March, 7, 2024


Ready to explore the many facets to @tamimahafez ‘s creativity?

As we spoke to Tamima, we unveiled the influence of her going to a Montessori school, that led up to her vehemence for all that falls under the creative umbrella, how acting enabled her triumphing over the external noise from her early childhood, and how she overcame the chaos that goes hand-in-hand with graduating.

Delve into her hypnotic mind & the tidbits of her process.

And as Tamima says, remember to choose kindness today and everyday!
 

Tamima, what do you think has led up to your appreciation of the arts?
I was born & raised in Germany; I went to a Montessori school.
We would learn by doing things with our own hands, so evidently, there was a lot of physical work, theatre, and plenty of activities that would fall under the creative umbrella.
Growing up, I was always drawn towards escaping my reality, and delving into the shows I watched, and the books I read.
I was struggling in Germany, and I was bullied, so essentially art was my resort.
 

C’est quoi l’art?
Art is a luxury: an emotional and intellectual luxury.
It is not a necessity by any means. However, if you are passionate about it, you will choose it.
It’s not something that needs to keep the world going, but it has to keep the world going, so that we all have an extra bit of compassion within ourselves, to feel, and to stay connected.
If we take it out of the world, we would be left with a very robotic way of living.
It is the cherry on top.
 

Tamima on Creativity & Self Esteem:
Working in the creative sector takes a toll on my self-esteem everyday.
It has been and still is a journey.
If you have a lot of free time on hand, it creates space for self-doubt.
I battled with that a lot, especially right after I’d graduated.
It was a transitional period; in a sense, there is an infinite number of possibilites & options ahead of you.
It’s easy when choices are made for us.
I would sit in bed all day, getting nothing done.
Now, I’ve taken up a full-time remote job, and I live alone, so it’s instant responsibility as soon as I wake up.
This bestowed a routine upon me that I can’t escape.
I need to constantly be doing something.
It gets exhausting. I’m very emotional, as well.
But being asked to do things forces me to move on, and brings me back to motion.
 
People think there’s a process to creativity.
You just have to get on it.
Set some goals; get things done.
To have the privilege of getting your creativity flowing means you have the luxury of time and money, and at this day and age, I don’t think that’s entirely possible.
 

Tell us more about your song-writing process?
My creative process with song-writing is a bit mathematic.
It’s almost like I am crafting a formula.
I appreciate words, and I try to curate them in a way that feels nice.
It’s an exercise, not necessarily tying back to my feelings.
 

Tamima on Consumption:
At this day & age, we don’t realize the impact of the content we consume.
There is incredibly inspiring stuff; however, the downsides are there too.
We do things so robotically.
Our parents didn’t have all these instant daily news that shove anxiety & fear into our brains.
We need to be aware of our consumption.
Mindless scrolling is like getting high on drugs. We’re addicted, so we’re not aware of its ramifications; we end up getting drained.
If we spend all of our lives consuming, when are we creating?
 
 
Tamima on the Local Creative Scene
We’re very music-oriented.
The creative scene mostly constitutes parties & DJ’s.
I was at CJC; there was an improvised play, “Maktoob Aleina”.
It was packed. Everyone was there for the art.
I love live performances.
I appreciate that our culture is leaning towards opening up this sector more.
We’re developing!
 

In what ways did your career in acting change you?
Everything.
I used to lack a lot of self-confidence.
My step-brother pushed me to do an audition; I was so scared, but surprisingly,
I got the role.
I fell in love with the craft, and I got comfortable with the idea of taking up space.
It was all there, but it was muted from the external noise and voices.