Lifestyle

How to Represent the Unseen: Photographer Fadia Ahmad Captures the Essence of Unconditional Love

Published

3 years ago

April 30, 2022

Love makes life worth living. It inspires us, lifts us up, binds us together, and gives us hope for a better tomorrow. Capturing the essence of love, however, can prove quite the difficult task. This challenge: understanding, visually at least, the true nature of that emotion most core to the human experience, constitutes the primary motivation for two of Lebanese photographer and filmmaker Fadia Ahmad’s many series, Unconditional and Motherhood.

Unconditional portrays the romantic love of couples in its many stages through life. Photographs of partners both young and old work together to tell a story of the ways in which romantic love evolves over time. Subjects sit together on benches in moments of stillness and pause. They lean on one another, look away, or hold hands. Ahmad succeeds in framing the subjects in such a way as to capture the ineffable qualities of each of their greatly varied dynamics. Each piece in the series voices something unique, collectively contributing to a conversation without end. Love can be supportive; it can emerge through closeness or touch, but love can, at times, also take the form of a comfort that allows for silence and contemplation.

More than anything, perhaps, Ahmad’s Unconditional reminds the viewer that love can, with the right nurture and perseverance, last. Ultimately, it is a challenge, bringing with daily struggles and obstacles that must be overcome for the sake of its preservation. From its first inception to its final breaths, romantic love, that love between partners that so many of us aspire to attain, endures as something that can never fully be understood. Ahmad’s timeless series, however, delivers something close.

It should be noted, as well, that love possesses the unique ability to seep into every aspect of life, taking many forms outside of the context of romance. Ahmad’s Motherhood prompts the viewer to consider this.

The bond between mothers and their children has stood as a universally treasured hallmark in nearly every culture of the world for nearly all of time. In Motherhood, Ahmad succeeds in capturing the many faces of mothers’ love, going so far as to include powerful imagery of primates and their infant children. These pieces in particular invoke something that transcends human experience, all the while demonstrating the truly primal essence of the bond between mother and child.

In conjunction with one another, Ahmad’s Unconditional and Motherhood series reconcile with the many meanings and forms that love takes, where it starts, where it begins, and the boundless lessons it teaches along the way.

To learn more about Fadia Ahmad and her work, visit https://www.fadiaahmad.com/

Lifestyle

Powerful Corporate Gifting Strategies to Build and Strengthen Business Partnerships

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2025

Michelle Langton

If you want to build and strengthen business partnerships with your clients and top investors, there are a few key steps you must take. One essential strategy is corporate gifting. This simple act goes beyond building a partnership. It will also increase your customer retention rate and promote your business even beyond the shore of your country.

But before you consider gifting any item, there are some strategies to put in place. This will ensure your gift makes a lasting impression and resonates well with your clients. Below are powerful corporate gifting strategies to build and strengthen business partnerships with your clients and top investors.

Choose a Personalized Item

Rather than choosing an ordinary gift for your clients and investors, opt for a personalized item. Customised corporate gifts such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, and bags create a stronger emotional connection than generic gifts. They also leave a more lasting impression than most other gift types.

Imagine how investors and your clients will feel when you beautifully inscribe their image or favorite quotes on a T-shirt. Of course, they will feel valued, appreciated, and ready to invest more in your business.

Consider Their Culture and Background

As an entrepreneur, it’s essential to be culturally competent and sensitive. Your gifts should resonate with your clients’ and investors’ cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, they may be quickly discarded or overlooked. If your investors and audience are predominantly of Black heritage, consider giving them a custom T-shirt featuring a map of Africa or inspirational quotes from iconic Black leaders.

Their religious beliefs are also important. Specific religions may find some images or symbols inappropriate. For instance, if you’re giving a gift to a Muslim investor, avoid designs that include images like pigs, as they are considered offensive in Islamic culture.

Consider a Functional Gift

You should also consider the gift’s functionality. A gift that can be used every day will be more valuable than an impractical one. Even if the gift is expensive but doesn’t have any functional purpose, it won’t serve the purpose it was intended for.

Instead of purely sentimental keepsakes or abstract gifts, consider practical items like pens, notebooks, backpacks, coffee mugs, umbrellas, or water bottles. Just make sure the gift is well-designed and features your brand logo and identity. This not only increases brand visibility but also helps strengthen the connection between you and your investors.

Tie it to a story

Tie your gifts to a story to make them more memorable and emotionally meaningful. For example, if during your business’s early days, your employees always worked tirelessly day and night, you could opt for a custom hourglass. Clients and investors who receive such a gift will appreciate your business’s journey of patience and perseverance.

Offer Quality Gifts

Gifts given to investors or clients who have significantly contributed to your business growth should reflect their value. They shouldn’t be cheap or low-grade items. The gift doesn’t have to be trendy or widely popular, but it should come from a reputable and high-end brand. This will give your gift more credibility. Besides, the recipients will feel comfortable to use the gift among their colleagues.