WE stress time and time again on the importance of youths, and investing in their development. Too often people believe that investment has to come from somewhere or someone in order to become successful, failing to realise that investing in oneself is far more important, and also has the ability to take you farther down the road of success.
Proving this by all means is Taariq Claarke. At just 19, Clarke is an exceptional photographer and videographer, who is creating a stir on social media with his creations.

‘The Buzz’ couldn’t help but give recognition where it is due, and pulled Clarke in for an interview.

The young man said that he began taking photos since he was six years old. He shared with us that he was on vacation in London to attend his uncle’s wedding, and it was that uncle who lent him his camera to take pictures. Turns out that those pictures were so good that some of them were actually used as the official wedding shots.

Building from that, he stuck to photography, and after saving, he purchased his first camera when he finished high school, and started practising photography as a business.
Clarke describes himself as an ambitious young man. He has been practising photography on a professional basis for nearly four years now. He said that because of his artistic eye, he developed a passion for photography and cinematography.

Realising the need for constantly improving yourself, and mastering different levels of your art, he does not only do photography, but is now a maker of videos, ‘ads’, short films and more.

His recent video was the music video of the ‘Ding Dong Creaketeh’ remix with Jumo Primo, Eze Rockliffe and Stichie.

Minus the fact that the song was always one of Guyana’s favourites, since it speaks to our culture, the quality that Clarke produced told the story so well that a one-time view was not enough.

“My main goal is always to grow creatively in my professional field of work… The love and obsession associated with developing and perfecting the quality of my work encourages me to be consistent, since I’m doing something I absolutely love. More so, it is always pleasing to convincingly know that I’m one step closer to being recognised internationally.

And I wanted to diversify what I do, so I invested time and money to better myself at what I do and love, and now I am able to bring more creativity to the table,” the young man said.
He enjoys not putting out easily digestible material, Clarke said, as he always wants to captivate the minds of viewers and clients.

There’s no shortcut to success, he said. Rather, you have to stay committed and continuously invest in yourself to improve and propel into the person you want to be.

In addition, Clarke said he had to get into photography with an open mind and a thirst to continuously learn more. Most of all, he never aimed to be like anyone else, because they already exist. He tries to be the best version of himself, so people can appreciate his unique form of artwork that he brings to the table. This, he encourages everyone else to do.

Apart from his amazing photography and videography work, Taariq is also reading for a degree in Architecture at the University of Guyana.