We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nabeeh Shamieh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nabeeh below.
Hi Nabeeh, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
This is something that I’m actively still trying to solidify but I developed my confidence and self-esteem by always reassuring that my work as well the quality of my work is amazing. Comparison is the thief of joy and I truly felt that for a little while, reason being I would always see other peoples work on instagram. From the fast cuts to the powergrades to the constant reminder from influencers promoting their marketing classes that “my work, hooks and formula isn’t correct”. Constantly seeing this and feeling like it was so far from me that I started to under-appreciate my own work as well creative perspective. What flipped the script for me was the constant support of my peers in the creative field reassuring me that my work is great as well the support from family and friends. They keep me grounded reminding me that this is just the beginning. There is so much more to come but they always reminded me to focus on the “now”. Furthermore as I did more and more projects, shoots, practice edits I realized that I am on this right path of making amazing work that comes from my “human experience”. I take pride knowing I can turn zero to one all from a mental image or an idea from inspiration. When acting upon those ideas and seeing the fruits of your vision come to life is a feeling that not many can experience. That in itself is something that not a lot of people can do, find the connection to clearly funnel their emotions into their work furthermore how they can get to the place they want to be at. Taking all these revelations and keeping them close to my heart in every potential interaction or shoot keeps me confident when in the field or behind the screen. I know I’m good at what I do knowing that it can only get better if I appreciate my own art, art around me and keep on creating.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Its hard to describe what I do exactly because it leans into so many parts of productions that I feel I’ve turned into a Swiss army knife. Cause of this I just tell people I’m a Creative Director/Editor as from pre to post production I try my best to cover all those bases keeping the process of creating smooth. The service of this can be implemented into many digital marketing niches from restaurants to coffee shops to climbing gyms. Any business you can think of I can adapt to for social media growth translating to real world traffic. Aside from the business side I also work creatively, trying to grow my social media creating cinematic pieces that mean something to me that can also demonstrate my skillset narratively speaking. The most exciting part about being in the creative field is turning zero to one. From mental to physical, it brings the most satisfying feeling knowing that your edit is slowly coming together, or the creative direction for a specific shot came out as you wanted it. Furthermore sharing that with a crew or friends that are all collectively helping makes it all the better, as for my friends they’re always on board to help me with whatever it is for my social media and I’m forever grateful of their support as well inclusion in my work. Being able to create and invoke a feeling to my viewers or audience gives me a sense or purpose as well a voice I thought I never had. Having these revelations made me realize I can bounce back and forth from narrative to corporate as well mixing the two to create something special. Right now i’m focusing on balancing those two sides of spectrum with being a social media manager for business to refine my digital marketing strategies. On the creative side of things, I plan to keep creating narrative driven pieces all while teaching my skillset/services to others on social media.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that were impactful for me were;
Setting Boundaries: When it came to contract work as a social media manager, photographer etc. it was important to establish boundaries in what the client will be receiving or the work I’ll be doing. Making sure both parties clearly knew what was being done as it keeps the process smooth clear and fruitful for future operations. Professionals will see the integrity and respect it because having something in your mind then acting upon it without letting the other party know is not the best of practices. Furthermore it creates tension as asking for extra additions when that wasn’t covered in the contract puts me in a tight spot. Creating those specific conditions in your contract as well in person will attract those that want to work professionally with you. For me its quality over quantity, I’d rather have one great project with a great client than quickly getting work done to put in the basket.
Confidence: Confidence is taking pride in you own work, knowing that what you make is amazing and can bring that same effect to clients. On the other side of this take, clients want someone who is confident in their ability as if you let them freely express themselves in the lines of what the jobs is then the product will be something unforgettable. Furthermore if you land the job or dream client and create the product they are looking for furthermore your satisfied is a feeling that will carry you forever as now you have something absolute to show for your skills and hard work. Don’t downplay yourself as the only way is up if your already imagining your goals and dream clients.
Storyboarding/Pre-Production: This is an area of knowledge that is heavily overlooked but I believe is the foundation for any idea, narrative or corporate. Im sure many creatives can relate to this as we have many ideas alway spiraling in our heads but can never figure out how to chose or even turn it into a reality, This is where storyboarding/pre-production comes into play, writing those ideas or finding reference images to what your thinking is a great way to begin this process. Once you find a couple of those images or write down the type of aesthetic you want, the rest will begin to form. Creating moodboards, location scouting or even looking at inspiration gives you the infrastructure to know what your creating. I don’t even touch my camera when in this process as I’m purely trying to get all my ideas, shots etc. on paper before moving forward. Once I have all my ideas on paper I can choose where to move from there. I highly encourage anyone struggling with the process of creating to sit down and write out their ideas then take it from there.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
When it comes to constant support for my craft and passion, my family as well friends have always been there for me when I’m at my lows and my highs. They always support my social media reels, my friends are always on board to assist me on my little productions for my portfolio or to test new equipment. My family has provided me the tools as well hustle to begin the ball rolling in this medium as it’s something they’ve never heard of but are in full support because they know how much it means to me. Now as for the specifics of developing my skills, this was all done through self-teaching, photo-walks, test edits and just having a passion for this craft. When it comes to the business/freelancing side of the coin, my good friend Kai who runs his own FPV Drone instagram creating content and being of service to brands has taught me in abundance about the logistics of contracting, conditions and how to navigate those kinds of jobs. Furthermore he’s taught me about how to find my voice, create a formula and continue my journey. He as well connected me with people so I can network as well build or be apart of a community with other supporting creatives in many different niches! I can’t thank him enough as he always gives me advice as well encouraging words because he’s been through those same stages as me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nabraf.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nab__shot/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
