As a full-time employee, I occasionally did financial retrospectives, which helped me learn more about my spending behaviour. I successfully implemented changes after that. I did go back to bad habits again, but I believe there was an overall improvement. However, in those moments of “learning about my financial patterns”, there was a reassurance that “the next salary will sort troubled areas out, and I will behave afterwards.”

Today, I analyzed my past two months as a full-time creator and broke my expenses and earnings thus far into categories. I suggest that you do it at least after every few months and learn more about yourself! 

Costs and Earnings so far

I am only in the first two months of my life as a creator; I am still busy establishing myself and have no income. I have not taken jobs in the Cape Town market yet and have focused solely on building my YouTube platform. This means I am eating into my savings and relying on my investments. So here’s what I discovered:

• 19.1% of my expenses went into establishing my creative career. This includes the following:

  • travel costs like fuel, permits, camping, and food

  • A new action camera (I paid half and my friends from work paid half)

  • camera insurance (unavoidable)

  • subscriptions like Adobe, music, etc. (unavoidable)

• Coffee was 1.5% of my expenses, and I am determined to bring it down, I promise! This means more coffee at home.

• Eating out was a 1.2% expense, and I am unhappy with myself.

• A holiday was 1.2% of my expenses, which was unavoidable as I had booked it before my resignation.

I can justify the rest of the expenses, such as household, medical, fuel, education, security, electricity, municipal etc. because life needs to move on. I budgeted for these before my resignation.

The good news is that I made an income from my creative life, although the money hasn’t been received yet, which is 21% of my total expenses in the last two months.

Actions

• First, the two areas that need addressing are coffee and eating out expenses. They might seem small in percentage, but this will add up over many months and add unwanted financial pressure on me.

• I can’t change creative life costs; they will fluctuate, but I won’t buy gear unless it’s a do-or-die situation.

• I will go on holiday, but my partner will cover the expenses. So, if you see me somewhere out of Cape Town on holiday, know it’s not me behind the wallet!

Future Direction

All of the above was expected in one way or another, but now I am “in it.” It’s happening! And I have no salary. It makes me nervous. I have realised that I need to keep working hard and intelligent, and laying the foundation to earn through my creative life is the right approach. For example, I am currently busy creating a photography course. I have successfully created courses in the past and earned through them. There’s more, but I will share about that someday.

I suggest you also develop this habit if you haven’t already done so.

Quote of the week: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." ~Jim Ryun

Video of the week: 5 Free Habits Millionaires Use to Stay Ahead by Nischa

Kind regards

Muji

When I was a software architect, my team used to run “sprints” as part of our process of building software in an agile fashion. A sprint’s duration is usually two weeks. A sprint is a set number of days, and on its first day, the team sits together for an hour and decides what they will do for the next two weeks. Tasks are written down and put on the “To Do” side of the board, then moved to the “In Progress” section and eventually “Done”. Every day, the team members get together and tell others what they did yesterday, whether the progress is good or if there are impediments and that help is needed. The tasks you don’t complete move onto the next sprints of two weeks, but you do a retrospective of what went well, what didn’t go well, and how we could improve.

This concept of agility is closer to what I read in Alexander Heyne's book Master The Day last year. My mission as a full-time creator is to establish myself and lay a foundation to start earning money; otherwise, the dream won’t go that far. I am fully committed to working hard and smart. To quote a Gen Z term, “I am busy cooking!”. Let me put it this way, “I don’t want to waste. time, I can’t waste time, I can’t afford that”. 

I run sprints, too. My sprints are a week-long, though. Based on the broader goals I have set for myself, I write down what I want to do in a week. After I finalise it and realise that this is aligned with my goals, I allocate them to days of the week. I could use software for that, and I use it to manage everything, but I am keeping it very tactile and manual for now. Below are photos of this week’s sprint and sprint goals.

This helps me with the following:

• accountable to myself since I am my boss (my actual boss is my wife, but we don’t talk about that)

• aligned to my vision and broader goals

• organised

• personally fulfilled because I need confidence to move forward and know I am not wasting my and my family’s time

• aware of where I stand today, how far I have come, where I need to go and if I need to pivot

I hope this helps you in mastering your day and week.

Quote of the week: “Time doesn't heal. It's what you do with the time. Healing is possible when we choose to take responsibility when we choose to take risks, and finally when we choose to release the wound, to let go of the past or the grief.” ~Edith Egar

Video of the week: Be the main character of your life by Ottilie

Kind regards

Muji

What went well?

• My first video about quitting my job was a great success. As I write, it has 53k views, and I've gained 3k subscribers and lots of encouraging comments. Masha Allah.

• I've had more time to focus on my creative projects distraction-free. It took me a week or two to adjust to not feeling pressured about work responsibilities.

• Social media is a game of numbers (unfortunately), and getting many views on my first video caught the attention of Adorama, a team I deeply admire. It's an honour to be asked to write for them, and it's an excellent opportunity for creative expression and earning. The link to my first article is at the end of this email. Masha Allah.

• I attended a solo filmmaker event and made new connections. They want to show my short film "I Quit" at a cinema, where I will present it, followed by a Q&A session in front of an audience.

• I am excited that I just made my first sale of my Vintage Lightroom Presets! The 17 presets are designed to bring a vintage flair to photos for various occasions with just one click. It's currently available for just $9.99 (originally $14.99) until August 26th 2024 with the code MUJI-HIGH-FIVE. Click here to play with the presets live, no obligation to buy

• I have also approached a big organisation as there seems to be some interest from their side in either buying my photos or letting me commission a photography and documentary-style project. Fingers crossed!

