Htet, please tell us about your background with photography and mixed media. What specifically drew you to photography as a form of expression? 

I started working as a photographer in 2009. I worked across many genres, I worked in publishing media, commercial, advertising and also did a couple of photo essays. 

In the beginning, what drew me to photography was my camera being a companion of my life and photography, being a medium of self expression and liberation. 

Lately, my personal work focuses more on alternative and experimental photography even though I still accept commissions for photoshoots. 

Wow, that’s quite a varied background!

So, you’re from Myanmar – did you grow up there? How long have you been in the states and were you the only member of your family to come here? 

Yes, I lived in Myanmar until 2010. It’s been more than a decade since I am here in the States and yes, I am the only member of my family here. 

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to see your home country, and such a beautiful country at that, marred by political conflicts. You mentioned that this was compounded by the loss of your father too. I’m so sorry to hear that. You said it all caused you to lose faith in humanity. How do you even start to recover from all of that?

It was very difficult to recover from all of that. The situation was very bad especially since we still had COVID. I think that’s also the reason dictators  took advantage of the situation to take over the country because people did not have much resistance at that time. There were a lot of casualties. We lost over 6,000 people with over 10,000 people detained in prisons, not to mention the many towns and villages that were burned down. There has been news of destruction, murder, rape and brutality for the past two years (over 700 days) constantly. Here’s just one disturbing example, the head of a primary school teacher was chopped off in a classroom and displayed it in public so that no child dares to come to school. 

I feel very sad and angry and helpless at the same time whenever I read all that news. 

Also, all of a sudden,  my father also passed away and he wasn’t able to receive any medical service during his final minutes because the hospital in my township was raided by a military coup two nights before. The nurses and doctors were either held hostage or arrested. We called every health service we know of and there was no reply. So, I lost my beloved father without receiving any help. 

After that, I was in an extreme depression for more than three months. Not being able to do anything about what the military coup was doing on a daily basis left me with feelings of guilt combined with anger, frustration, and depression. But, I gradually gained control of my mental health with a lot of practice of meditation, holistic healing and medication. Even to this day, I am still healing and recovering at the same time.  

What was it that made you turn to photography, specifically street photography, in those moments? Had you practiced street photography before this moment?

Yes, I had worked on street photography projects before and some of them were published in photography magazines. I always carry a camera with me so that if I see a moment to catch, I am ready for it. But, especially for this project, I turned to the street for my healing. I had moved to Baltimore a year and a half prior to work as a lecturer/professor of photography at Johns Hopkins University and Goucher college. I didn’t have many friends there and I became so lonely. Street photography became an outlet to cure my depression and make myself feel interested in life as inspiration because I was so fed up with negativity and depression from what’s happening in my native country, the loss of my father and the uncertainty of everyday life. 

Why was interacting with people as you shot on the streets so important? Did you share with people why you were doing the project? Are there any conversations you had in particular that you felt helped you in your healing process? If so, please share.

Honestly, I just wanted to have normal human conversations. I wasn’t in the mood to use social media or online communications at that point. I want to meet people, I wanted to listen about their lives because my life at that point was so sober and helpless. So, I just needed to have conversations, maybe I was looking for a sense of belonging. And, it helped me somehow. I was distracted by the life of others and I started to gradually recover from wallowing in my own trauma. 

For example, one of the people I saw on the streets was a very tall man and he was wearing a flower in his pocket. I asked him, “Why do you have the flower in your pocket?”

He said that it was in remembrance of George Washington and I asked if he meant the president? He said no, this George Washington was an educator from Tuscany, Alabama. He was like an alchemist who can transform things into something better. 

I was inspired by these kinds of talks – people living in their daily lives, having their own beautiful inspiration to share, and sometimes some sadness to share – it made me feel this overwhelming feeling of humanity again after letting myself be isolated from society to heal myself. 

How long did it take you to feel inspired again?

It’s gradual. Some days, I am inspired again…some days, my depression takes over. And, I have to struggle to get up again. But, I love photography for this reason. For being a companion in my life when I needed it the most. And, that reminds me of my beloved father, who gifted me my first camera out of his savings when I was young. It gives me a nostalgic and heartwarming feeling. 

Going forward, what part do you see street photography playing in your creative process or future projects you have planned, if any?

I always carry my camera wherever I go but I am don’t force myself to take photographs if I don’t feel like it. I am a slow watcher, a slow walker.  If something catches my eye that resonates with my feelings or makes me think of something, I will snap a shot of the moment and it might eventually form part of a project. 

Thanks so much Htet! And thanks for sharing such a personal experience. It’s very moving.

Thank you so much. It was my pleasure to share this project with you guys. 

Hopefully, I will have some new more interesting works in the future and we can talk about it again.