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Take Five with Hellen Masido

Filmmaker Hellen Masido
Hellen Masido is an artist who enjoys expressing herself through writing, filmmaking, photography and crafting. Hiking and yoga keep her balanced, as does anime. She certainly drinks more lemon tea than she should.
1. You've been part of the production team of the "Too Early for Birds" show. What drew you to that form of art?
I love how TEFB just takes on its own form and is not bound by any rules. This creates space for invention and experimentation, which is scary but also exciting! It's been a process of trusting other artists to bring their A-game, and everyone who worked on any of the TEFB editions really outdid themselves.
It's a beautiful thing to bring to life a show that has been so lovingly nurtured by so many people!
2. What are you working on during these uncertain times?
Being creative at this time is really like climbing up a hill. I’ve had both peak creative moments and slumps, but I've learnt to be patient.
Even taking walks sometimes gets difficult, but the moment I wear my mask and step out, I feel so good. When you're walking, you get to watch life unfold naturally, and that can be calming.
I've been trying to get the many story ideas out of my head and into my laptop, so I sit on my desk most days of the week for a couple of hours and write anything, even if it doesn’t make sense; then I reward myself with small things that make me happy.
3. Do you think it is healthy to be working during these trying times?
Yes and no. It is important to have the self-discipline to complete your projects even when you don't feel like it, so yes, working at this time is important. However, just because one has more time to themselves right now doesn't mean you have to do even more work.
This is also a time to do the things you enjoy such as binge watching TV shows or sleeping more.
4. What lesson do you think all creatives should learn during this pandemic?
I can't really talk about all creatives, but for me, it is to trust the process, and pushing myself to practice my craft more diligently.
Great inspiration sometimes comes effortlessly, but you can't sit around waiting. And the beauty of the process is that you always discover important things about yourself and your world.
Also, we should all keep plants. They're such an amazing way of marking time and progress!
5. You've done several interesting projects, outside of your commercial work. What inspires you?
That's a very interesting way of talking about my nude photography (chuckles). Posing nude for art was an item on my bucket list, and my first bare shoot was done in collaboration with Brayo Otieno and Rama.
When I saw the photos, I was somewhat uncomfortable and I started wondering why. I have never been ashamed of my naked body, so why did I feel that way just because a bunch of other people had seen me naked?
What was I uncomfortable about really? My family didn't comment on it but I got a couple of lewd DMs here and there. It all made me realise that most of us treat the naked body like it's something undignified.

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