Welcome back to Work in Progress podcast!

On this episode, I am talking to Alexa Blair Wilkinson (they/them) - a Creative Director, graphic designer, and photojournalist based in New York.

Their graphic design and photography journey started in tandem with a once thriving music career back in the early 2000’s. They received an AAS Graphic Design Degree from Parsons School Of Design in 2011 while exploring new inspirations and ways to incorporate design and photography into their professional journey. After the pandemic, photography and graphic design became Alexa’s full time role. They now use their 16+ years of professional experience and passions in various roles over multiple industries to inform and shape their view of the world’s injustices and beauty.

Though their professional history has been quite robust, Alexa’s work has always attempted to center calls for social justice, and utilizing social media as an educational and activation tool. Their latest work as a photojournalist centers around the Palestinian liberation movement covering protests from NYC to DC.

We recorded this conversation just a few days after the US presidential election, so you’ll find us reflecting on that at the start of the episode. We also discuss photography as a form of activism, whether photojournalistic neutrality and impartiality is a thing, being part of the community or cause you photograph, police brutality and staying safe when documenting protest, balancing soul work and paid work, the inner workings of an ADHD brain - and so much more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Connect with Alexa on their Instagram: instagram.com/alexabwilkinson/Alexa’s photo by Lantz Arroyo.

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress, for a price of one latte a month.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com

On this episode, I’m joined by Ami Robertson, a trauma informed somatic therapist, embodied movement practitioner, writer and photographer living in Folkestone, Kent. 

Wonderfully Autistic, passionately anti-capitalistic and forever curious about life and the existence of being human they are constantly evolving and exploring themselves through their work, community and creativity. 

I could have talked to Ami for hours. We touched upon so many topics and you can hear my mind being blown a number of times. We discussed grief and guilt, rest and self-care, activism and burnout, wanting a smaller life and finding joy in everyday moments and so much more.

You can connect with Ami on their website and Instagram, or follow their writing here on Substack: Ami Robertson.

Ami recommended a number of books during our conversation, you’ll find them linked below:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder by Prof. Dacher Keltner

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress at https://mamzenko.substack.com/, for a price of one latte a month.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com

On this episode, I talk with the wonderful Aniya Emtage Legnaro, a wedding, portrait and boudoir photographer based in Barbados. Aniya is also a mum of 4, and a former criminologist. We chat about so many things:

* life changes, career pivots and trying everything

* finding your voice as a photographer

* the mental load of motherhood and how hard can it be asking for help

* fighting the good fight and activism while running a business

* and so much more…

Enjoy!

You can connect with Aniya on Instagram or her website.

A transcript for this episode - available via Substack app - is automatically generated and unedited.

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress, for a price of one latte a month, so that this podcast remains free - and ad-free.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com

For this episode of Work in Progress I talked with Shaista Chishty. We cover a great range of topics - from feminism and ageing, to “falling in hate” with photography, to islamophobia and Orientalism, to rejecting toxic productivity culture and finding a working rhythm that makes sense for your type of brain - and moving to a deserted island.

There’s some swearing in this episode, so maybe don’t listen around small children.

Shaista is a photographer, visual artist and PhD researcher interested in the relationship between visual histories and the present, particularly in relation to the (mis)representations of Muslims in Britain. 

Shaista began her career working as a photojournalist collaborating with organisations such as UN Women, CARE International and Islamic Relief. Her work has been published and exhibited internationally, and she has been the recipient of awards for this work. However, due to concerns about the problematic nature of the visual culture surrounding development work, Shaista embarked on an MA in Documentary Photography to learn how I could address these concerns. This led to a transformation in her practice. 

Shaista is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at Cardiff University and is a recipient of a prestigious Jameel Scholarship. Shaista’s research explores the afterlives of historical and Orientalist imagery, and the impact they have on Muslim women in Britain. 

Connect with Shaista on Instagram.

A transcript for this episode - available above - is automatically generated and unedited.