• My wife has been a great pillar of strength. She has helped me refine my ideas and work. Without her, I don’t think my I Quit video would have had such a strong script.

• Overall, the first two months have been a confidence booster, and I believe we are moving in the right direction.

What didn’t go well/What’s in my mind?

• I come from a fast-paced corporate environment, and in my role for the last eight years, I have had to constantly think about “cost” and “benefits.” I keep looking at my bank account and seeing money going out on daily expenses and nothing coming in. This is not a surprise, and I planned for it, but I am still learning to adjust.

•  I am still nervous. I was afraid of it, and it’s happening now. I keep looking at my YouTube statistics: “Am I getting more views and subscribers?” “how close am I to getting monetised through YouTube ads"?” “damn, I am on my own now”.

• Although I have made two videos so far, the I Quit video gave me a bit of a high. I tried to stay humble, thank God for it, not boast about it, and remind myself that the hard work didn’t end there; I relaxed slightly. The two videos completely consumed my efforts, but I feel I can do more, such as making more shorts and reels and uploading more photos. 

• My second video is a great effort, but I didn’t do much analysis in terms of what people would like to see. I made it because I was passionate about the topic of depression. It hasn’t received a response regarding numbers and subscribers (see, I keep thinking about numbers).

How can I improve?

• I must constantly remind myself that I envision building a community where I share my stories about life, motivation, nature and travelling. Community building takes time. Subscribers are NOT NUMBERS. They are people who give me time. 

• I must focus on quality and make videos that I am passionate about and that my audience wants to see.

• Do your best, and money will follow. You have given yourself almost two years to set a foundation; don’t lose sight of your goals.

• Keep sharing your knowledge, learn, grow and repeat.

• If you want to examine your YouTube statistics, do that, but learn from them instead of trying to induce a dopamine effect.

Okay, that’s it. I'm sorry it was a long email. I hope it gave you an insight into a creator’s life. Below is a link to my article for Adorama.

Kind regards

Muji

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]]>A two months retrospective of my progress as a solo filmmaker, photographer and content creatorMujahid ur RehmanSun, 11 Aug 2024 05:30:00 +0000https://www.mujahidurrehman.com/photography-film-making-travel-blogs/why-do-we-take-photos624d6b2659c9f72d62bebb1c:624d93567d2b6c294ffaae18:6698c23c3e9c6c7955ef0f6e

“Why do we take photos?” my wife asked a random question while we drove to Cederberg in a storm.

“Because we are mortals”, I replied.

My answer was a deep one, but I am not the first one to give that answer. I live in Africa, and bushman paintings are everywhere. From the very beginning, we have wanted to chronicle our lives. Bushmen were the first artists, and we have continued their legacy. I have spent nights in caves where bushmen's paintings are on the walls. While sitting in front of the fire, I imagined myself sitting with the ancient people. Amongst other things, I saw a person sitting inside the cave on a starry night, painting a hunting scene of an elephant. I had a shiver through my spine. Although I didn’t know his intention of painting it, I recognised him as an artist. Did his leader ask him to record an event for future generations? Or was he just creative and wanted to immortalise what he saw? or both? How did he figure out what to use to preserve those colours for me to witness a few thousand years after his demise?

Aren’t we the same as our ancestors from the cave? We have painted, passed down our recipes to the younger generations, written down those musical notes to be played forever, and taken photos on film, and now billions of photos are taken in the palms of our hands. 

Chronicling our lives is in our blood. We do it to fulfil our creative desire, but we also do it for memories, sharing smiles, making people aware of what’s happening in the world, and one day remembering all of this when we are nostalgic.

My answer, among other things, is that we do it because we are mortals. Wouldn’t most of us want to live forever if given a choice? If that’s true, we would desire to create memories and go back in time through art, architecture, films, photography, recipes, clothing, music, etc. 

Your photos, or mine, might be ordinary for the person next to you, but they are unique. Imagine that many hundred years from now, or even thousands, if the earth survives the chaos we create, someone will look at our work and talk about us. Forget a few hundred or thousand years, in the next hundred years when none of us is alive, and this laptop I am writing on right now, next to a warm cup of coffee in Seattle Coffee shop in Cape Town, on a rainy day, with two ladies talking at the top of their lungs, with my noise cancellation headphones on… are gone, people will have our photos, videos, and our knowledge to remember us by.

When was the last time you created something for someone who will be born a hundred years from now?

Kind regards

Muji

Even if you don’t make short films or videos, I suggest you try this article. I can learn from your experiences, and maybe there’s something in my process that inspires you to incorporate it into your life of painting, baking, gardening, interior design, or whatever you are passionate about. I want to make a video about this topic one day, but let's talk about it in an email that is hopefully not so long.

How I pick my ideas: I don’t pick ideas. Ideas pick me. One of my favourite short films I made about an artist stuck in a creative block originated from a sentence, “Laws of Creativity”, that struck my mind while walking in my street. I refer to my last email/blog, where I shared that a healthy mind and body lead to visions and ideas. Just keep observing what’s around you and let it soak in. Get inspiration from the books, people, nature, and all the miracles floating around us.

Write: I keep a notebook on me at all times. I have lots of notebooks with thoughts, ideas and life lessons that I have learned. Develop a second brain and write down your ideas so they are not lost. Write as much as you want about the topic and rewrite it as many times as you want to make it a masterpiece.

Music: Let me put it out there: I know nothing about music. What I do know is what my spirit likes and where my soul floats when there’s music that hits me. Writing needs to be accompanied by visuals in your video. Good music, usually without any lyrics, leads me to these visions where the character of my short film appears to do things. I write all those visions down. I might not choose the same music in the final film, but the music that strikes those brain chords is worth listening to.  

