As part of our partnership with Huawei and its global smartphone photography competition Next-Image awards 2020, Leah Abbott, the London-based stylist who has perfected Jorja Smith’s own sense of style explained how important it is to be brave when it comes to creativity.

“To have courage in creativity is to know that there are no limits to it. I had to have courage when taking a chance on myself and leaving my original safety net to follow my dream”. Abbott unveiled the Positive Power of Creativity by sharing personal and emotional aspects from her everyday life for the ‘Hello, Life!’ category, showing us how her daily surrounding directly impacts her work.

For Abbott, “there is no wrong answer to creativity.” That’s why the stylist gave us her best tips on how to be confident in your own creativity and what it means for her to be fearless in her work and field.

When it comes to finding inspiration, Abbott usually turns to the world’s natural resources, which can be mirrored in the many earthy tones she includes in some of her best styling as well as in the images she submitted for the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020. “I look at things like plants that have their own natural shapes, colours and designs. And for me, ‘Hello, Life!’ means capturing all the things that I cram into my day, beautiful things I pass without much notice, but also all the things I prep with immense detail.”

To depict the intricate details of the otherwise ordinary aspects that make up her every day, the stylist tells us how she used the “Huawei P40 Pro to capture all the elements that inspire my creativity and vision. Playing with the phone camera’s sharp focus, light balancing and zoom, so that it all comes out just right.”

Feel like you can draw inspiration from everyday life too? Capture those moments on your Huawei smartphone and submit them to the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 for the chance to win a creation fund of up to $10,000 USD.

As Abbott learned, inspiration can come in all different shapes and sizes, as long as you take the first step of looking for it. “If I ever have a fashion emergency, I will run to the market and by doing this I will be exposed to a world of different cultures, and different ways to interpret life, which undoubtedly inspires my work.”

In order to capture what surrounds you, you will most definitely need to master DIY work and photoshoots with friends. That’s how the celebrity stylist first experimented with clothes. “Some of the best content is shot on a smartphone with friends and you never ever know who is watching you. Try not to stick to your own ‘safe’ taste, explore different eras, hire costumes, have fun with varied styles and models, this all shows versatility and most importantly helps to build that portfolio.”

Through her styling career, Abbott has shown her own by drawing inspiration from many mismatched ideas and producing looks and outfits that incorporated these elements and made them work perfectly.

When asked about her first few years, Abbott admitted how terrifying it was. “I think a huge moment for me which really made people take notice was my client Jorja’s ‘On My Mind’ music video. It was actually my first solo video job and I originally said no as I was terrified! Thankfully I did, however, go through with it, and the styling is now as much a topic as the song, people still refer to it as some of their favourite work of mine, for me it was a job which kick-started my self-confidence.”

Taking risks means greater rewards. Speaking about the viral outfit Jorja Smith wore at the Brit Awards 2020, Abbott told us that just before the event, the original outfit she had planned for the singer fell through, meaning she only had a few hours left before finding the multi-coloured jumpsuit. “I think this ‘viral’ moment really taught me not to play it safe and work up to the last moment to make something perfect, the things that feel most like a ‘risk’ often have the best reward.”

Different is good—it means you have enough imagination and creativity needed to surprise people with your own ideas. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. As Abbott said, “Everyone sees beauty in different ways.”

There is no wrong answer to creativity! Capture the moment on your Huawei smartphone and submit it to the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 for a chance to win a creation fund of up to $10,000 USD.

As part of our partnership with Huawei and its global smartphone photography competition Next-Image awards 2020, we went on a mission to share the Positive Power of Creativity. Enter London-based dancer and choreographer Windy Tsoi who captures her dance using a Huawei P40 Pro for the ‘Live Moments’ category in a way that’ll have you breaking a move in no time.

“My job allows me to do what I love—sharing my joy and passion for dance with other people. Simultaneously, it gives me a lot of creative freedom,” shared the dancer who works across music videos, live performances, dancing herself, choreographing behind the scenes and teaching.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create the perfect dance video? Tsoi has perfected the art of capturing the live moments in her life through intricate choreographies and video. Tsoi looks back at her own creative process and her participation in the competition as she shares with us the exact steps you (quite literally) need to take to get your own dance videos out there.

For her participation in the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 Tsoi, of course, owned the ‘Live Moments’ category. Using a Huawei smartphone she documented the little moments and the big ones that make up her creative process and resonate her positive power of creativity. “The Huawei P40 Pro helped me capture the live moments of my life; my choreographies, my routines. It allowed me to play with lights and effects. Slow Motion and Time Lapse are always great to use when it comes to dance moves. I can create anything I want based on my mood and the message that I want to share with my audience.”

By experimenting with the smartphone’s different features such as the multi-window, which allows her to both rewatch videos of her choreography and take notes from them on the smartphone’s screen, or using the camera’s Super Slow Motion feature in order to slow down her rhythm and see precisely if her steps are aligned, Tsoi documented her everyday, giving us a glimpse into her preparation for the classes she teaches and even some of her own practice time in the studio.

Think you can pop, drop and lock it like Tsoi? Show us, share your live moments taken on your Huawei smartphone! Submit to the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 for a chance to win a creation fund of up to $10,000 USD.

From choreography for music videos to being part of the dance crew on the X Factor and The Great Escape festival, Tsoi’s seen it all. On top of her impressive dance career, she regularly hosts open dance classes in different studios across London. Tsoi has mastered the ultimate teaching skills to share with fellow dancers and choreographers.

“So many factors influence and change my mood and, from that, my mood decides the song and what dance style I’m feeling,” she explains. Creating emotions is the goal, says Tsoi: “When it comes to me, I definitely live in the moment and I feel there should be no other way, as I believe dance is the perfect form of expression.”

For Tsoi, the most important thing you need to capture that perfect live moment is your creativity and the right device to capture it with. “I’m quite simple when it comes to using equipment and getting used to what I have. Really all I’m looking for is equipment with a good camera and speakers with great sound quality.”

All in all, dance is about living the present moment by transcribing emotions and sharing them through movement. In true form to her contagiously positive energy, Tsoi took the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 as an opportunity to showcase her creativity and share the Live Moments that make her happy.

For her submission, Tsoi says that “The video ideas came to mind naturally because creativity is an integral part of my job. I enjoyed the whole process of this campaign as it reminded me why I love dancing and how I started at the beginning, which now makes me feel even more motivated to create more new things.”

Your everyday could be someone’s extraordinary. You won’t know until you share your Live Moments, so what are you waiting for? Submit your footage taken on a Huawei smartphone to the Huawei Next-Image awards 2020 for a chance to win a creation fund of up to $10,000 USD.