Mujahid Jamal AKA Sard
NAME :
Mujahid Jamal AKA Sard.
OCCUPATION :
Creative Director, Visual Storyteller, Founder of Sard (“narration” or “storytelling” in Arabic)
WHERE WERE YOU BORN :
Muscat, Oman.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE :
Still in Muscat, I like to stay rooted while building globally.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS :
Obsessed, Honest, Restless
WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALISE ART AND DESIGN WAS YOUR FUTURE :
The first time I picked up a camera and felt like I was freezing emotion, I was 16.
WHY SARD :
Because stories from our region deserve to be told with world-class visuals, and AI gave me the tool to do it my way.
WHAT OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS / AI ARTISTS DO YOU ADMIRE :
Hassan Hajjaj, Gi-Seok, and honestly, some unknowns pushing raw vision with no recognition, they keep it real.
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR CREATIONS :
Culture, contradiction, emotion, memory, and the idea that beauty can carry meaning.
WHICH HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE YOU HAVE CREATED :
‘Ezba Girls’ Arab women on a truck heading to do business. Power, softness, legacy.
WHAT OTHER MEDIUMS DO YOU USE :
Photography, creative direction, video, storytelling, whatever it takes to translate a feeling.
DO YOU GET ARTIST’S BLOCK AT ALL :
Of course. The block is the work. You push through it or sit with it. It always passes.
WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB :
That I don’t feel like I have one.
ARE THERE DAYS YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TO WORK :
Yeah, and on those days I go anyway.
WHAT IMAGE HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE :
An editorial piece with 5 characters in a single wide shot, keeping all their faces intact, took 60+ iterations.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST ARTISTIC MOMENT :
Seeing people connect emotionally with a visual that started as just a sentence in my notes app.
IF YOU COULD SPEND THE DAY WITH ANY ARTIST OR PHOTOGRAPHER ALIVE OR DEAD, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE :
Probably Daniel Archam or Cho Gi-Seok, just to sit in silence and take in the aura.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
Playing PlayStation 1.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID :
Imaginative, dramatic, constantly drawing things I couldn’t explain.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION :
My archive of unfinished work, it reminds me of where I was mentally, creatively and emotionally.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE :
Nice question, probably Tom Hanks.
CHOOSE A SUPERPOWER :
Super intelligence.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT :
Impatience.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT :
Unfinished ideas visuals I can see clearly in my head, but haven’t been able to create yet.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT :
Turning a limitation into a signature and using AI to tell culturally rooted stories that resonate worldwide.
DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS :
Yes, The Joe Rogan Experience.
WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE :
Vanilla Ice Cream.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU EVER STOLE :
Time from systems that try to box you in.
YOU ARE HEADING TO THE ISS / INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, CHOOSE 4 PEOPLE TO TAKE ALONG :
Cho Gi-Seok, Lamine Yamal, Theo Von, and one of my closest friends.
WHAT WOULD A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU LOOK LIKE :
Waking up early, deep creative flow, good food, silence, no notifications.
IF YOU COULD BE FRIENDS WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE :
V from V for Vendetta, not for the rebellion, but for the clarity behind the chaos.
WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ :
“Let My People Go Surfing” by Yvon Chouinard, reminded me that business can have a soul.
WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU GAVE SOMEONE :
Probably a perfume.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
That quiet moment when someone sees my work and feels understood without a single word spoken.
YOUR FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Amalfi Coast, it felt like I was walking through a dream I used to have as a kid.
YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Anywhere that lacks soul, even if it’s beautiful.
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST :
Probably hiking in Brazil
DO YOU LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED :
When the questions don’t feel recycled, yes.
WHAT’S THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
Emotionally? Many times. Physically? No.
IF YOU HAD A BOAT, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED :
Silence Between Waves.
WHAT’S A PERSONAL MOTTO OR MESSAGE :
“Make it mean something, or don’t make it at all.”
