Zaym: Capturing the self Scotland allowed him to be

Click! An onomatopoeic word synonymous across the world with capturing a photograph, freezing that individual moment, making it timeless. Images are personal —some treasured, some loathed —but each frozen slice of time has a beginning, a middle, and an end—a story. 

Revisiting His Story @Zaymism

Before a photograph can be captured, edited, and eventually completed, its subjects must first be positioned. Some images are direct, lens and pupils interlock; a pose is struck, Snap! Others lack directness;  they appear natural, yet the moment itself is constructed, Flash!

“I often photograph myself, and I don’t add captions, but people still understand what I am saying because the energy is there,” says Zaym. Born in Malaysia, Zaym is a photographer who is currently working and living in Glasgow. 

Possessing long dark hair, wrists adorned with jewellery and an infectious smile, Zaym has found sanctuary here in Scotland. A space for him to create not only pictures, but also somewhere to build something authentically Zaym. 

“People here understand, they get what I’m trying to express, and that means a lot,” he says. An admittedly shy person, Zaym confesses to using his photography as a form of therapy. He adds, “I express my feelings through my art, sometimes I have dreams or strange visions, and I turn those into photos.” 

As Zaym battles for his right to stay in Scotland, he sat down to reveal his story. The tale behind the click, the flash, and the snap. Zaym with captions if you will. 

Behind Those Glasses @Zaymism

“I’ve told people I’d rather die than go back, I couldn’t have long hair, dress how I want, wear accessories, or express myself freely,” Zaym confesses. Born into a conservative religious family, Zaym admits he is repeatedly told to alter his appearance by his parents. “Once my dad even said, ‘Don’t make me come to Scotland and cut your hair myself, ’ I am just not ready to go back to that life,” he says. 

As he utters these words, there is an essence of fragility in his voice, almost as if saying those thoughts out loud made the prospect more of a reality. “Going back isn’t an option,” he concludes. 

“Going back” summarises the contrasting lives of Zaym before and after his move to Scotland in 2018. What started as a quest for a degree has grown and developed into a life, a community and something he sees as his future.  “There’s something really creative here – it’s raw and real, and I want to be part of that. I want to help build it,” he says. 

With Zaym’s current visa set to run out in February, he is currently raising money to apply for a Global Talent Visa through a JustGiving page.  His page, aptly titled ‘Keep Zaym’s Art Alive’, is followed by paragraphs expressing why he wishes to remain in Scotland. One reads – ‘Here in Glasgow, I finally learned what freedom feels like’. This feeling of freedom is evident in Zaym, as if the person who has always lived inside him is now not wasting a single moment to emerge and be present. 

“When I started the fundraiser, I didn’t believe in myself, but seeing so many people donate, share, and reach out made me realise that I am valued, that I do belong somewhere,” he says. “This morning I was just thinking how amazing it is and how people here support me, even people I’ve never met,” he adds. Through over 90 donations, Zaym has raised £2,458 of his £3,000 target to cover the visa application costs. 

Zaym says, “I never thought people would love or support me this much. It’s overwhelming, but in the best way. I just want to say thank you, thank you — truly.” Support from the queer community was clearly something Zaym felt extremely personally, as the words thank you were repeated with genuine sincerity. 

Class Clown @Zaymism

However, it was support from another person earlier in Zaym’s life that continues to inspire him to remain true to himself. “I lost my Grandad when I was 14; he was my best friend, and he was the only person who ever got me,” he adds. Zaym referenced back to his Grandfather’s passing through memories of wanting to keep all of his clothes and returning to his grave to tell him he had achieved something in school. 

Following the death of his Grandfather, Zaym admits to falling into a deep depression and taking over ten years to finally start moving on. The sharing of such an experience was visibly challenging, but it was clear that the influence this experience had on the person behind the camera today. “He was my inspiration, and he’s still with me, showhow,” he concludes. 

After discussing his inspirations, the inevitable question came – what is your dream? “It might sound ambitious, but my dream is to create my own art movement,” he says. “I want Zaymism to be a space for people who don’t know how to express themselves with words — to express through a camera or through art instead,” he adds. 

Zaymism has rules; each picture must have a white background and brown tones, with the subject being the main focus of the shot. He says, “I want to see people expressing themselves in front of the camera, it’s all about honest self-expression.”

Xavannah from Drag Me Up @Zaymism

By revealing elements of his story, Zaym has given an insight into the moments leading up to a photograph's capture. Experiences throughout life have inspired his future artistic dream, with each piece of work constructed under the conditions of Zaymism, revealing a small slice of his own personal story. 

There is no telling where Zaym’s story will go, but it is clear that in Scotland, he has found his blank white background, his space to be the main focus of his own story and a canvas where he is free to express himself as something authentically Zaym.

Zaym and Zaymism are one and the same, and there is no doubt he sees the future of both the person and the movement, the next click, snap and flash, in the place he now calls home – Scotland.

Click Here to donate to Zaym's fundraiser