Mirikau – Photographer and Videographer

Stories are the communal currencies for humanity. I’m happy to jump back into the interviews where I get to interact with Kenyans doing their part in engineering the future. Today, meet Mirikau a creative who expresses himself through photography and videography and is always willing to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Do a lot of people ask you how Mirikau is pronounced?

Haha! Coming to think about it not really, the problem is usually comes when people usually try write it down…

What does Mirikau mean?

Funny thing is … I really don’t know even though it is my actual name. I’d asked my folks but it, unfortunately, joins the ranks of the names whose translation got lost as it passed down from one generation to another.

Do you believe names have the power to determine the kind of people we become?

Kinda, it’s more of the value you attach to the name. If you value a name highly then you could consciously or subconsciously make decisions in line with how you value the name, both positively and negatively.

What does creativity mean for you?

It’s the amalgamation of your ideas, experiences, imagination and skills to create something.

Why do you express your art through photography and videography?

Well it’s how I’m able to best express myself at the moment. As a growing creative/ artist I’m always trying to learn something new, expressing my thoughts, feelings and projects the best way I can. The past 2 years I’ve been growing how to express myself through the lens, alongside other ways to express myself.

We see life not as it presents itself but from our life’s biases and experience. Would you share in these sentiments?

I agree with this statement. I believe we see life through a metaphorical scope, which is what we expose ourselves to; cultures, people, environments, information etc. The more you expose yourself to, the broader view you have on life. The inverse is true as well.

Your older posts on Instagram were sketches before subsequently moving into photography and videography. Why the shift?

Haha! That was a major scroll down my feed if you saw this. As I’d mentioned earlier, I try to continuously learn, to best express myself. At the time I best express myself through the pencil, that season came to an end, but I carry those lessons with me.

What does creating look like for you, from developing a concept to having a final product?

I consume a lot content, tutorials, content from people I look up to, my colleagues in the industry etc. This together with the ideas I have helps me develop a concept.

The next step is planning. I’m a ‘sharpen the axe for 9 hours and chop the tree in 1hour kinda planner. Next is the shooting of the project… which is basically just that, ‘Have fun, be thorough and try everything’ is how I would describe the shooting and post-processing. With that, we have a final product.

What gear do you use when taking pictures and/or videos?

Imma be sleek and say my head. (ba dum tsss). Ok on a more serious note, With each concept comes the gear required for it. I however typically use a canon M50 , light source and/or modifier for photography and a camera + stabilizer for video. The nature of the project will dictate the extra, alternative or less gear I’ll need for it.

If you had the chance to drive any car on earth which one would you go for and why?

Whoooosh!!! Ok I’ll start with the reason for. I’m a manual transmission fanatic so the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. 717 hp, 6 speed, supercharged engine!!! won’t lie, I’ve smiled writing this one.

Which recurring lesson do you learn from content creation?

I’ve learnt that you can’t know it all…EVER! There’s a quote that says; a wise man knows he doesn’t know so keep learning, unlearning, relearning… and all the versions of ‘learn’ that exist.

Having lived through a pandemic, what legacy/ musings would you want to be carried into the next century?

A lot has happened during this pandemic, something I’m learning and I know is an important lesson is just because you found a certain system in place doesn’t mean that that’s the way it should be. Don’t shy away from pushing for change, especially if the system is defective

Connect with Mirikau on his Instagram page below:

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Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you soon!

Love Glynis

In case you are new to the blog my name is Glynis Maina, this blog is my canvas and for more, please subscribe to my mailing list below and never miss a post.