In the ever-changing environment of creation, Shams Mansur stands out as a light of originality and sincerity. Her complex work includes concepts, writing, design, and directing, all of which are heavily impacted by her smart insights and diverse cultural background. During a recent chat with Shams, we discussed her creative process, inspirations, and the significant impact of her work on underprivileged populations.

The Creative Process: A Child’s Playground

Shams’ creative process is dynamic and complex, influenced by the environment, memory, trauma, ethnicity, and gender politics. She defines her approach as a “creative puzzle,” with each project presenting unique challenges that necessitate customized answers. Her approach is both random and systematic, enabling her thoughts to run freely while undertaking thorough study and analysis. Collaborating with the proper creative people is critical for her since it assures the project’s success while also providing great learning opportunities.

My creative process is deeply rooted in observation; the environment, memory and trauma, ethnicity and gender politics serve as powerful drivers in everything I do. 

~ Shams

Breaking away from structured advertising

Shams’ work in advertising gave her a strong foundation and a focused work ethic. However, the need to discover her own artistic voice and portray the “BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic)” community in a more sincere and genuine manner drove her to take a more autonomous route. Her time in London’s corporate advertising sector emphasized the absence of authentic representation for people of colour, pushing her to produce work that questions what is normal and acknowledges cultural history, which continues to impact her creativity.

Shams said “I felt a strong urge to explore my own creative voice where I wasn’t being asked to make tokenistic work on South Asians or having to justify my culture when designing products that represented brown people – which is pretty rampant when you work in places across Europe. The representation of brown people I wanted to see, I wasn’t getting to see. As a British Pakistani our colonial past is never far from our thoughts and it’s a huge chip on the shoulder we all subliminally carry and are made to feel, the closest analogy I can give is like an irritating stone in one’s shoe.  Even though it doesn’t pervade my sense of self, it really does impact and influence everything I do creatively. Ethnic minorities with horrific colonial histories are born carrying this ancestral trauma, and we end up spending our whole lives trying to find ways to process, heal and navigate through these feelings. This is something white people are never going to feel or truly empathize with and that is generally reflective in their outlook of the world.”

Expressing Individuality Within Constraints

Within the structured advertising environment, Shams found ways to infuse her personal experiences, frustrations, and quirks into the work. She emphasizes that creativity is a great healthy tool for processing and resolving inner conflicts, at the same time opening the door for new questions and creative challenges. Sometimes by bringing yourself into the work, helps weave insight and a sincere connection with your audience – it’s coming from a real, lived space.

Creativity is a gateway to resolve the conflicts within yourself, so you are serving yourself first. You are making it for yourself.

Shams believes that being sincere with yourself, whilst practicing the self auditing exercise of creating is more important than appealing to expectations;  short term gratification can lead to long term disappointment.

Rebellion Against Tradition

Shams stresses that understanding the history, economics and mechanics of tradition is necessary before challenging it. Historically, creative traditions passed down from “western media,” have frequently failed to authentically reflect different experiences, depths and perspectives where narrative control is given to people of colour – mostly it has been an afterthought or an add on, so many a time our representation has felt flat or 2 dimensional. Shams is constantly trying to work towards improving the Pakistani creative community by pushing for what’s creatively impossible, trying to ask the hard questions and confronting hard truths to produce thought-provoking work.

This “creative pool” is decided and determined by the privileged few. So our experiences, narratives and cultures end up not being our own, but distilled to fit and sell to a certain world view in the aisle of a supermarket. If we aren’t asking the hard questions and addressing the numerous elephants in the room, what purpose is all this technology and access?

~ Shams

Directorial Debut: Exploring Identity and Resilience

With my directorial debut, I want to explore themes of identity, resilience, and transformation. I’m fascinated by personal growth and the challenges that come with it. I also want to delve into how our cultural backgrounds shape our identities and influence our journeys.

Additionally, I am interested in examining the intersection of culture and individuality, exploring how my Diaspora background shaped my identity and influenced my journey as a woman till now.

~ Shams

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Travel and Artistic Vision

Shams’ creative perspective was strongly influenced by her early life and experiences in Pakistan. Karachi’s rich ethnic variety and complicated social dynamics continue to impact her storytelling, providing a distinct perspective on global storylines.

The Rewarding Journey of Creation

For Shams, the most fulfilling aspect of her artistic journey is the process itself. From concept to execution, each project provides significant insights and learning opportunities, motivating her to always develop her craft.

Navigating Challenges in the Digital Age

Staying relevant in the digital era is one of Shams’ main difficulties. She struggles to keep up with the fast-paced output of work and frequently debates the balance between producing for herself and seeking affirmation from the public. Despite these obstacles, she stays dedicated to creating meaningful art that will last the test of time.

Building Community on Social Media

Shams highlights the value of community development on social media sites such as Instagram. It’s more than just uploading material; it’s about creating meaningful relationships and a feeling of community. Authentic storytelling and community engagement assist to build a devoted and supportive audience.

Advice for Aspiring Creatives

Fail harder. Fail better. Take critique and grow from it and don’t let the bastards get you down on your journey, because there will be lots of them.Don’t be afraid to get out there, learn, and build something of your own but always stay humble. Creativity is not a short term game but a long term one, and in it I usually see myself as a student for life.

Shams urges ambitious creatives to view failure as a learning opportunity and to disrupt the status quo with new, innovative ideas. She recognizes the challenges of establishing a creative profession in Pakistan, but highlights the value of perseverance, humility, and a lifetime dedication to learning.

Empowering Aspiring Women

Stay resilient, keep pushing boundaries, don’t let anyone else sit in the driving seat and shape your own narrative. But most importantly remain kind.

Shams encourages striving women to create their own chances rather than seeking affirmation from organizations that do not support them. She emphasizes the value of resilience, pushing limits, and remaining loyal to one’s story. Creating strong friendships and being nice are critical for navigating the creative world.

Shams Mansur’s journey shows the power of sincerity, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit of one’s creative vision. Through her work, she continues to push norms, elevate underrepresented voices, and inspire the next generation of creatives.

Feeling inspired? Follow her on Instagram @shamszmansur @ft.wastudio @ft.waworks to support her journey!