in my future projects and collaborations.
If there’s one thing I want anybody who runs into my work to know is that every piece I make it related to the past one. I believe that art is a medium for storytelling and through all of my work I do just that; I tell the story of my life -people I’ve loved, places I’ve adored, emotions I’ve felt or that are felt around me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn would be thinking that artistic flair is something that you are born with. I come from a family of people who’s artistic flair is very much present, therefore growing up around artistically skilled people made me think that anybody who was not born that way had no means to learn the skill. Although I still do believe that it takes more than just talent and practice to make an artist, what I’ve grown to learn is that you might have the talent but without the proper training it is quite improbable to grow in one’s view of one’s self and the artistic practice one owns. In brief, you might think you’re great at what you do because it comes to you naturally, but without practice and training your work will be mediocre at best.”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

One thing society must do to support artists and creatives is to help them grow through exposure, and buying their work. Many of my friends who are artists struggle to get work or to get their work sold because in an ecosystem where they have no recognition and where art sales depend on social media following, it is hard to get known. Therefore, if an artist has an exhibition then attend it, if they are on socials follow them and share their work and if you can afford it, get commissions from them (and don’t forget to credit them!). You can start with your local artists and your friends who are artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rkaswatay.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/capturedsentiment
• Linkedin: https://ma.linkedin.com/in/yasmine-messaoudi-201097
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yayamess1d?feature=shared

Image Credits
Yasmine Messaoudi