Gabriel Moses - Ask it Anyway hosted by Instagram
A Deep Dive
Born in South London with Nigerian heritage, Gabriel Moses has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in such a short time in the creative space. If you haven’t heard his name by now, where have you been?
There aren’t many words to describe the hard-work and raw talent it takes to produce such a plethora of work, so consistently, for such a long time, but I’ll try.
I first discovered Moses’ work in early 2023 and even then, I felt late to the party. By that time, he had his foot well in the door and was preparing for the launch of his debut exhibition “Regina”. From then, the ball kept rolling and we’re now at a point where it feels disrespectful to label his rise as ‘meteoric’ due to the volume of creative output that got him to this position, but it sure feels that way.
Often when celebrating an upcoming artist, we reference collaborations with multiple household-name brands as a way to understand the scale of their success. Whilst GM has this in abundance, I can’t help but feel it’s the sheer quality of his work that propels him forward.
The artist partners with Instagram for ‘Ask it Anyway’, a sit-down talk series that has previously hosted music powerhouses Fred Again.. and Tyler, The Creator. Sat before a group of aspiring creatives in NYC, the director, photographer and filmmaker discusses his early career, the creative process and how he stays true to his vision.
NY based actor and writer Aspen Narain asks Moses at what point young artists should feel comfortable expressing their opinion in the creative process, to which he responds:
“Set the pace today. As a young person, you’re in the best position, you’ve got the intel, so act like it. You are the target audience, people pay a lot of money to research your perspective.”
When discussing his early career, Moses recalls a time where he was “the target audience and the director at the same time.”
This certainly explains the cult following that GM seems to have amongst young creatives, he produces work that they resonate with on a deeper level and for that, he is appreciated. Furthermore, his presence in the heart of pop culture can’t be denied, his work with the likes of Skepta, Rihanna and Travis Scott play a huge part in his collection of imagery.
“I’ve got nothing I need to gate-keep, there should be more young people doing big things.”
The artist goes on to explain that if he can walk into a room, be modest, have good manners and still produce the same great work, it will help towards changing the narrative surrounding young people in the creative industry. These words are certainly backed up with action. To me, it seems as if he feels a sense of responsibility to make the journey easier for those that will come after him.
Twice in two years, GM has joined forces with Nike to launch the Gabriel Moses Educational Programme, a two-day seminar covering topics including but not limited to: Creative Partnerships, Campaign Ideation and Culture as Commerce, with a group of young creatives.
“I come from a place where a lot of people don’t try. We’ve been told this is how we’re meant to live, this is our ceiling - and a lot of people don’t try.”
In a wider sense, there’s definitely been a shift in mentality in terms of, creating things and trying to build something for your own interest has become cool again. Not that it was necessarily un-cool, but the general reaction to someone trying to better themselves or work on a ‘side-hustle’ was a negative one. It won’t work for everyone, but more people are trying and I think that will always be cool, no matter what.
GM tells the youngsters that they should perhaps have more trust in the internet to take their ideas into the places they desire, with my favourite quote of all:
“The beauty of the internet is that you’re connected to the entire world. There’s nothing stopping Beyoncè from coming across your ting.”
Whatever comes next for Gabriel Moses, it’s refreshing to have an artist who isn’t afraid of connecting with fellow creatives and sharing truly priceless knowledge. On this trajectory, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t become a ‘great’, much like those he looks up to.
The photographer and filmmaker concludes the interview with, “You get out what you put in.”
For me, it’s one of those interviews whereby after listening, you just get that feeling. One similar to when you watch a great film for the first time, or listen to a great album. That surge of motivation to do the thing you’ve been putting off for a while. It definitely motivated me and it’s probably the reason this article has been published.
You can watch the full interview on YouTube here.