Meet Malikah A. Shabazz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malikah A. Shabazz. 

Hi Malikah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Photography and film have always been present in my life. My father once studied photography as a hobby. I took pictures all through high school. I was pushed to pay specific attention to elements of movies and television programs I watched. However, it wasn’t until I took an Intro to Film class during my undergraduate studies that I fully fell in love with images, moving and still. In 2009 I moved to NY and decided I would pursue a career in media. I attended grad school and began working in television. While in school I began learning more about the fundamentals of capturing images. Using NY as the ultimate muse, along with friends who love me, I began talking pictures and filming around the NY. When I moved back home to Detroit in 2018, I decided to continue not only capturing images but I hope to contribute to the thriving creative community here. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not necessarily. When you tell your family you’re pursuing a creative career, the question is always “how will you find a job.” And to be fair, being a full-time creative can be daunting and can affect your creativity. For me, the hardest part was actually believing in myself as a creative. I’d look at other photographers and judge my work against theirs — mind you they been at it for much longer than I have so their skillset is at a different level. Creatives are their own worse critics but becoming firmly comfortable with myself as a creative as made it possible for me to continue to come up with creatives ideas. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am both a producer and a photographer/filmmaker. So, I understand being a creative and wanting to work on a piece until it’s perfect, but as a producer I also understand that it will never be perfect, but it can be complete. I specialize in stories/images of and about Black Muslims, as seen in my first short film CONSTERNATION (2018), and my recent photo series “The Guardian”. One of my favorite pieces is titled “Balance” and features my good friend and muse Aminah Muhammad. I also have a brand called #BilalianExperience which not only hosted the Detroit edition of Black Iftar but recently curated a multimedia exhibition for Design Core’s Detroit Month of Design. When I focus on images of Black Muslims, I don’t just want it to be about religion, as we are very diverse. My work highlights and celebrates that diversity. 

I also love shooting live events, specially music events, to be able to catch the passion that flows through an artist, whether they’re singing, dancing, DJing, whatever. That moment when they surrender to the passion of what they do is beautiful. When I’m shooting live events, I tend to focus on hands. Hands not only serve as the creator’s assistant, but they also tell their own stories; from the jewelry adorning them to the wrinkles formed from years of work. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people don’t know that I secretly wanted to be a songwriter. I keep learning and then forgetting how to play the piano! But I used to write poetry in grade school and that evolved into me writing lyrics over the years. I’ve been considering taking it seriously and actually releasing some things I’ve written. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.malikahashabazz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/malikahcreates
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/malikahcreates
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/malikahcreates
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/malikahcreates
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thecreativesnug

Image Credits
Malikah A. Shabazz