I am an artist at heart straight out of the Mother City. I am currently studying Advertising Specialising in Digital Marketing at Red & Yellow but behind the scenes I have so much more going on than it might seem. My main passion project Human Cause is my baby. It is a community that draws inspiration from the vibrant streets I grew up in. The same street in which the city's biggest creatives grace on the daily.
Then there is my photography. My photography career grew overnight after I accidently happened to land the job just two hours before the right event, In The City by Steyn Entertainment. After that I locked in with my camera. My creative journey also led me through the world of fashion, where I completed courses in basic sewing, pattern making, and garment construction at both the Design Academy of Fashion and ISEW. I love expressing myself through movement, art, digital visuals and fashion. Long story short, I just love anything that lets me channel energy and emotion into something real.
But where did this all start?
I must have been in grade 6 when my computer teacher introduced me to the world of YouTube. He showed me the originals who happen to be some of the greatest to ever do it. From vloggers to photographers and filmmakers making tutorial videos. This opened my eyes up to a whole new world and before I knew it, I began to look at everything around me differently. A few weeks later my parents bought me my first camera. The one that I use till this very day. I started taking pride in my personal Instagram profile. I even started getting asked to do weekend takeovers for some of Cape Town’s biggest Instagram pages. It was not long afterwards where I started my first Youtube channel in grade 7 taking people on my adventures around the city. All these vloggers had merch. It was a thing. So that was what I did. I made two shirts. I was moving at a rapid pace for my age but all of that got slowed down as I entered the chaotic chapter called high school where I lost myself and my creative spirits.
It is not a secret that Covid-19 caught us all off guard. The world slowed down and we had no idea just how long it would remain that way. I started creating again in my own space. Buying canvas and paint for at home and just expressing. Playing the strings, learning new songs on my guitars, taking out my camera if we ever went on walks. The feeling of being trapped at home forced me to express myself. It gave me endless ideas. I remember running to my parent’s remote office setup all excited but nervous at the same time. It started with small talk and then I dropped the question… “Can I make a facemask?”
Of course, with me it was never going to be that simple. Something about me is that I always strive for more. I strive for better. I can't stop myself. As soon as I received the support that I needed from my parents, I rushed to my drawing book to write down some possible names, did some sketches. I would work on this for hours until I was ready to sit with my dad and get working on designing the Human Cause logo. There was something special about seeing my logo get printed on these garments. The feeling has stuck with me till this day. This was a 360 moment. At about age 5 I was exposed to t-shirt printing from a family friend. This same family friend helped me print my first few masks and more.
Human Cause is not what it used to be. As I evolve, it evolves alongside me, and it continues to do so. It has always been more than a brand but rather an expression of myself in hopes that others could express themselves through and with the threads. This was always a community.
To many it seems like a journey in which I started recently. However, my whole life has led me to this point. Saying that. This is just the beginning of my story. It is time to take over. Take over the world of threads, the local digital space and communities with our House Of Humans Experience coming soon.
Through my journey, from designing masks in lockdown, to building Human Cause into a movement, to capturing Cape Town's most electric moments behind the lens, I've organically lived the principles of digital marketing. I’ve learned how to tell authentic stories, grow communities, create visually-driven content, and use digital platforms not just to market, but to move people.
I don’t just study digital marketing, I live it. This is my space. This is where I belong.
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