Meet Saon Kashem of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Saon Kashem.

Hi Saon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Motherland, Bangladesh, Bangladeshi, Bangla, First generation immigrant, catalyst, love, kindness, photography, Artist, son, brother, friend; these are words that would describe the person I am.

My journey began in Gomastapur, a small town in the city of Rajshahi, in the beautiful country called Bangladesh. I am a Bangladeshi, we lived in houses made of clay (cob house). My childhood consisted of being around with several cousins and our playground were the vast mango fields where we would climb up and down the branches of the tree. We played in the dirt in those fields, we stole mangos from trees, and threw mangos at each other (similar games such as dodgeball). After a long day of playing on these mango trees, we would get ice cream with the cousins that I grew up with. A man on a bicycle with an ice chest on the back carrier rang his bike bell throughout the village. This was one of the most joyous moments of our day.

In the pursuit of a place that provides vast opportunities, my parents worked their way to move to “AMRICA” also known as the United States. We moved to the states in 1996 when I was at an age of 6 years old. With no contact with anyone else, leaving our lives back in the motherland, we all made this sacrifice to build a better future for ourselves.

For my parents, the land of opportunities meant that their dreams of going to school and earning a reputable degree would eventually create something larger than what we started with. Mom and Dad both made it perfectly clear that the only reason we moved to the States was for a better and bigger reason.

The bigger reason was to make a better living which consisted of a good job, good house, and eventually find a good partner to create a family. The cycle would then repeat and the next generation would follow with this. I knew what was expected of me and being an artist was the last thing in the books. Contrary to my parents hopes and dreams, being an artist was the only thing I ever wanted to be.

My mom once told me, “We have dreams, go get them! Put your heart and soul into it, but don’t be so lost that you lose reality and responsibility.”

This exact thing will always be stuck with me. Reality to me was building stability, financial stability was what is always on my mind. A career in engineering came into my world which helped me gain exactly that. Even though the artist in me struggled to go through engineering in school because you longed for other fulfilling engagements, but it was part of the plan or “bigger picture”

The plan was to chase some sort of financial stability and from there reach for the sky in this journey of being an artist/photographer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life in general is not a straight path, the same thing applies for its purpose. Finally found the kick starter for it I think,

As they say, the path to success is never straight and simple. Struggles such as society or fighting the norm were huge for me in my life. Expressing this desire to follow this inner voice that is constantly in my mind. The voice said that this school thing is not for me and that there is something else for me.

Growing up, I didn’t really have a role model who said that this creative journey is okay to pursue. No direction to navigate this journey or even some sort of push that favored my thoughts and dreams. No one told me to eat, sleep, and move with this creative juice. The voice inside my head I guess was the only thing that helped me pursue this dream. Still trying to listen to this voice to push forward and hopefully help me through this journey.

Normal Bangladeshi’s never really rely on a career in being creative, at least mine wasn’t like this growing up. Guess the fact that going for something that I have no idea what the outcome is actually, maybe this is called life’s journey.

Now the vision is extremely clear, be kind, open your heart to what is coming to you. The word success varies from person to person, I’m still learning and fine tuning what that means to me in this life. Success to me these days is the pursuit of happiness. Send love and receive Love.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Dreams to become a voice for my peers, to create beautiful memories with beautiful human beings is my pursuit at the moment.

A few years ago, the vision to be an artist/creative was very far, far away. I think it was my imagination. The haze these days from the vision/dreams is slowly fading away itself everyday that I’m working towards it.

Synergy, Energy, Fate, Dreams, Vision, Love have been glued to my vocabulary these few years. One of my dreams is to give flowers to everyone that crosses my path. Synergy is huge in my book, when a few people are on the same wavelength, something magical is bound to happen.

Inspiration is right around the corner. A simple thing as a conversation can lead us to make something beautiful, meaningful and extremely impactful for the people around us.

These days I’m building a beautiful community around me. This specific community that I’ve been involving myself in operates with the exchange of the most valuable thing in the world to me, love and respect.

Love and respect has helped me work with so many talented individuals. It helped me participate in numerous shows from the Inland Empire where I had no connections to areas where I grew up in Koreatown. Getting love from an unknown area and home away from home is one of the best feelings ever. It’s also a blessing to be a part of someone’s shoot, artshow, or even something simple as a conversation.

Personally, I feel like I haven’t even put a dent on my career at the moment. The opportunities that have been present in my career so far have been mind boggling. Truly blessed to be in this world, learning and growing with the beautiful people that I share this creative space with.

My first group show was a few years ago. From then to now, I’ve been blessed to meet people who actually enjoy my work and some have reached out for me to participate in more upcoming shows. It’s truly a blessing to have my peers appreciate me and my work to think of including me in their space.
Hoping to do more shows, solo shows, work with friends, make beautiful, meaningful art with them. Hoping to work with more brands to help them grow as a whole. The goal is to make an impact in society. Become the person I was hoping to find when I was a young boy. Someone to hopefully tell the next generation, “YES, YOU CAN BE AN ARTIST FROM THE VILLAGE IN THIS THIRD WORLD COUNTRY”

The future of this journey seems very hopeful. My plan to stop is out of the question. Its a blessing that I’ve found my purpose in life and I’m slowly navigating my life to fulfill that in any way possible.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I feel like there is so much competition these days. Some competitions are healthy and some are not. Just like life, there is always a positive with the negative; there’s no way to avoid it.

My plan is to lead with positivity in my practice. My career is like a precious gem, always striving to carefully handle it with nurture and care. My intention for this is to bring and show something meaningful.

Also, these days, I’m doing this extremely intentionally. If the outcome benefits someone and myself, I’ll go out of my way to go ahead and go that route.

Growing up I was told that if you lead with love and intention, you will fulfill your purpose. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are hoping for more success and happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saonkashem.com
• Instagram: @saon.kashem

Image Credits
Ja Tecson @jatecson
Ash @allseeinghuman
Morgan Rindengan @morgnar
Phil Mateo @fun_philter
Sion @sssiiioon
Janie Chounramany @chounvramen
Semina Bildik @semina
Shaki Anwar @shakikashem
Charlie Marquez @charlie.wllm