Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebti.
Ebti, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I worked in the cultural field in Egypt and Germany and as translator between 2006 and 2017. Since moving to the States in 2012 it was hard to keep doing my old job remotely and it didn’t feel right anymore so I decided I need a career shift.
In 2015/16 I started teaching myself photography and started working in the commercial photography briefly before I realized that I really want to go back to grad school and study art.
A friend told me about California College of the Arts, and I applied. In the fall of 2019, I started an MFA in fine arts at CCA.
Years of working different jobs in different countries suddenly made sense. Going for an MFA was the best decision for me. I graduated in 2021 and immediately started a residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts and I got a teaching job with a wonderful nonprofit in San Francisco called The Performing Arts Workshop.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Going back to grad school for an MFA later (I was 37) and without a degree in Fine Arts in my undergrad, I definitely had moments where I was wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing and if I fit. How can I make up for all the gaps in my knowledge.
Giving up a career in translation, admitting that I may have “wasted” 10 years in a career I can’t and won’t pursue anymore was hard.
At the end, doing your best and trusting your gut while moving forward is the best thing you can do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My practice is multifaceted. Most of my work is rooted in photography but then it takes shapes and forms that are informed solely by the story I want to tell. I don’t care about the medium or the material as long as it will be a good vessel to “translate” what I want to say.
At any given point in time, I am working on at least 5 things simultaneously. That to say, I produce a lot of work. I am proud of being able to make work, every piece I make informs the one after in one way or the other.
When people are confused about whether this image is coming off the wall or about what exactly they are looking at, I feel like a big part of my work is done. I want viewers to look closely and examine what they are looking at.
We consume so many images nowadays that we often dismiss visuals without even taking more than 5 seconds to sit with what they are. This makes us judge people faster and more if this makes sense.
Any big plans?
I have been teaching art and photography since graduating last year and all I hope for is to be able to teach and inspire generations of future artists, to find their own way.
I have been going through a lot of change in the past 10 years and I am very excited to settle down for the foreseeable future. So, we will see…
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ebtihalshedid.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebti_shedid/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/ebtishedid
Image Credits
Ebti
