Manila-based photographer Ennuh Tiu knows that you want to break into the creative industry. What she wants you to know is how to make it: have a clear vision, trust in your story, and be willing to put yourself out there.
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Armed with her camera and a fearless creative vision, Ennuh Tiu captures the quiet magic of everyday life by blending themes of intimacy and self-discovery in a visual identity that’s all her own. Her work has earned praise all around the globe, landing her a coveted slot at this year’s Angkor Photo Workshops and even making her the first-ever Filipino artist exhibited at the FOTO Bali Festival in Indonesia. Talk about a woman on a mission.
Standing out in a sea of creative geniuses isn’t anything to scoff at, and for Ennuh, the key lies in creating art that actually resonates — with your spirit and the people you care about. To young creatives still finding their footing, she stresses the importance of finding your “own unique POV,” because building a distinct creative world “helps to differentiate yourself and show others what you can offer them.”
Because at her core, Ennuh is a storyteller. When talking about taking visually distinct photos, she asks: “It’s a beautiful photo, at feel mo na ito talaga yung best representation mo, but does it help in the narrative? Does it help with what you wanna say?” For her, style isn’t the end all, be all — it’s a vehicle for the overarching story you want to tell and a channel for the creative world you’re building.
And true to her storyteller DNA, she’s always evolving, on the hunt for the new, and branching out into new creative playgrounds like film, music, and drag. In fact, she recently served as creative director of Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale winner Brigiding (to which we say, “slay!”) and has even worked on Petersen Vargas’ film Some Nights I Feel Like Walking. The big question is, how does she move through so many worlds seamlessly? To be brief, it’s because she’s willing to put herself out there.
“Minsan talaga, you just need to be the first one to reach out,” Ennuh reveals. Sounds daunting? Of course — it’s always a bit scary to not be nonchalant. But then again, you need to trust that your creative universe will find the right people, even if it means opening yourself to the possibility of critique.
It was these hard-hitting truths that Ennuh shared with young, aspiring creatives as one of the featured speakers of the MMGI Career Fair in UP Diliman, where she offered practical tips on navigating the creative industry and carving out your artistic niche.
After her masterclass, she sat down with NYLON Manila for an exclusive interview where she discussed the allure of photography, the power of worldbuilding, and what to do to combat creative burnout. Read the full interview below.
CARVING YOUR CREATIVE NICHE
I just wanted to ask, what is it about photography that drew you in and made you decide to pursue it?
There was a time when I was in university na a lot of my friends would get Starbucks planners and then they would doodle on it. But I really suck at drawing, so parang sabi ko, “What can I do to make this look better?” And then I started taking photos.
Back then, photography was really something a bit more traditional pa, where you would take photos when it’s a birthday [party] or if you’re attending a cute event. But I had this one friend na he would really document every day. He would have 200 photos at the end of the day. It would be like some of the most random stuff. It was a good eye-opener for me.
I realized na photography is not [always] for other people. Kasi back then, I really didn’t wanna be a photographer because I felt like, “Okay, you’re gonna take photos of people and then they’re gonna be [in] magazines.” Eh parang, asan naman yung creative autonomy mo doon? So I didn’t really understand that photography can be used as a tool for you, for yourself. You can document stuff and then impart meaning on something so mundane. And then, parang ikaw na yung makakaintindi ng meaning noon. Doon ako nag-start with documenting my life.
Right now, I’m still telling my story through other people’s photos. But if I take a photo of this person, it doesn’t mean that it’s theirs. It also means that it’s mine. So that’s how [my passion for photography] grew.
Your work spans music, drag, and cinema. How — with these spaces being so saturated with talent — were you able to stand out in those fields and forge your own path?
Passion is very important; it’s number one. And also, a little bit of your own unique POV also helps. It helps to differentiate yourself and show others what you can offer them. Because a lot of people wanna work with [these big names]. But you, what is your edge? And it all ties back to world-building, na parang, “Okay, do you wanna be a part of [my creative world], or no?”
It’s about connection, talaga. The reason why I’m in cinema right now is because of Petersen Vargas. Yung nangyari kasi is, we’ve been Twitter mutuals for a couple of years, tapos sabi ko, “I really wanna do something na connected to cinema. Like, I think it’s time.” So, nag-message ako sa kanya — kasi I knew that he was shooting a film that time — na, “You know, I’ve been a fan of your work for quite some time.”
