“I Have a Million Dreams with Photography”

By Sulikah, as told to Rosie Lane

My inspiration comes from my son, Aray. When he was four months old I had to leave him in Indonesia to become a domestic worker in Hong Kong. This was the only way I could provide him with a better future.

I was determined not to disappoint him, not to return as a failure and treat this migration as an opportunity to improve his life, but I never considered how it could improve mine.

In 2013, I met Lensational, a Hong Kong based non-profit organization that taught me and other female domestic workers how to take pictures, which I soon realized I was passionate about. This passion helped me though my homesickness, the nights I cried missing my Aray. I would go out and photograph the world again and again until I captured something special, something that could make me smile. This is how the camera became my refuge.

It has been two years since my introduction to photography and I have now published my own book ‘Potret Sejuta Mimpi’ — ‘Portrait of a Million Dreams’. This book captures my adventures in Hong Kong and the world that I see, which can range from beautiful scenery to rubbish on the street.

This book shows my journey, how photography has given me so many dreams, but also the dreams of others working as domestic workers like me in Hong Kong.

This is a domestic worker who fell asleep after an afternoon of busking. Sunday is our only day off in the week and we seek fun pastimes to fill the day.

I decided not to publish ‘Portrait of a Millions Dreams’ in my real name. In fact, few people know my real name because I tend to introduce myself as Rosemarie.

I chose this name because I love to photograph flowers, especially roses.

In addition to their beauty they symbolize a woman — elegant to the eye, captivating, but also strong. A rose is covered in thorns to protect itself from those who are not careful with it.

Leaving everything behind to come overseas to a foreign country completely alone, I too have my thorns.

I believe that women must be strong and able to set good examples for the next generation regardless of whether they are a migrant worker because nothing is impossible. I am always optimistic that fate can change.

This is why I created ‘Portrait of a Million Dreams’ — to motivate the women of Indonesia in Hong Kong to take their fate into their own hands and not be bound by the label of a domestic worker. I want them to know that it is a struggle but that success is attainable with perseverance and encouragement. I never would have imagined being able to publish my first photographic book before leaving Indonesia.

This is a portrait of my son, Aray. When I miss him I visit my photographs of him, they bring happiness to me.

Lensational gave me not only the skills to develop my photography, but also the confidence to pursue it.

I want to encourage more women to join organizations like Lensational to gain an insight into the creative world that they have not seen before but also to learn new skills that will help them reach their full potential. Soon no one will underestimate the status of a maid.

As I said before, I have a million dreams with photography, but there is one that means the most to me.

Returning to Indonesia to earn a living as a designer and photographer and being able to see the growth of my son who is now eight years old would be a dream come true.

However the dream doesn’t stop there: I dream that he too will fall in love with photography, a small world that has given me so much.

Sulikah is from Batu-Malang, East Java. She has been working in Hong Kong since 2008. Portrait of a Million Dreams was published on July 25th 2015. View her photography portfolio on Photoshelter here