GUAP Interviews: Hackey Born Photographer, Yumi Codner, For The Isolation Edition [@yumicodner]

Over the last few months, the Covid:19 lockdown has affected the lives of millions of people all over the country. However, in the midst of the fear and confusion, came an army of young creatives who came to entertain, inspire, and motivate the masses. This cover is called the ‘Isolation Issue’ because it was created in the thick of the Covid:19 lockdown. We worked with talented photographers like Yumi Codner to shoot individuals via face-time and had the opportunity, to speak to them about the impacts of Covid:19 on their creativity. 

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a photographer from Hackney, where I was born and raised. My photography is a way for me to express myself and I love to capture stories through the lens.

What inspired you to do what you do?

As a child, I was always looking through family photo albums but the thing that inspired me to start doing photography is when I first started using Instagram back in around 2015.

How has covid:19 affected your work?

Covid:19 has affected my work in a lot of ways! I’ve been taking a lot of pictures of my family and friends around me using more of my phone camera or a film camera.

What was the biggest challenge of working from home whilst in self-isolation?

One of the biggest challenges working from home was staying motivated and being inspired in new ways because I usually found inspiration in my daily life surroundings but that got taken away during the lockdown.

On a day to day, how do you balance a personal and professional life, especially now that you’re working in quarantine?

I balanced my personal and professional life during quarantine by making myself a detailed timetable and sticking to it.

What are some of the highlights/successes you’ve had most recently?

My recent highlights would be being a part of this project and learning how to play the guitar!

What’s next for you on your journey?

Next for me is to keep creating work I enjoy and love! Alongside that, I’m planning to do an exhibition exploring my family history through photographs.

What would be your advice to other creatives, struggling to maintain creativity and motivation in isolation?

My advice would be to have some sort of routine during this time, find other new outlets/hobbies to explore and be inspired by other creatives.

What have you learnt about yourself and the world whilst in isolation?

During the lockdown, I have learned that I’m capable of a lot of things when I just put my mind to it and I have learned that people are able to come together no matter the circumstance.

How do you hope our society will change for the better after COVID -19?

I hope that after covid:19 more people will come together to help each other.

Check out the GUAP Arts & Culture section, to discover new art, film, and creative individuals.