People’s spaces and things: visual artist and creative director Snikka takes us on an intimate journey through artists’ homes
By Ime Ekiko
Motivated by COVID-19, artists across the globe have shifted their focus towards creating work that intentionally honors both their time on this planet and the spaces that they inhabit. Visual artist and creative director Snikka is joining the movement, offering us her creative photo series SPACES, an intimate journey through the homes of creatives.
Described as “capturing creatives in their purest essence,” Snikka’s SPACES provides a timely glance into the goal towards which many of us are working: being at peace with being at home. Last month, we sat with Snikka to learn more about her project and about the creation process behind it.
Snikka, photographed by Nathalie Basoski.
Who are you, and where are you from?
My name is Snikka. I'm from the Bay Area. I moved to New York about six years ago to attend Pratt Institute and graduated in 2018. Now I'm freelancing. I'm an experienced artist, creative director and graphic designer. I do a lot of photography, production, brand work, and, honestly, anything else that comes my way. All my jobs have been through people that I know and do my network. It's random sometimes, but it keeps things exciting.
I get to work with people I love, people I care about, people I’m comfortable with. It’s been interesting working like this for two years.
You're able to fully support yourself by freelancing?
Yeah, basically. I have a couple of photographer-on-retainer positions, but I work as art director at a vintage clothing shop, Byas & Leon—they do a lot of sustainable work and are basically like family to me. That's my most consistent job. Other than that, I just did a mural recently in someone's apartment, which is very fun and random. I did a commissioned painting earlier. The pandemic has changed my entire career path.
How has the pandemic affected you? How have you been able to pivot and readjust in this new era?
It has affected my freelance work a lot. I used to do a lot of freelance photography and event promotion. That was my thing. I also make jewelry, but a lot of my sources for materials are closed down or completely out of business—wow, that was horrible. I also had a laser cutting plug that I can't use anymore. The jewelry went on hold, but it's not gone forever.
I’ve been in my apartment in Bed-Stuy, experimenting with materials, thinking about what I'm doing and what I want to focus on. That's when I came back to these photos of space, which I started shooting back in January of this year. This project has actually been in my head since I left the Bay Area, but when I tried to do it for my thesis project at school, my teachers were not down for it. They were like, “You're a graphic design student!”
Chu, photographed by Snikka for SPACES.
“I started thinking about the concept of SPACES a lot more, as people were forced to find peace within their spaces, which I have valued since I was a little kid.”
Can you talk a little bit about your time there?
It was cool. It was a little bit stricter, considering that it was an art school. I wish that they would allow students in different majors to interact more with each other. I majored in graphic design. I don't love graphic design, but I'm grateful for my time there. I learned a lot. I have a lot of great connections and great skills that I gained from there.
But again, they didn't let me do this project that I was passionate about. They weren't very supportive of the vision. They were somewhat breeding us to work in corporate America or at an agency—make Hollywood money, whatever. But that's just not what I wanted to do at all. I just don't think that's real. So, you know, I learned what I learned. I'm grateful.
I revisited those photos and revisited the project as a whole during quarantine. I started thinking about the concept of SPACES a lot more, as people were forced to find peace within their spaces, which I have valued since I was like a little kid. It was really interesting to talk to people about it. I'm shooting again—which is interesting, too—because I get to talk to people about their perspective on their space.
This is the perfect time to be able to explore the value of one’s space. How did you start curating or carving out your own personal space with your work? What does your work say about your identity as a person?
I've been shooting since I was like 13 or 14 years old. Looking back, I've noticed that I really enjoy shooting people. Within that, the actual composition and colors are really important to me. I never really shoot in black and white. A lot of it has to do with the subject matter. The most important thing, to me, is to have their own assets shown in the photo—whether that's the angle or props, their surroundings or location.
It's a very chill process for me, so I strive to make people feel just as comfortable as I am so that we can create something authentic. This is also why I really enjoy SPACES: I'm being invited into someone's space, into their home, or wherever they create, which is already such an intimate process. Being able to make people feel comfortable and to have their essence shine through these photos is really important to me and is something that I feel like I've worked towards as a photographer.
Teresa, photographed by Snikka for SPACES.
How has your idea of space been influenced by this project?
This project started because of my own personal journey and appreciation for my own space. I made every room that I lived in my safe haven. I'm a little bit of a homebody sometimes. I can stay inside all day, every day, so [my space] has to be really special for me personally.