Create a shot list: Based on inspiration, music, and visions, create a shot list. Don’t think about how you are going to implement your ideas or whether you have the technical know-how. Enjoy what comes to mind and write it down. The technical world has limitations, but not your mind.

Think of the best movies you have watched. They are all based on the inspiration of the writer, the visions of the cinematographer and the director, and then they made it possible by working hard and smart.

Implement: Within your means, shoot the video, bake the cup-cake, paint that painting, climb the mountain, build those muscles at the gym, write that software that you have been wanting to, design the layout of your garden and knit that sweater that you have been wanting to for a long time. 

There’s more to the list of how I shoot my films, and that’s a talk we will have in a video one day. I follow a process, and what I shared today is a bird' s-eye view. I love each bit of the workflow, and I am even happy to help you in a one-on-one session via a Zoom call if you are keen.

But for now, I leave you with my short film, The Three Inescapable Laws of Creativity, which I hope will inspire you.

Kind regards

Muji   

In my experience, the gift of creativity comes with a quality that is both a blessing and a curse. We are sensitive to our surroundings, and the energy around us influences us. 

Let me get the curse part out of the way and not emphasise it much. I have stopped watching the news and cut off a lot from my life that depresses me. You may call me selfish, but I can’t take it anymore. It is hard for me to come out of a state of sadness, and it takes months, not days. I have seen this pattern in many other creative people and artists. 

The good news is that you are not born creative. You develop yourself to think like that, so here’s a secret to share with others. As you can see in the image above, that’s my car driving through the storm as my wife talks about how creative minds think differently. These words are written down as I have almost zero visibility on a South African road towards Cederberg that has been declared a disaster zone because of the storm.

It’s fascinating how different humans transpose their interests into a different world experience, mostly not consciously. The photographer and filmmaker in me is scanning these somewhat extreme visuals and thinking about how I will shoot this scene. 

“All you need is a massive telephoto lens, and the lonely tree on that green hill with a thunderstorm will look amazing”, I told my wife.  

She replied, “I was thinking about watercolours and the choice of pigment, how to create shadows, and what colour the shadows will be.”

“Can you please stop the car? I think that old barn with this light will make a great painting”, she requested, and because I am a good husband, I continued to drive.

Artistic people experience the world both consciously and unconsciously with a different filter than people who don’t have an artistic inclination. The same drive on a rainy road could be a scary experience for someone just trying to go from point A to B, and the artist's eye sees the mist in the distance and thinks about how it will be composed or be painted. A rain-drenched road might be boring, and the artist wants to encapsulate the experience, and the mind constantly scans how to achieve that. You are thinking that in microseconds.

“How would I paint it?”

“My eyes are the eye of a lens”.

A scene's beauty, colour, contrast, and texture are a healthy challenge to the mind to convert it into a painting or a print. An artist's brain takes a million photos and compositions in a day. Their world is full of opportunities. This is what their heart desires to record, and the desire cannot be controlled. It’s deeply imprinted in them.

My wife told me that as a child, it was always her desire to express herself through her paintings. I can relate to it because that’s all I have always wanted.  It’s because it brings us the ultimate joy and sense of fulfilment. It’s something deep seated and a thirst that can't be quenched. People who scroll online are fed with dopamine by rolling their fingers down. Meanwhile, for the artist, it's a dopamine rush amplified a thousand times by something they create. The desire cannot be dampened…

If you aspire to be creative, start observing and training your brain. Let the surroundings itch your mind and create curiosity. Dive into the world of imagination; there are no limits. Inspiration is all around you for your next recipe of sour-dough bread or the design of your lounge!

Kind regards

Muji

My mom always told me, "You make something of nothing". From a young age, I enjoyed painting and always knew I wanted an art career. As a creative mind, I find joy in so many things, but I guess I never knew what steps to take next and in which direction...

After school, I helped at a small health and Gift shop serving coffee. I never would have imagined being there for almost three years. I never got promoted, but my responsibilities multiplied, and my "title" changed. I went from part-time retail to stocktaker, manager assistant, and pantry and coffee shop manager. I did everything to the best of my ability, hoping to be recognised and promoted.

It's been a journey. I put more into my job than my art and felt drained because neither brought fruit. I regularly felt discouraged and lost.

In 2023, I met a client (Muji) who sparked my curiosity. I wondered how he and his wife had different careers when they both had creative minds. He was a software engineer, and photography and filmmaking were his passions. His wife was a doctor and an artist. The best part of my job is working with clients. I love the stories and experiences they have to share. You realize you always have something in common with someone. You also never forget the person who gives you a spark of hope and another perspective on life.

My title at work changed again, and unfortunately, it was not for the better (perhaps this was a blessing in disguise). The moment came at the crossroads where I decided that I would instead take a leap of faith and believe that I'd get further chasing a dream rather than be stagnant in life since I wasn't fulfilled and didn't see how I would ever be. I regularly thought of this quote, "a salary is a drug your employer gives you to forget your dreams". In some cases, it is true.

It's difficult to tell someone who I am, but I know who I don't want to be. I don't want to take small things for granted. I want to remain down to earth and have a good and kind character. I always want to understand the person next to me. How can you do that if you have everything in life? I enjoy working on something I like and observing birds pecking at crumbs on the ground.

For the first time in a long time, I look forward to the future, walking by faith, not sight. I get to decide what I want to do and what will make me happy, not what others want and expect of me anymore.

