Interview with Eesa Kasujee

Eesa Kasujee is the founder of ‘Raw and Intimate’ and ‘Follow Your Art’, the former being a company that tells the stories of businesses through photography and videography, and the latter a community that offers artists paid opportunities. His aim is to debunk the stereotype that one cannot make a living in the arts. In this interview, we sit down to discuss his journey into monetising his passion, delving into the highs and lows to understand what it takes to find purpose in doing what you love. 

Eesa’s Journey Into Photography

Q: What was it that sparked your interest in photography?

I’ve loved it for as long as I can remember, I was always that kid at the family gathering who would pull out a digital camera (mostly as an excuse to stop talking to people).

My cousin and I would bring our cameras when we’d go out to eat with the family, and that’s probably where the passion started. I would ask my dad to speak to the restaurant manager, asking whether we could shoot a trailer of their restaurant for YouTube. The managers loved this, because at the time digital platform exposure wasn’t very widespread and they were impressed that such young kids could do it. Our first paid client was Piri Piri Original in Erdington, when I was twelve years old. My main memory is by the time we were done shooting the trailer, I was absolutely sick of peri peri chicken, and the smell of raw chicken makes me sick to this day [laughs]. But I think that experience made me believe very early on that my passion was something I could get paid for, and I am deeply grateful that restaurant managers had faith in me despite my young age. Feeling like you can’t be paid for your art is a barrier a lot of artists have, and the first time you get paid for doing your art is truly an amazing feeling.

One of the last businesses I had was a coaching business, mentoring university students. I was doing this on the side of my corporate job, and the first time I coached a student, I got paid £20. I remember that £20 felt more meaningful to me than the last £20,000 I’d earned in my corporate job. I couldn’t believe that I was getting paid for something I found so rewarding that I would’ve done for free. 

Giving up my corporate job to pursue that business was a risk completely worth taking. That business didn’t end up working out financially but despite that, the experience taught me resilience, and made me realise that the regret I would feel in pursuing an uninspiring career significantly outweighs any financial regrets. 

Q: How supportive were your parents when you decided to pursue photography as a career?

My family has not always been the most supportive! I come from an Asian family where the focus is on traditional career paths and stability. Even now, my mum encourages me to find a job with a stable income. Coming from a working class background, stability is key and for many people securing a nine-to-five job with a consistent income is the dream. As a family of immigrants, my grandparents worked so that their children could live without financial anxieties, and then my parents did the same for us. To an extent, when I quit the well-paying corporate job that I had, it was like throwing all that security that my parents had tried to obtain for me away. But simultaneously, you can say that it was the stability they gave me that allowed me to dream bigger.

Q: What goes through your mind during a shoot?

When I’m shooting, what I’m most focused on is trying to capture the energy of the event so well that by looking at the photos, you can imagine what it would feel like to be there. So that comes in the forms of angles, lighting, etc. For example, if I were to photograph this croc [points at his crocs shoes], I would be thinking about the colour, which I thought was white if you asked ten seconds ago, but in fact it’s beige, grey, brown… The worn-out soles show all the places that I’ve walked to in them, the back of it tells that my feet might be lopsided. I haven’t even taken a photo, but already I now see this croc in a way that I’ve never considered before. I think photography is a unique art form that allows you to be very present when used correctly, and really hone in on particular moments, taking in all the details. 

Q: What kind of clients do you enjoy working with the most? 

My favourite would be small businesses. A lot of small businesses in Birmingham are run by immigrants who do not have the capacity to run social media with posts and boost their exposure, and that’s the service that I offer them. In the UK, a lot of people prefer going to big corporations rather than independent owners because it feels more ‘safe’, and I want to change that. For me, it’s very important to work with clients whose ethics align with mine, so a lot of the time bigger companies may not want to work with me because I am vocal about my support for Palestine. But it means that when I do work with people, they respect that I am not afraid to use my voice, and we see eye to eye. 

The Importance of Perseverance In Following Your Art

Q: How stable then do you find this career that you’ve now established for yourself?

Very very unstable. There’s not much space to plan ahead, I usually live in the present, thinking month-to-month. That’s the challenge of being an artist. When you work for yourself, there’s no guarantee of a monthly paycheck apart from the work you’ve already organised. Especially when you start, you don’t have consistent referrals or reputation that allows businesses to reach out to you. A lot of my stress is caused by finances. But the upside is that I make more on a monthly basis as an artist than any other job that I’ve done–for example, last night I made £750 in one evening doing a shoot. The challenge is that with running my own business, I am investing most of that money and I don’t see much of it in my bank account. 

Q: Where does most of the investment go for your company?

Hiring staff is the biggest investment, as they are contributing to the future of this organisation. An interview or a video published by someone we hire will be on the internet for years to come, and that’s a piece of art that will reach unlimited audiences. From a business perspective, each form of art that we release is an asset for the business, and something that builds people’s connection to us. I invest a lot of money in artists, because it’s worthwhile for both parties. 

For a lot of people, this is their first experience getting paid for their art. In the case of our video editor, for instance, we are paying for his training so he can become an expert in his field and offer a service for many years to come.

90% of our income goes to the staff, and many investors would argue that it’s a bad business move to do so. However, the reward I feel from making artists experience the same emotions I did (when I first realised I could get paid for photography) makes it all worth it for me. I see it as an investment in people. It’s worthwhile for them to build up their skills, and it’s worthwhile for us to have their art. I want to show young people that it’s not about your age; it’s not even about your skills or experience, but mainly about your passion and how much you want to develop that.

Q: What is the driving factor for you despite the instability?

For me, my friends and my family to get out of the struggle. I come from Walsall, which is a very working class town. Being an artist would feel completely out of most people’s reach. I have so many friends who are talented, but they’d never pursue their interests simply because they don’t believe it’s possible, which is a real shame. I’ve lived the life of working a corporate job, and I just felt like an alien. I’m very big on authenticity, and working a nine-to-five felt very soulless, putting a mask on for 8 hours every single day. As a neurodivergent person, there was no space for me to be myself. I want to be an inspiration in that sense, showing my friends that there are alternative career paths and ways to follow your passion.

Q: What advice would you give to people who want to monetise their passion like you have?

That it’s really hard and takes a really long time, and you have to be ready for that. To monetise something and to see the fruits of that labour, it might take a few years, and most people tend to give up. It’s not enough just having motivation, you need to have resilience and purpose. Most people don’t ever give their art a chance, and those who do are often discouraged by the lack of money and give up. I’d like more people to have faith in themselves and I do believe it’s worth it, but it is undoubtedly difficult. 

Q: And what advice would you give your younger self when you just started this as a career?

It’s going to suck and you’ll really struggle. You will feel really lost and overwhelmed, and that is the price you pay for the life that you want. 

Q: Would you say it’s worth it?

It’s 100% worth it. All that struggle, pain and instability is the reward in itself. It’s something to aspire for, and I would pay money to experience all of it again, because I’ve grown way more from that than any amount of success. It is a real privilege knowing what you’re passionate about, and if there is anything I could advise a young person, it is to follow your passion early when you have the least to lose. So many people discover their passions when they feel it is too late. I was lucky to have grown up having faith in myself and people who believed in me, and I think that belief is key to any artist trying to follow their art.