Daniel Law's CIAMKU Project and the Power of Being Positive

SOMETIMES YOU FIND YOURSELF IN SITUATIONS THAT YOU DIDN’T ASK FOR, YOU DIDN’T WANT BUT YOU FIND VERY HARD TO ESCAPE. IT USUALLY TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE TO BREAK FREE, AND IN MANY CASES PEOPLE DON’T SUCCEED. OFTEN IT IS A PAINFUL PROCESS OF ADMITTING AND ACCEPTING THAT THINGS WENT WRONG, TO FIND BACK ALL YOU SACRIFICED AND TO LEARN TO EXPRESS YOURSELF. TO LOVE YOURSELF.

It took Daniel Law 2 abusive relationships to realize that he could not just wait for things to get better. The first was painful and Daniel probably thought he learned his lesson. But when it happened again, he found himself even more confused and more crippled then before. Except this time Daniel took the bold and brave decision to turn his life around. To chose for himself. He overcame his feelings of guilt and shame and learned to express himself by making music, which he accompanied with a self-created image. At first music was a good way for Daniel to vent, but after a while he ran out of steam doing it. But the creation of images, mostly self-portraits, was really something that allowed him to express his deepest emotions without having to feel ashamed for it.

After his second break up, Daniel Law decided to takes things in his own hands. No longer accepting the role of victim, he pushed for a better future. For him. One of the things he did was applying to college where he got accepted and studied photography for 2 years. Daniel enjoyed the purpose he gave to his life and eventually found himself where he is right now. After his study and ready to explore new exciting things in the world of photography. Daniel Law’s first project is named the CIAMKU Project. It is this project in which Daniel deals with the negative elements that have colored his life so far. The portraits in CIAMKU are the first he created under his real name, where he first timidly used the pseudonym Cousin Kitten to present his work. “I was a bit scared to do it (photography) under my own name, and being someone else was easier for me to do it. Since then I've put that alias to rest as I'm now confident enough to say "I'm Daniel, and this is what I think and this is how I feel" without being shy or worried about the repercussions. I think my CIAMKU project was very profound for me, I think it marked a new era of my artistic expression.”

Exploring his deeper self made Daniel discover other feelings he needed to resolve. Daniel was brought up catholic. A religious education that effected him negatively as a child but also pushed him to look objectively at the world around him and thought his how to express himself. Left with a strong view opposing the catholic believes led to the creation of his Leviticus Project. Since Daniel Law finished his studies in June this year, he deliberately took a small break. But now, in August, he is getting ready to go back to work with renewed energy. “I'll get set to work on some new images, much more exciting, violent, scary, and sexier than every before, along with a website.” Until then we bring you a handpicked selection of Daniel Law’s CIAMKU Project and Leviticus Project, being the proof that no matter how bad experiences can be, it is often the source to bring forth something beautiful. –BM-

DANIEL LAW | BEAUTIFULMAG