Zoe

July 2024

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]]>I met Zoe, an artist whose talent illuminates the world, bringing boundless creativity.Mujahid ur RehmanSun, 14 Jul 2024 05:30:00 +0000https://www.mujahidurrehman.com/photography-film-making-travel-blogs/so-it-begins624d6b2659c9f72d62bebb1c:624d93567d2b6c294ffaae18:668d61a58e439f21a872a457

I should share a page of my diary with you today that I wrote a few days ago, on July 9th. It was my last day as an employee and the end of a sixteen-year era of working at the same company. Why am I sharing it? It may give you an insight into how one feels when they eventually get to what they have always wanted to do or dreamt of. The last paragraph of what I wrote in my diary may motivate you. So here goes… 

So it begins

I went to the office today to drop off my laptop. I was very emotional, and I cried quite a bit as I left the building. It was a bittersweet ending.

So, today is the last day at work, and the life I have wanted begins. However, I feel a little lost now despite knowing what to do. I have this urge to go and check my work laptop.

When the day begins tomorrow, I am unsure how I will feel when I don’t have to open the work laptop. It’s almost like a sense of loss that I have right now. I also feel that “I am on my own” now. 

I am not scared, but I am uncertain about my future. At the same time, I know that I will be able to put it all off. There’s this sense of rush that I must create a video right now; otherwise, I will be at a loss. I guess I will get used to the new routine.

I need to keep moving forward and have a purpose. Otherwise, I will waste this time that I have borrowed for myself from me and my family.

So, I guess the purpose of sharing a page of my diary was to make myself realise that it’s okay to feel lost and let the emotions play out, but one should not lose sight of one’s goals by moving forward. I hope what I say helps if you are in a similar situation. Maybe you are overwhelmed by something new that you have started… and I can assure you that “it’s ok to be nervous. You are unique, and there’s no one like you; you bring to people around you your unique set of qualities that no one can replicate… so take your time, don’t be afraid of walking slowly, only be afraid of standing still”. Maybe I should write that down in my diary too! 

Kind regards

Muji   

I have three days left of my corporate life and can’t wait to start a new chapter of creativity. I have revised the script for my video “I quit my job” three times now, and I need to record my voiceover for the fourth time. I went to Cape Point, also known as Cape Of Good Hope, to record the video's opening scenes. A few nights before that, I woke up at about 1:00 AM and saw myself standing on the white sand of Dias Beach at Cape Point. In the vision, I stood atop the mountain, looking at myself down at the beach. I must say that I am pretty happy with the shots I got based on the visions. It made me wonder what triggered a random vision at night. I enjoy the process and have had these visions for a few films I have shot.

I am susceptible to negativity, and I also get depressed when I see selfishness, hate, wars, and other ugly things our planet doesn’t need. I avoid all that pushes me into a negative zone. The best ideas and visions come when I have a healthy mindset, eat and sleep well, and am physically active.

To get the shots of the opening scenes, I prepared a shot list and decided on the equipment, music, sounds, and creative angles. I had to hike up a mountain and then down on the beach, which took almost an hour. All of that happened with 15kg on my back. I was out of breath on occasion, but I was content because the physical training at the gym paid off. Thanks to my trainer, whom I swear loudly, for making me do those squats. 

I have spoken a lot about myself today, but it’s an experience I am sharing with you. A healthy mind and body combination is essential for a creative process and journey—a person's mission to achieve something results from healthy thinking patterns and activities. The most amazing part is that I envision camera angles and shots. It’s incredible what the human brain can come up with when given the right environment by its owner!

I would love to hear what you have to say!

Of course, I will share the video in a few weeks when it’s done!

Kind regards

Muji

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]]>The secret sauce to creativity is…Mujahid ur RehmanThu, 20 Jun 2024 14:35:47 +0000https://www.mujahidurrehman.com/photography-film-making-travel-blogs/when-is-it-hard-to-stay-motivated624d6b2659c9f72d62bebb1c:624d93567d2b6c294ffaae18:6674345bfea5dd40a0d351d5Ironically, I am having a few bad days, and as I opened my To-Do list to write a blog, the topic list says, “When is it hard to stay motivated?” So, let’s dive into it straight away. 

Creating without aim: sometimes, we must infuse our creations with intention. Are we making it for fun, business, to learn a new technique, or simply out of passion? What will we achieve after editing our photos, going on a trip, painting our vase with flowers, or collecting our stamps? We create for the sheer joy and love of it, and that's beautiful. But let's also set some short-term goals for ourselves. For instance, I write because I love it, but I also want to grow my audience and engage them for the sustainability of my photography and filmmaking ventures. With that in mind, I might create videos, photos, blogs, etc., that may lead to sales. Creating becomes a fulfilling journey when you have goals because you can set tasks to complete your mission. 

Lack of feedback and encouragement: My wife typically compares herself to me and says, “I don’t create it for the audience. I do it for me”. I fully and wholeheartedly agree with her. However, she is usually the first to come and ask me, “So how does my painting look?”. She is the one who has had exhibitions too, not I. We need feedback and sometimes appreciation to do more. It’s human nature. It might be a certain number of likes or clicks for someone to feel encouraged, and for some, it might just be “well done”, “great job”, “you must create more, it’s healthy”, or “Oh wow, you are amazing”.

 Comparing yourself to others: You are unique, you are you, and no one else will be like you. So, stop comparing yourself to others. If you feel someone is a better baker or a photographer than you, draw inspiration from their work and don’t let yourself feel down. Remember, you have your unique perspective and style. Keep moving forward, trusting in your creative journey. 

Not trusting yourself: If you keep moving one step at a time, you will eventually reach the heights of excellence. To love something or be passionate about something, you must love yourself first and have faith that even if you don’t know something, you will learn it, work hard and smart, and create better the next time. Create your workflow for doing things, be organised, and trust your process by tweaking it based on new learnings. 

