2020

By 2020, Muhammad and I had already established a rhythm of creating together, but the year quickly tested what that relationship could endure.

Keaton and I filmed the music video for “GEMS” on the same day St. Louis began shutting down because of COVID-19. We worked in masks and gloves, moving through the production while trying to understand what was happening beyond the set. None of us knew how long the shutdown would last, what it would mean for live music, or when artists would be able to gather normally again.

The circumstances changed, but Muhammad’s instinct to create did not.

With stages, events, and traditional opportunities disappearing, our work became more intimate. We continued making portraits, documenting studio sessions, developing ideas, and finding ways to stay creatively connected during a period defined by isolation and uncertainty. The photographs from this year are less about large public milestones and more about the determination to keep moving when the path ahead was unclear.

Our relationship also continued growing beyond the work. I was becoming more familiar with the people, routines, and family life surrounding Muhammad. What had begun as a professional opportunity was increasingly becoming a friendship built through trust, shared uncertainty, and the willingness to keep showing up for one another.

Looking back, 2020 preserved a quieter form of progress. The year did not unfold the way any of us expected, but it revealed something important about Muhammad: when the world slows down, he does not stop imagining what might come next.