Interview with Sandy Ha
Family Video Store chats with the Athens-based photographer and director
This weekend, Family Video Store™ had the opportunity to chat with Athens-based photographer and director Sandy Ha. Best known for her work within hyperpop and underground rap / hip-hop, Sandy has shot for glaive, osquinn, kuru, and more.
Where are you from?
I am Korean and was born in Kansas City, Missouri. I grew up in Duluth and Augusta, Georgia and I currently stay in Athens, Georgia for school.
What is your claim to fame?
I don’t really consider myself having any fame, but I do think I have created a voice / brand for myself through my style and the people I work with! I’ll continue refining my style as I keep making art, but it definitely took a long time to figure out what I even really wanted to photograph. My parents first got me a camera because I used to watch a lot of vloggers and beauty gurus and I wanted to make videos like them. Then towards the end of middle school, I got more into artistic YouTubers that made montages and short films, and I also was involved in the editing community (angsty kids making A24 film edits to Clairo LOL). As quarantine impacted my last two years of high school, I found a lot of genres of art and music that were very new to me.
This period of my life influenced the work I wanted to do - as I transferred between colleges and moved around a lot, I started going to a lot of shows and began working with those musicians. I don’t want to close myself off to anything, but all of those things contributed heavily to why I work in the genres I do!
Challenges facing queer / BIPOC / Asian / Women filmmakers.
Considering how many stories I have heard from other artists in these communities, I feel like my experience has been pretty lucky and I’m very grateful for that. There are fleeting moments where I find myself being self-conscious about my experience or how I am perceived by others, but none of it is true in a way that matters. There are always weird people out there (people being passive aggressive or sometimes men’s speaking tone) but in general, the people I surround myself with are very supportive and kind.
I will say it’s tricky being based in Athens right now. There is an “alternative” scene, but it’s not one I really identify with. My university has a decent amount of diversity considering how predominantly white Athens is. The people are nice and I’m sure with time and continuous effort I may feel differently, but my POC friends and I don't truly feel welcome in the “arts scene” here. I feel like it’s hard to articulate, especially after being invalidated by the same people who contribute to making me feel this way in the first place.
Many of the friends I’ve met and am more comfortable with are less involved in the art school, and more in STEM / marketing! When I’m somewhere like Atlanta even, it’s like everyone is actually welcome, not just white people who dress a certain way. I’m probably biased, but sometimes being hours away from Georgia feels more like home than actually being here does. Knowing my online mutual will be at an event feels more trustworthy because I’m familiar with them and the community I’m already a part of. Regardless, I’m grateful that I even have a community at all, even if it feels far sometimes.
Tell us about your favorite work / experience.
It’s always a pleasure working with Rachel Prancer as she’s one of my close friends and an artist whose work I admire - their work is so personal and genuinely speaks to me. I feel like we just understand eachother well and any ideas are always welcome.
I don’t even know if I could ever narrow this down to a favorite. Honestly, any and every time a friend will ask me to contribute to a rollout (a music video, press photos, anything) I truly feel so honored and I am so happy to be able to share that excitement with someone else to make something.
Any advice to young creatives?
Everyone says these things but with good reason: be yourself + always keep going! Giving up will only get you so far ~ keep going even if it means taking breaks or changing things! Nothing is ever a waste, and everything contributes to something. Don’t try to act like anything that’s not you - even if you get something out of it, it won’t be because of who you truly are. It is so much more worth it to meet friends, make projects, and exist as yourself <3
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