Not staying focused: To master something, you must be with that craft, art, hobby, or passion. Give your creative passion a chance to flourish by giving it the time it needs and staying focused on small goals that create a bigger picture. If you are easily distracted by media, negativity, and time waste, you will eventually lose the motivation to create. It’s a deep dungeon, trust me!

You don’t need motivation: You need discipline more than motivation, and once the ball rolls, it’s hard to stop it. So, maybe it’s time to whip your inner lazy self and get up!

If this is your first time and you want to stay in touch, please subscribe to my newsletter, get a free eBook, and keep reading, giving feedback, and staying motivated with me!

Kind regards

Muji

I ask this because I was watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. There is a very powerful scene in which Walter Mitty, our main character, asks Sean when he will take the photo of the snow leopard.

Walter Mitty: When are you going to take it?

Sean O'Connell: Sometimes I don't. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.

Walter Mitty: Stay in it?

Sean O'Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.

Sean loved photography, and he loved nature and beautiful creatures even more. When the things you love become part of you, those things take you into a different zone and realm, and you are rejuvenated—that’s a sign! 

Let me know what you think.

Kind regards

Muji

So, after 16 years, I have finally quit my job. The decision came after much deliberation and consultation with my wife and children, and I have their support. Friends and family have also given encouragement and shown support. I am fortunate and blessed to be in a position now where I can quit my job and follow my dream of making films, taking photos, and travelling.

I have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in the last two months. Making such a decision isn’t easy for those who have worked in a nine-to-five job forever, and I am no exception. I have relied on a monthly salary and gone on holidays knowing that I have job security. However, my passion hasn’t been in the job for a long time. My heart is in storytelling through my writing, videos and films. I have come a long way in learning this craft and have a long way to go. However, I am ready to take a leap of faith based on where I stand financially. 

It sounds strange to say, “I am a filmmaker and a photographer” instead of “I am a Software Architect.” Well, I am currently going through my resignation period, but I am getting excited as July 9th, 2024, approaches. 

I have plans, and I have been talking to many industry professionals so that on the 10th of July, I can hit the road running.

I guess the sky is the limit, and another era of hard work is about to begin. If you are reading a blog of mine for the first time, subscribe to my newsletter and be the first one to know the latest and keep our conversations going. I share weekly updates on what I am up to. It also gives me a chance to interact with you and answer emails. I would love to hear what you have to say and share.

Kind regards

Muji 

Quite a few of you know I have a YouTube channel called Muji’s Photography, but it’s not active anymore. I created that channel as a young beginner photographer to share my knowledge and teach others what I learned. The aim was to grow both as a photographer and as a Youtuber. I hoped that if my YouTube channel grew, I could do it full-time and fulfil my dream of photography, travelling, and making videos. Long story short, the channel grew in the beginning, but life happened at the same time. In the last many years, there have been spells when I uploaded regularly, but if I look back, I was mostly inconsistent in my efforts. Also, I lacked the strategy to run a channel. I did grow as a photographer, made a name in the local industry, and continued to do photography with and without YouTube. I couldn’t focus because of office and family responsibilities. One good thing that happened is that filmmaking also became my passion to tell stories of my adventures and people. Motivating others through films and documentaries was an expressive outlet I discovered and became passionate about. My mistake was confusing my YouTube followers by uploading those videos on a landscape photography channel. Most people subscribed to me because of landscape photography tips, tricks and behind-the-scenes vlogs. When I uploaded the content of a different nature, the viewership stopped and halted. Also, sharing tips and behind-the-scenes took lower priority. I had niched down my channel so much that nothing I did on it got attention. 

So, it’s time for a fresh start. My new channel is now up and running. How do I define myself? “Well, I am a storyteller and photography and short films are a medium to express that”. The channel showcases short films with a message to motivate and inspire people in the creative field. It shares life advice, my experiences, documentaries, and messages on nature, travel, and humanity. It targets a broader audience in the creative field. Also, I intend to put very non-technical behind-the-scenes for everyone. We will learn photography, filmmaking, travelling, and creativity and enjoy watching stories. If this is your cup of tea or coffee, join @muji.drifts on YouTube. What’s with “drifts” in the name? Well, I am a Drifting Wayfarer, and I will express myself through photos, films, and this newsletter about whatever comes my way. I am lucky to have you on board and pass my knowledge on to you. I hope you find inspiration, just like I did from those two girls who are now enjoying their smoothies! Click on the button below. 