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress, for a price of one latte a month, so that this podcast remains free - and ad-free.

Consider backing my Kickstarter project to print Beauty Hunting, an intimate and introspective exploration of the cycles of healing, of finding beauty in the unlikely places, rediscovering traces of myself that got lost along the way, and tending to the hidden wounds we all carry. Pre-order the book today - or contribute a small amount because you believe in it: https://kickstarter.com/projects/mamzenko/beauty-hunting

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com

For this episode of Work in Progress, I chatted with Kirsty Larmour. We talked about staying creative, everyday activism, ethics of photographing strangers and consent when putting photographs of our kids online.

Kirsty is a photographer based in New Delhi, India. A long term expat, she has been telling stories by making heartfelt, emotional, connected images for a range of commercial and family clients across the globe for almost 20 years years. Kirsty is passionate about layering creativity and depth through her imagery and mentors photographers, both in India and worldwide on embedding their own artistic voice into their work. She is the author of two guides, “Photography on the Fly” and “Creativity on the Fly” which gently remind and encourage us all to infuse creative intuition into the everyday moments of life.

Kirsty is also an educator for Nikon Middle East, as well as an invited contributor to National Geographic YourShot and an ambassador for the ClickPro Elite network. She is a multiple award winner featuring in the British Journal of Photography’s “Portrait of Humanity” and “Decade of Change” as well as a several time category winner in the VOICE collection. Her work has been seen on a huge range of campaigns from Whirlpool and Delta Airlines, to the pages of Lonely Planet Magazine and other international publications.

A former environmental consultant she is deeply concerned about the climate crisis, and frequently utilises her everyday experiences in India to speak out about how the poorest communities are at greatest risk of life changing impacts.

Connect with Kirsty: Website | Instagram 

All images in this post are by Kirsty Larmour.

A transcript for this episode - available above - is automatically generated and unedited.

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress, for a price of one latte a month, so that this podcast remains free - and ad-free.

Consider backing my Kickstarter project to print Beauty Hunting, an intimate and introspective exploration of the cycles of healing, of finding beauty in the unlikely places, rediscovering traces of myself that got lost along the way, and tending to the hidden wounds we all carry. Pre-order the book today - or contribute a small amount because you believe in it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com

A transcript for this episode - available above - is automatically generated and unedited.

For this (first!) episode of Work in Progress, I chatted with Vera Hadzhiyska, a Bulgarian multi-disciplinary artist, curator and photography lecturer based in Portsmouth, England.

Vera’s art practice is informed by the study of migration, cultural and national identity, history and collective memory. She examines historical and political events in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, their impact on people’s lives and identity, and her long term multi-media project With the Name of a Flower investigates the forced name changes of the Bulgarian Muslim population during the “Revival Process” in Bulgaria (1912-1989).

Vera Hadzhiyska has a BA and MA degree in Photography from the University of Portsmouth. She has exhibited internationally in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, France and the UK. She is a winner of the VID Foundation of Photography award 2020, Danny Wilson Memorial Award 2022, ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Arts Council England Grant 2021, and Belfast Exposed Future Curators Award 2023 to name a few.

On this podcast episode, Vera and I talk about juggling the demands of life and sustaining a creative practice, taking breaks and burnout, realities of working on a long-term project, Vera’s experiences as a self-taught curator, and the importance of creative play without expectations of an end result.

Hope you enjoy listening in on this conversation.

Connect with Vera: www.verahadzhiyska.com | @verahadzhiyska

This episode is free to listen. It takes hours to research, record and edit a podcast episode, so if you’re able, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Work in Progress, for a price of one latte a month, so that this podcast remains free - and ad-free.

Consider backing my Kickstarter project to print Beauty Hunting, an intimate and introspective exploration of the cycles of healing, of finding beauty in the unlikely places, rediscovering traces of myself that got lost along the way, and tending to the hidden wounds we all carry. Pre-order the book today - or contribute a small amount because you believe in it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mamzenko.substack.com