I was born and raised in Tunisia during the 90’s. I’ve always been into arts as  long as I can remember. I wanted to be a painter at 4 years old and to be  honest, I still secretly dream of one day becoming one.  

How are the current trends in technology and innovation affecting your work as  a creative?  

I’ve been shooting medium format for the past five years. I’m slowly moving  back to digital and mixed media for my personal projects. I do find AI generated images interesting and I’m curious to see how we could use it as a tool to create  and tell stories. It does also bring many questions and doubts about the future  of image making. 

Tell us about your creative process Oumayma.

It depends if it’s a fashion editorial or a photo essay on a specific subject. For  fashion editorials, the inspiration comes from movies, paintings and anything  interesting I have on my mind. On the other end, photo essays are more  particular and more personal. Often about documenting a state of mind, a community or a place. It needs a lot of observation, research and reflection. The  major difference between the two is that one is often produced quite quickly and  the other could take me years to finalize.  

Anything coming up that we should know about?  

My first book. I’ve been working on it for the past two years. It will hopefully be  out around summer/fall 2024. 

What does wellbeing mean to you and anything in particular that you practice?  

I learned in my 20’s that even though mainstream medias love to romanticize the idea of struggle behind every great artist. For me, finding a balance within myself  while taking care of my mental health, helps me create this space where I can become a better artist.  

oumayma.ca | @oumaymabtanfous