Khuda-e-Pamaan

Muji 

Somewhere in a small house in a small town in Pakistani Punjab, a teenage boy wakes up to the sound of various activities happening around him. He finds himself on a charpai of an old house whose yellow walls need to be painted (charpai is a traditional woven bed). The white sheet he took over him to sleep is now failing to keep him warm. He hears the kids playing in the narrow street outside. The municipal jamadaar (sweeper) shouts at them for running over his pile of dirt. His strong Punjabi accent shows his frustration. The mother of one of the boys screams and calls her son back into the house. Her voice is loud and clear through the thin long street which is full of traditional Indian style houses. It is difficult for this teenage boy to keep his eyes closed. The movement around his charpai is also becoming quite intense now. On the corner is a very small kitchen with a gas stove. The teenage boy, although he is still pretending to sleep, can look into the kitchen with half his head still hiding under the white sheet. There is a big orange cylinder connected to the stove. Above it is an old-style radio that his uncle has manually tuned into Radio Pakistan. A beautiful Urdu song is being played. It then abruptly ends with modern music. It sounds like war music, 'yeh radio Pakistan hei, ab aap Shakeel Ahmed say khabrain sun rahein hein. Tooont toont.' (This is Radio Pakistan and I am your newscaster Shakeel Ahmed. Beep beep sound). The boy's eyes fall on the stove where his chacha (uncle) had put double roti (white bread) for his dadi (grandmother). The smell of butter on the double roti is becoming intense as it starts to burn. The teenage boy doesn't wake up, he smiles, that's his favourite part, the bread is burnt, and his chacha, who is wearing a traditional shalwar and bunyan (Indian pants and a white vest), is busy dying his hair in front of an extremely small mirror in the veranda, runs to the kitchen... The smell of bread and butter is amazing, uncle is now busy scratching off the burnt bread with a knife... khrrrr khrrrrch and then the teenage boy wakes up. His favourite person looks at him with a smile 'Aslam o alaikum Mujahid puttar aaao double roti aur chai k saath naashta karain' (good morning my son Mujahid, let's have breakfast with bread and tea)....... The boy is up now and enjoying his dadi's hugs.

I wonder if my son will ever know what it means to me when I make him bread with butter on a pan on Sunday mornings. Only I know what this beautiful smell means, and where it takes me.

Originally written on 22 August 2015

"Let's get ready for school, wake up", the six-year-old boy, the eldest of the three siblings, woke up to the voice of his kind mother. They whispered to each other while getting ready so that the younger siblings, with whom he shared the room, don’t wake up. The family lived on the outskirts of a small military camp that once belonged to the Americans. As their ally, Pakistani authorities kept its existence off the maps during the Afghan war against the Russians. Americans had to leave the camp because of diplomatic pressure. The boy was excited to go to his school. Why wouldn't he be? His classroom was a movable train box that may have been an office when Americans lived in the camp. As he was having his breakfast, he heard the usual sound of the big military bus that picked up his father for the Air Headquarters every day. Only then he realized that the father wasn't in the kitchen. "Your father is not well. He is off today," his mother told him. The customary click of his father opening the front door and saying "Allah Hafiz" (goodbye) didn't echo in the house. The boy wasn't very pleased. His father, his hero, the handsome young man in military uniform, was missing in action today. Before going to work, he would comb his curly hair and then hide the tiny red comb in the socks of his shining military shoes. He would put a small white handkerchief in his uniform. The boy didn't share his sadness with his mom. The daily routine that was familiar was not performed. "Ami, can I see Abu before going to school?" The mother took him to the room, and the father opened his eyes and greeted him. The young boy started crying, the flood of tears that he was holding for a while now, started running down his cheeks. Both parents tried to calm him, but he was sad. "Are you ok, Abu?" What happened next was something that this boy would remember for his lifetime. His mother took the boy's shoes off, and the father pulled him inside the bed and gave him the best hug ever... "My son, Mujahid, stay home, and we will sleep in Abu's bed together..."

The young boy is now 35 and every time he hugs his 6-year-old son, especially when in bed, the hug is extra warm and full of love because it is not only from the small boy's father but also from his grandfather...

So there is something that I have been doing lately, and because it is winter in Cape Town, I have been doing it over the fire. I shave the wood, make fire, and then I do nothing. I stare at it. You can do gardening if you like, or go take a walk in the forest, but try to do nothing while you are doing it.

I keep a book next to me. When I put my phone away and do not consume media, I give myself “me’ time. It is vital for the creative process. All the juices start brewing. I note things down in my diary as they come. Sometimes it is not about creativity, sometimes it is only about investments, my job, how to deal with certain family situations, or when I going to meet my friend. When is going to be my next trip? How should I take better photos? How should I make better videos? How should I light my videos and studio better? What kind of videos should I make for my viewers? And how can I grow my channel? How can I be more creative and more productive in life? The emptiness of the mind is crucial. One needs to disconnect to be able to connect with others again. Look at your own creative process as an outsider. When you give yourself no purpose in an activity, you are doing yourself a favour. I explain this entire thought process in a video below, which I believe is more engaging.

I write a weekly blog. If you want to stay in touch, subscribe to my newsletter, there is a free eBook that comes with it.

Kind regards

Muji

After the expedition I did in 2008 for Biafo Snow Lake Hispar La and Hispar Glacier, my next checklist was the famous K2 trek and finally, along with my three friends, Nadir Khan, Maaz and Rizwan, we set the target in the month of July 2010 for K2 trek expedition. We started from Islamabad on my 4x4 and reached Skardu after an almost 24-hour long drive. After a rest day at Skardu, we had a jeep ride for Askoli village, driving along the mighty Indus, Shigar then Braldu river to Shigar valley towards Askoli, the last village before you enter the wilderness of the Karakoram. The next day we started our trekking towards Braldu Concordia, at the junction of Baltoro and Godwin-Austen Glaciers. We had the support of our trekking expedition crew, including our local desi guide Eisa Khan from Arandu Tesar, and the team of eight porters.

We took a normal pace for our trekking and did the first three days trekking with a bit of tough and challenging scorching heat and strong rays of sun, which causes headaches and sunburn as well. After three days of trekking, the scenario starts changing when you step into Baltoro Glacier after spending the night at Pajo Camp 3380m, which is a comparatively organised camp station before you step into the Baltoro Glacier. However, nowadays (the jeep drops you at Johla camp and the trek is now reduced to one day after Johla camp the jeep drops you at Johla), which was a very tough part in past due to the heat and very dry rocky trek. We had a shower at Pajo camp and refreshed ourselves for the next levels of the trekking experience in the coming days. Khoburtse 3760m was our next camp after Pajo, followed by the next day trekking towards Urdukas 4130m. We had a rest day at Urdukas and to get ourselves more acclimatized we decided to stay there and enjoy the scenic views of the surrounding beautiful mountains. One of the key attractions is the Trango Towers view on the K2 trek, it takes you to the world of fantasies and its aura with floating clouds and chocolate brown cliffs makes you fall in love with Trango. It attracts you to the North of Baltoro Glacier, the highest point of Trango Tower the summit is 6,286m, it is one of the world’s largest cliffs and the most challenging big wall climbing attracts professional climbers to explore it summit this vertical cliff.

