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

Zaakirah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

A camera saved my life at the age of six months. A rare childhood eye cancer called retinoblastoma, was detected by a photograph my mother captured of me. At nine months old, I had surgery to have my right eye removed. I’m a cancer survivor in remission with monocular vision, also known as having the Photographer’s Eye (seeing only in my left eye).

My first camera was a Kodak polaroid camera at the age of five. I utilized that as my voice and to share what I see and feel. I enjoyed being the family historian. My first digital camera was a gift to me in middle school. I was the little girl that always had a camera in my hand before the age of smartphones. That was when I first knew I was gifted in photography. I studied commercial photography at my technical high school and professional photography post-high school. It was during this time period that I discovered that I could earn money from my gift! Since then I have photographed musical greats at events and captured the essence of humanity in ten plus countries; I have worked part-time jobs fulfilling my passion for photography. It’s been a great experience of grit, resilience, and hard work.

Zaakirah, 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?

Hi! My name is Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra), and it is Arabic for the afterlife. My middle name, Nayyar, is Arabic for bright light. My last name, Muhammad, means praiseworthy. “It’s an honor to be featured in your brand again – three times a charm!”

For the last ten plus years, I have been a photographer, brand strategist, and creative strategist for women entrepreneurs, black owned businesses, and minority based nonprofits. I inspire women entrepreneurs to step outside their comfort zone, grow their brand awareness, and scale businesses. I enjoy being of service to other women, learning about what makes them who they are, and being of impact.

Originally a media company of photographers, we have expanded as a media group to include services that support podcasts, books, earned media, movies, and documentaries. We are proud to be diverse, inclusive, and accessible to women in the marketing and advertising industry. 10+ years of experience as a brand strategist for 20+ small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits, focusing on all things creative with ease. I and a team of women empower other women to step outside of their zone, guiding them on their social media marketing and encouraging them to tell their stories on podcasts and in documentaries.

We focus on photography and creative strategy based on the insight into so many women’s struggles with their branding and marketing expertise. We support the women-owned businesses that take advantage of the great resignation with the branding and business essentials they need to start, grow and scale their business. What sets us apart are our creative vision, a knack for authentically listening to our clients, and advanced technical capabilities.
While living with pre existing conditions, we prioritize mental health.
We also value integrity, transparency, and flexibility.
I have written newsletter articles, blogs, and journal entries. I encourage other women to strategically do the same as media continuously evolves.

Our current services include done for you and done with your design, strategy, and visual media packages.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It is hard to share one story from the past ten years. The best visualization I can give is the roller coaster ride of the highs and lows in a short period. I am a multi-cultural – an Afro Caribbean Indigenous Muslim woman with medical needs whose mental health comes first. Being a multicultural woman often means being a marginalized woman.

I’ve lost friends and funds by “Keeping up with the Joneses” and letting Imposter Syndrome win.
I have needed to replace my Macbook not once but twice – first being left on an airplane due to fatigue, second being stolen from my car. There were two pivotal times I had zero clients and zero income.
Being hard of hearing and visually impaired adds an additional handicap; I don’t let it stop me from inspiring others to step outside their comfort zone.

Additionally, I am a minority woman in a male-dominated industry where it becomes visible that one look can be taken at me, and an immediate decision can be made not to hire or work with me.

I am now scratching the surface of realizing my worth and walking toward my purpose. Anyone who thinks there is such a thing as overnight success has been seeing someone working hard 12 years in the making. I believe these experiences are a part of the journey. My mom and I wrote about some of these life experiences in my memoir, Seeing Life Through a Different Lens, and briefly talked about them on my podcast, See Life Different.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Non-creatives struggle to understand that everything from concept to completion is a process. Non-creatives also struggle to comprehend that each creative operates differently. We creatives work best when there is complete trust in the ability to see, hear, and birth your vision into reality. Some creatives are technically advanced, some are more intuitive. Communication is one of the aspects of ensuring that what you want from the financial and analytical standpoint gets achieved.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://zaakirahnayyar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminousone/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zaakirah.n.muhammad/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaakirahmuhammad/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/illuminousone
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NayyarPhotography/?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: Book: http://bit.ly/seeinglifedifferentlens Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/see-life-different/id1455589367

Image Credits
Calvin Evans Photography, Ashley Canay Photography and Tosha Gaines Photography