And then, apparently, he was also thinking the same thing, na parang, “I’ve also been a silent follower, I love your work.” Minsan talaga, you just need to be the first one to reach out.
It’s really important na alam mo kung saan ka papasok, saan mo mapoposition yung sarili mo, and how would they think that you’re beneficial.
A lot of students romanticize working in the arts. What’s something that you wish you knew about the creative industry when you were starting out? And what do you think Gen Zs should be aware of?
I really didn’t get into the industry [intentionally]. Parang… it wasn’t something that I was actively aspiring to be in. I just knew that I wanted to take photos. So, regardless of whether it goes anywhere, I’m doing it for me.
And then, because I had a lot of friends in the industry, I was lucky enough to already have an understanding na it’s not all glitz and glamor. The glitz and glamor is the aftermath kasi of the hard work. But it’s really hard work — puyat, ang daming nangyayari, overwhelmed, burnout. It’s really a combination of those.
Maraming hurdles before you get to the glitz and glamor part, before you get to the fun part. There are times na you think na, okay, sold yung world ko sa [clients] kasi they got me [as a photographer]. But, there are still some times na hindi ganun, na when you’re on the set, [they say] biglang, “Ah, hindi. Ganito lang yung gusto namin,” which might not be part of the vision that you have.
It’s also a matter of how you navigate that. Kasi hindi naman pwede [sabihin] sa shoot na, “Ah, ayokong palitan yan, ito lang talaga.” Merong healthy way of compromising. And then I think you can do that once you’ve already worked in the industry for quite some time, like pag may name ka na. Pero if you’re starting out, you really need to understand na there are a lot of sacrifices to be made.
With everything you’ve done so far, like working on Some Nights I Feel Like Walking and serving as creative director for Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale winner Brigiding, what have you learned about keeping a creative career — and a freelance one at that — sustainable?
For me kasi, ang kalaban ko talaga is the burnout. And then, it’s also the inner saboteur. For example, I did a recent shoot with Billboard Philippines [in October]. Before that, I also did a shoot where parang sinabi ko na, “Okay na, my year is set.” Parang, kumbaga, I could rest na because I feel like I already did a lot of things to cap off the year.
But then, here I am — anong day na? Nineteen days into November, at parang sabi ko, “Wala pa akong shoot this month, ah.” Alam mo, even if you tell yourself na it’s okay, and you also understand that there are seasons talaga na medyo off [work-wise], I find myself thinking na “Hala, bakit wala akong shoot?” It’s a matter of combating that. And combating the burnout. Also, what really helped me is pacing the shoots and also taking up different stuff in the middle. Kaya nga itong [MMGI Career Fair talk], it’s like a refresher — I love it.
Last year, I used to romanticize being so busy, not having time to [do other things]. Tapos narealize ko at the end of the year na a lot of things happened, but it didn’t give me time to process and think about what I was doing. I think a lot of it is because of me not being able to pace myself properly.
Yung ideal scenario for me is, I have like a couple of days before a major shoot to think about what I need to do in order to pull off this shoot and make it good. You need to consistently evolve as well, you need to keep on learning. You need to create many long-term and short-term goals, pero not to the point where that’s all you think about.
And there can be days na hindi maganda yung turnout ng shoot, but [learning’s] something that you need to latch onto, like, “It’s okay because I learned something.”
A lot of creatives go all-in on a certain style or niche, then later realize it’s not clicking anymore. When that happens, how do you deal with switching things up and finding a new direction?
In a creative industry, parang dapat palagi kang adapt nang adapt. I think the way that you should approach it is, if something is not working, then maybe try something else that you still wanna do, but parang don’t go all in on it.
Ganyan din ako like, two years ago, na parang gusto ko lahat blurred lang, gusto ko lahat ganito lang yung kulay, gusto ko lahat red. And then na-realize ko — also with the help of my creative friends — na it’s the narrative that’s important. Does this blurred photo — do these five blurred photos — does it help you tell a story?
So ngayon ko lang siya na-realize na, [you can] post the photo that you love, but also post other stuff that would help people connect with it. For example, post a non-blurred photo that is just clean looking if it will help tell the story. So medyo ganoon na ako mag-isip ngayon, na “Does this help in the narrative?” It’s a beautiful photo, at feel mo na ito talaga yung best representation mo, but does it help in the narrative? Does it help with what you wanna say? It’s more about what I wanna say than the style.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Photos by Joshua Navato, edited by Gelo Quijencio.
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