Moving ahead the journey becomes very eye-catching and each step towards Concordia shows a new site of the famous mountains of Karakoram range in the surrounding. By the time you reach Concordia, you become a lover of great mountains. You get the feelings in your mind and heart of how blessed you are to be able to explore such a beautiful and scenic range of snow-covered mountains along with the mighty Baltoro glacier. When we reached Concordia it was very dark, but the beautiful Mitre peak on our right side was standing with us with its raised head to welcome us in the darkness. The next morning was luckily a bright sunny day and we felt ourselves truly landed in paradise, where all eight thousand meters high mountains were glowing with their beautiful bright appearance. It was a beautiful photography day which we enjoyed a lot, it was our rest day, we played cards in our tent and enjoyed the lovely food we brought with us in tin packs and our porters were carrying the small goat with them to enjoy the fresh meat at Concordia.

The next move was towards Ali camp Vigny Glacier for the climax of our trek to cross the Gondogoro la. We reached Ali camp in the late evening, and we had very less time to take a rest, as our guide insisted to take starting for the Gondogoro la after the early midnight hours, considering our slow pace of trekking and the tough part ahead. It was complete darkness when we started our walk, from Ali's camp to Gondogoro la, we had our crampons on our shoes while climbing on the Gondogoro la. It is necessary to cross the Pass before sunrise to avoid any kind of ice falls and avalanches due to the temperature rise. The best part was that the local guides from Hushe Valley have fixed the rope for climbing and they remain available for you to assist with your climb. There was a stage when I was completely exhausted and my one step became as heavy as ten steps, it was all because of my very slow pace on the climbing, and the morning light started touching the top of the ridge. I had a headache because of the light reflection from the full white snow-covered Gondogoro la pass wall. Soon the sun raised and the rays from the sun also started affecting the loosing of snow at the top at that stage my feet were going almost 1 to 1.5 feet down on each step, that was the hardest part of climbing, at that stage the local guide chanted on me that you have the option to go back from here if you are not able to climb, and it was, in fact, the key motivating factor for me as I shouted that I didn’t come here to return, rather I will cross the la even I am slowly moving towards my target. Finally, I reached the top almost 5585m first ever in my life, but I was completely tired, the rest of the team members have left the place much before I reached there, so I had no other choice but to start moving after a very short break for photography and little rest.

The descending part from Godogoro la was the next level of challenge, and it is a fact that I was not mentally and physically prepared for that adventure. My guide fixed my safety rope with the fixed rope through the connectors, and I was holding the safety rope with both hands while taking long and almost vertical slope slides. My gear was not good for the adventure, my gloves were torn, and my hands got injuries from the heat generated from the safety rope while sliding at a fast pace from the Gondogoro la top. I had no other choice except to keep holding tight to the safety rope while descending and sliding down. It was another very long day of trekking full of adventures, particularly when your team leaves you behind because of a very slow pace, we reached the Khuspang campsite. I was offered the tea made from fresh milk of yak. The taste was quite different, but it was needed as I started shivering from cold and because of mild fever.

The next day we had the choice to take a rest, but I was feeling that everyone was offering it considering my condition, so I decided that I should take extra pain and not let the whole team suffer because of me, so we started moving towards Saicho 3350m. My shoes were also broken before we reached our campsite, and it was another mistake on my part, as I was using weak shoes, which were already used in my previous trek of Biafo Hispar la. The spare shoes I had in my luggage which was already reached our porter’s team well in advance. My favourite guide Eisa Khan fixed my broken shoes by raping a piece of rope on them and I was almost limping when I reached our campsite, along with my last night fever continued. At that stage, the only source of inspiration was the feeling that the next day going to become the final day of the trek, and we reached Hushe village, it is a small traditional Balti village with very friendly people, from there we sat on the jeeps and reached Khaplu. The treat at Khaplu was the fresh farm of juicy apricots, which were hand-picked by us direct from the trees, and while taking the picture, I said my famous words, Khaplu Khobaib and Khobanian, the triple K.

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Our adventurous trekking experience encouraged my cousin Najam and I. We decided to repeat this lifetime experience with our children. We did the same trek in the year 2014 with my sons Sohaib Vahedy and Yousuf Vahedy, and Najam’s boys Eisa Rauf and Ibrahim Rauf, I will write separately on that adventure story.

Last, but not least, at the age of 50, I decided to go for the same trek in June 2021, it will be documented as my third rd attempt for Concordia K2 base GGLA. Stay blessed and stay tuned.

Khobaib A Vahedy

5th August 2023

Lahore

We enjoyed the most challenging and rewarding trekking experiences in the Karakoram region.

Here it is worth mentioning that this was my first ever trek on glaciers in my life. Before this expedition, I did a lot of small 2-3 day treks of Pakistan. Usually, people do the famous Concordia Trek along with Gondagoro La and at later stages, they come to this side, which is one of the longest treks of Pakistan.

