Born To Create

Meet the wolf-pack redefining creativity and fashion in the Middle East

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Lana AlBeik

Model/Filmmaker

AGE: 24 NATIONALITY: Palestinian/Syrian Model/Filmmaker INSTAGRAM: @Lana_.jpg

Did you always know you wanted to get into a creative field?

As a kid I always wanted to be a dentist. But by the time I was a teenager, my sister discovered her creative side, and as we were so close, she influenced me and I found myself exploring the creative side of life, too.

Where do you find creative inspiration in this region?

My family and friends. Also within the platforms that I can access to find people from all around the region. Contemporary artists and legendary poets from the past inspire me the most.

Do you feel this region is stereotyped by what the media repres ent s it to be?

How are you playing a part in helping to change this? It definitely is and that’s where art comes in. It explores all kinds of different narratives in this region that don’t only and exclusively fall under a stereotype.

What challenges have you faced since entering the creative industry?

Not being appreciated if we don’t present something Eurocentric and that celebrates whatever the West wants us to celebrate.

How do you stay original, but relevant?

By being inspired from people who surround me, not just the global market, and by my roots and identity. It is my DNA and it can never be replicated.

Abdulla Elmaz

Photographer

AGE: 28 NATIONALITY: Australian INSTAGRAM: @abdullaelmaz