Mathushaa’s Story #findyourinnerwarrior
Meet Mathushaa. A 22 year old South Asian female photographer. Her journey through photography has been pretty inspirational so I’d like to share her story with you all. Mathushaa always knew she wanted to study something creative but was lost as to what exactly that would be. While on work experience at a university she was put into a photography workshop and her love of photography started from there.
She then started a foundation in fashion promotion which involved photography but also taught her other skills such as magazine layouts and styling. However she found that this experience wasn’t all she thought it would be as she felt she wasn’t given the creative freedom to explore her own style of work. She said “it felt like I was creating work for someone else”. On top of this she was the only South Asian in her year and when she put forward the idea of doing a project based on the Sri Lankan civil war (a project that was close to her heart as her parents had lived through it) her tutor said that this was overdone and she would not succeed as photographer. She found that no one understood her work or tried educating themselves to do so.
Things changed slightly when she got accepted to Camberwell and started her photography course there. She was allowed to explore her own identity as a photographer more and started creating work that meant something to her. Her tutors even tried to understand her work through their own research but there was still no one there that could completely relate to it.
This is when she started to look through Instagram for creatives with the same values as her. She said if it wasn’t for pages like @juicedroplet, @acollectivesoul and @pardesi.blog she would not have got to where she is today as these have helped her connect with other creatives and explore her style of photography further. I first came across Mathushaa on her Instagram @mathuxphotos and through her photography you can clearly see she is incredibly passionate about showcasing her culture and highlighting her South Asian heritage. Two things South Asian women are told is not to tan otherwise you’ll be too dark and to cover up or hide any imperfections you may have. Something that stood out to me was the way she portrayed a range of themes such as colourism and showcased how strong and beautiful South Asian women are.
There is a huge underrepresentation of female South Asians in creative industries however when women see Mathushaa’s work and can see themselves and their own experiences through this there is hope that South Asian women will find their sense of belonging in these communities.
After recently graduating she now works as a creative assistant at @studiopi_uk, an all-female photography and illustration agency that focuses on diversity. Working on a team with females that are of a minority background in the photography industry is very rare, so Mathushaa said it was like landed her dream job when she got it. She’s able to work with people that understand her style and work and gain more knowledge from them. The one piece of advice she would give any female creative is CLAIM YOUR SPACE, if you’re passionate about what you’re doing don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough and don’t let other people’s doubt effect you. Be confident and be you.