The apartment I'm in right now? This room is like the best it's ever been. It’s like a culmination of my past and my realization of how important things are. The undeniable energy in this room—in this entire apartment. I’ve gone through a lot of growth and learned lessons along the way to create a space so nurturing and wholesome.
When I started doing SPACES, my thought process was that I can't be the only person thinking this way. People have to have a perspective on this, even if they don't think they do—a creative will always find a place to create. Some people need comfort. Some people need complete control over their surroundings if they're creating, and then some people just don't care and don’t need specific things. It's been really different for everyone.
How do you like your space to be?
If I'm to myself and making jewelry, doing some shit with clay, or painting, then it's a very different vibe than when I'm shooting someone. When I’m here and I'm ready to make something, I'll clean my entire room. I'll put on some music, light incense, and change the lighting. Sometimes I’ll do the most, but it’s just so that the vibes are good—I’m not worried about anything else.
But if I'm shooting someone, or a group of people, or a brand, then I'm going off of them. What are their lives? How are they feeling? What do they need from me so that their essence can come out in these photos? It’s such a different experience than doing my own thing in my room.
What is a common thread you've noticed with all of your creative subjects?
Honestly, they're all so different. Some people are really clean. Some people are really dirty. Some people are really colorful. Some people do not have color at all. Also, the term “creative” is so expansive—I’ve shot chefs, musicians, jewelry makers. You know, a wide range of people.
Melika, photographed by Snikka for SPACES.
Do you hit people up like, “Hey, can I come in and shoot you in your space?” Do you spend some time building a connection before shooting?
Some people are really close friends, but other people are work acquaintances, people I’ve met at parties, or Instagram mutuals. Other people have started reaching out to me, which is what I wanted. I wheat-pasted this series all over Brooklyn recently, so it’s really interesting to see people see it on the street and reach out to work with me.
I want to take this everywhere, but currently, I'm focusing on big cities because space is so limited [in big cities]. What can you do with the space that you have?
“What can you do with the space that you have?”
How would you say people's personalities show up in their spaces? Who has been your favorite subject to capture so far?
The personality is there, especially when I go into someone's space and they start talking about it. Everybody makes sense when they do. I have a couple of my favorite ones, although it is really hard to pick—I’ve had no terrible experiences, and everyone has been very nice and fun.
One of the first sets that I created when I started shooting again in August was Melika, a musician. They live with their dad, who is a painter. They live together in this beautiful artist studio. They had a bunch of their dad’s paintings everywhere in their space. Their space was filled with culture and art and beautiful patterns everywhere you turned.
Another one was my friend Moja. His space was really inspiring. He had a lot of stuff, but his space was super clean. Everything was perfectly put into place—there were just a lot of cool little knick-knacks and books everywhere and skateboards on the wall. He just kept pulling out random projects that he'd been working on. It made me realize that people have a lot of interests.
Moja, photographed by Snikka for SPACES.
Have you received any mentorship throughout your journey?
I had a really good teacher—a great thesis professor who really let me do my thing. He gave me a lot of freedom which resulted in me making a project I was super proud of. It was all photography, but he was really into it and really supportive. He kind of helped me realize that school was not the end of the world. I didn't have to impress anyone there, you know? He was really important to me. My mom is also an amazing artist. She's always been supportive of me.
What type of artist is your mom? Is she an inspiration of yours?
She's a painter. She just got her masters, and she's a huge inspiration of mine. I remember growing up, she was working all the time but would come home late, cook dinner, and sometimes paint if she had the energy. She really began committing to it when my brother and I left for college. She decided to quit the tech industry and go back to school herself to get a masters degree in painting.
But honestly, so many people in society inspire me. Everything inspires me. I could walk out the door right now—it's a sunny day—and I'll just be flooded with inspiration. When people ask me who my inspiration is, I can't pick someone. I strive to find the beauty in everything around me, in daily life. Even mundane things inspire me.
What would you hope that your space says about you when you're no longer here? What impact do you wish for your work to have?
I have always wanted my work to inspire other people. My room and my work have a lot going on, but everything is very specific . I think it is a perfect reflection of who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to say in general.
“I strive to find the beauty in everything around me, in daily life. Even mundane things inspire me.”