Kamsi’s Gifts to Experiences

Today’s unique guest is Kamsiyochukwu Daniels. Kamsi, as he is fondly called, is a “full circle curator-photographer”, a phrase he’s coined to describe his mission to transform experiences to gifts and then back to experiences. Kamsi’s journey is a unique one- of love, loss, and photography, one which he takes us through in today’s interview with Nolina.

Nolina: So glad to have you Kamsi. How are you doing?

Kamsi: (Smiles) Doing well, thank you Nolina. Happy to be here.

Nolina: I’m sure our listeners are itching to know more about what drives your work, so I’ll cut right to the chase. How did you become a photographer? What got you interested?

Kamsi: Hmmm. I always find it hard to answer that question, and I’ll tell you why. I’d always been interested in photography, but of course, like many people, it was a hobby. Didn’t explore it further. But you know how they say that in life “change is inevitable”?

Nolina: Yes indeed. (With a faux singing voice) “That’s just the way it is, things will never be the same…”

Kamsi: (Laughs) Yes. Changes. In my case, a good lot of them in a very short period of time.

Nolina: (Reflectively) I think we all understand if you don’t want to talk about it here on air-

Kamsi: No, no. It’s okay. It’s common knowledge you know. Unfortunate but it’s what happened. So yes, the main hit was the loss of our daughter. At the time, it devastated my wife and I. It was so tough.

Nolina: We are truly sorry for your loss.

Kamsi: (Smiles kindly) Thank you. It’s okay and I mean that. But as you can imagine, that wasn’t always the case. So I picked up photography while grieving. I think I wanted a safe space where I could have things be exactly as I knew them to be and not change. I kind of wanted to “freeze” things in time, so to speak because there was this stillness of life that I seemed to only get when I captured moments, places, and things on camera. I know, it still feels like a very strange thing to say- that I got into photography as a grief outlet, but that’s my story.

Nolina: Wow. That’s powerful. And how are things now, in the present? Can you share with us what currently inspires you?

Kamsi: Now, I am inspired by nostalgia. From time to time, I go back to look at old school pictures I got from my parents’ archives, and think about what it felt like to be in that moment. In a sense, I think that pictures can take you back in time, to that exact moment. You can’t hear sounds, you can’t smell anything- well, sometimes you can smell the dusty photos- (chuckles)- but for me, I like how you can go back to a place in stillness through the photograph.

I am also inspired by the art of re-transforming gifts to experiences. I remember this expression took shape while I was also grieving. You know, it’s sobering when you can touch an artifact that someone you loved touched and you think to yourself that just the previous week, you were both right there together hanging out together. You look at the gifts you received from them and remember that once, they lived. It’s a very sobering feeling.

Nolina: (Wistfully) Your story is really touching.

Kamsi: I don’t speak much about the loss on a day-to-day basis, and this not because I am “forming” hard guy or anything like that. As I joke with friends, “who hard guy help? (Laughs) No. It’s not that. It’s just that I’ve learned that a good lot of these experiences- grief, loss, pain- they are very personal experiences and you need inner grit and quietness of spirit to tease them and let time take its course. A lot of what I do now was formed from a place of pain, because I desperately wanted to clutch on and preserve every moment. However, now, things are better. I’m motivated to capture life’s experiences- all of the actual nuances of life and living- through still images.

Nolina: Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. It’s really touching to see how loss can give birth to life. You experienced loss, yet you came out of it with something new.

Kamsi: I don’t think I’ve heard it succinctly captured in words better. That’s a great way to put it. Thank you, Nolina.

Nolina: (Upbeat) Now, I have a question about this “art of transforming gifts to experiences” that your photography outlet does. Can you tell us more about it?

Kamsi: (Keen) Yes, sure. We call the process “Gifts to experiences” because it’s actually what we hope the process would be like for our clients. In our photoshoots, we try as much as possible to capture them doing their everyday activities- that’s the first step of transforming their experiences to gifts. The second step is the more futuristic step. When curating the photographs, we work with them to also document their feelings and thoughts about that moment, and we compile all of that into the albums and frames and other artistic souvenirs we create as part of the experience for them. It’s our hope that several years from now, when they look at those albums, they can re-experience their lives as it was in that moment.

Nolina: (Impressed) There’s obviously a lot of detail and thought that goes into the process.

Kamsi: (Smiles) Oh yes. We have a team of creative designers and editors who work with our photographers to ensure everything comes together nicely. But you know, we’re very excited to do what we do so it’s a lot of work but there’s a lot of joy and fulfilment that comes with.

Nolina: Indeed. As it should be. Kamsi, we should be wrapping up soon- can you believe how fast time flies? It’s been such a wonderful conversation we’ve had with you. Now to my final question for you, and it’s something we always want to ask all our guests. What are your thoughts for the future- of photography, of your work?

Kamsi: Oh that’s a very interesting question. There’s so much change going on already, and I don’t foresee a slowing down anytime soon. I think we’re definitely going to experience advancements in the field of digital technology and that increase in sophistication is certain to impact the creative industry. Our team is always keen to learning new ways of doing things, so we’re actually excited about the future. However, I’ll also say that regardless of the changing times, one unique feature we will continue to strive for is authenticity. That’s non-negotiable for us.

Nolina: Fantastic. Looks like you have exciting times ahead and we wish all the best in your work. Once again, thank you Kamsi. It was so great to have you on board today.

Kamsi: Thank you as well Nolina. It was also a great opportunity for me.