It is a fact that at first sight when I saw the gigantic view of Biafo from the ridge from where we go downhill to step onto the Biafo glacier, I was quite horrified. It was not a bright day rather a little bit cloudy, and the sounds of glacier waters and whispering crevasses and the quantum of the glacier in terms of its depth, length, width and its first site made me a bit afraid of its greatness and it was like I was about to enter a new world that I had never seen before. Throughout the trek, there are 20-30 meters deep crevasses in the Biafo and Hispar glaciers. On the very first evening before sunset, the most terrifying thing happened as the three of us: Najam, I and our Guide Sajid were separated from the rest of the whole team. All the porters and our assistants reached safely at the campsite but the three of us were lost and the next day they reached us at the mid-point from our actual campsite as they started moving back to rescue us in the latter half of the night when the rain stopped.

The night we spent perfectly on the middle bed of the glacier was in fact the most terrible night of our lives. Since it was a cloudy day, the visibility reduced a bit early in the evening and it was complete darkness. We were completely trapped and surrounded by the dangerous open deep crevasses, chilling wind, horrifying sounds of glacier water streams, and above all, it started drizzling. We immediately took the decision not to proceed further. We quickly reviewed the gear we had with us and luckily, one tent and a personal sleeping bag of our guide were with him. Usually, the tents are with the porters, but we had it with us which proved a life saviour. The third thing Najam had with him was his slim smart mattress, which was used in the tent beneath the sleeping bag as an insulation layer.

So these three items became the source of our survival in the minus temperature of the terrible night. After careful selection of a bit safer spot in the middle of the glacier we quickly erected our tent and entered inside to keep us dry from first drops of rainwater. We spread the mattress in the middle of the tent to sit on it and fully opened the sleeping bag to use it as a rectangular quilt. Unfortunately, we had given our day packs along with all the food items to our porter assistants and it was one of our biggest mistakes since we were very much tired and had no food at all, and nothing to drink to get ourselves energized. It was one of the longest nights. Although we were extremely tired, we were not able to sleep at all. We were shivering with cold in the minus temperature with our bodies freezing. Throughout the night, we kept on rubbing our hands on our legs and back and stuck close to each other to stay warm. That was the only solution to keep ourselves safe from freezing and staying alive. The moment we entered our tent, the soft drizzle turned into heavy rain and luckily we prevented ourselves from becoming completely wet. We didn’t remove our whole trekking gear just to keep ourselves warm. Finally, the rain stopped in the last part of the night. We started as soon the morning light appeared and visibility became possible. We didn’t have wireless or any other communication system with us, the only thing we had was a whistle in my pocket, so we kept on blowing the whistle but there was no one to hear until we came closer to our actual campsite. Finally, we were rescued by our porters and the local team. We also realized our biggest mistake that we had opted for a guide who was not from the locals but rather from Punjab and he did the trek twice before taking us with him.

While crossing the Snow Lake area, we had to rope up with each other at a distance of 6-8 feet as the crevasses filled up with soft snow and become blind to us because of continuous snowfall and blizzards in the area.

The second incident on the very next day happened with me, I had fallen in one of the blind crevasses down to chest level and was gradually slipping further down. Luckily, we were properly roped up with each other, so I was safe. My guide asked me to lean forward while moving my legs slowly. Then they threw another rope towards me and made a “V“ shape to pull me out from both ends. Those unforgettable 2-3 minutes of my life were literally moments between life and death. As I was safely pulled out from there, we continued the trek in the snowstorm and spent the night on the snow-covered glacier after crossing Snow Lake towards Hispar la. The next day we started early as we were targeting to cross Hispar La and reach the campsite well before sunset.

Biafo is also known as the Highway of Ice. After crossing the easier part of Biafo, we reached the Snow Lake campsite. The next day we crossed the lake and climbed the highest part of the trek with an altitude of 5,151 m and slept in our tents after a very long day of trekking. We enjoyed the scenic view of Snow Lake from the top of Hispar La with the Hispar glacier on the other side and snow-covered mountains in the back.

After crossing the Hispar La, we continued towards Hispar Glacier, another challenging and very tricky glacier of the Karakoram range. Due to cyclic movement deep under the surface of the glaciers, gas reactions and heat from the earth, the glaciers keep on changing their shapes.

Finally, we reached Hispar village on day 17 or 18 as far as I remember. Unfortunately, we reached there in the late evening and the last bus from the village had left just before we had arrived.

We had no choice except to stay there for another night. We slept there and in the early morning we had another very adventurous experience; instead of waiting for the bus, we decided to sit on a tractor trolly along with our luggage, a whole crew of 9 porters and the guide for reaching Nagar from Hispar village.

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It was one of the worst decisions in our life. You can imagine the tiredness from almost 3 weeks of trekking and our bodies filled with cramps. On the funny side of tractor-trolly is that on a very bumpy and dangerous jeep trek, we were literally jumping like stones in an iron box. We were laughing and crying to ourselves while feeling intense pain in our bodies. Finally, near Nagar city, we jumped out from the tractor-trolly and started walking along the riverside rocky jeep trek.

When we reached Hunza, our bodies were in pain, not because of the long trek, but rather due to the last terrific ride we had from Hispar to Hunza.

Whenever I recall the trip, I remember the three major adventurous incidents, “the night on Biafo Glacier”, “the Snow Lake blind crevasse incident” and the “last ride” from Hisper village to Hunza. Indeed lots of learnings for the readers who dare for the great trekking expeditions to explore the beautiful colours of nature in the complete wilderness, where you learn the tricks of survival and overcoming challenging situations.

For more pictures, click the link on Flickr,

https://www.flickr.com/photos/khobaib/albums/72157606357295410

Khobaib A Vahedy

22 July 2023

Lahore