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Spotlight – Mustafa Rashid

Spotlight - Mustafa Rashid

This week, we took one of Muslamic Makers members and put him under our spotlight. 

Brothers & sisters, meet Mustafa Rashid.

Tell us a little about what you do?

Digital Marketing & Content Creator

How did you get to where you are today?

In retrospect some would call it falling upwards, others would call it hard earned, being melodramatic I’d call it destiny. I took to using a computer like a fish to water when I was about 8 years old and by the time I was ready to pick my GCSE’s I was proficient at ICT and ahead of the class in HTML (thanks to myspace & piczo). 

At the same time, I was exploring different aspects of digital media from photography, photoshop, video editing etc all within my living room. I didn’t formally take media studies in my GCSE’s, instead I used to volunteer to help my friends who were working on their coursework including acting, camera, editing etc. This led to picking up media studies, IT & Computing at college and then at university and it was a natural path.

After graduation, I found myself a little lost. Instead of going into a 9-5, I decided to migrate to my family business and build an online platform, which formed a gateway into digital marketing. I then decided to join the ranks of 9-5 and now I’m starting my 5th year in a digital agency, working with global brands such as BBC, ITV & NHS.

How do you balance your work schedule with your faith?

Alhumdulilah, I found myself quite lucky to be working in a majority muslim workspace. Prayers are offered in Jamaat, Ramadan has reduced time and they understand that we don’t know what date Eid will be and happily accommodate. Some employees who partake in 40 days Jamaat get the time off

What is your daily quarantine routine?

I start work at 8am and finish by 4pm (as opposed to 10-6 when in the office). Ideally once i finish at 4 I will take a break and then work on my ecommerce site & other side projects but i just nap for a few hours, pray, eat and watch a movie or an Islamic lecture. Weekends are spent doing household maintenance & trying to take a break from what use to be a very outgoing and busy lifestyle before the lockdown.

Any new projects you've started in quarantine?

Last year I spent a lot of time focusing on my 9-5 and it took a lot out of me, resulting in burnout. I’ve spent about 6 months now recovering and i can feel a comeback approaching. I’ve refreshed my main eCommerce business during the quarantine and I’m planning a return to my passionate project, Movie & TV reviews. I’ve experimented with a few new things and I feel that very soon I’ll be able to bring something very special to light. But only when I’m ready – remember, you are more important than your content.

Top tip for finding a job that is suitable for your faith

Faith is a compass and everyone has their own internal compass. We all have our own morals and values and what might be right for some may not be right for you. My top tip is to pray for guidance and then follow through with it.

Top tips for someone starting out in their career
  • Apply to everything, try everything. 
  • Ask loads of questions and speak your mind (respectfully). If you think something is a good or bad idea then mention it at the right time (in the beginning). 
  • Update your portfolio regularly. 
  • Keep your options open. 
  • Do not be scared to ask for promotions. Loyalty is good and it’s a nice feeling but so does getting what you deserve.
  • Stay righteous because we have to be role-models not just for Islam, but for our own peace of mind. 
  • Try your best. If you can look at yourself in the mirror and say “I tried my best” and feel proud or content with the work you’ve produced, you can rest easy. If you don’t feel those things, its time for change.
What's the biggest career highlight?

There was a project that I worked on for a year and gave it everything I had & i learnt a lot about myself through it. More recently, I got over 1.5 million impressions on an Instagram filter I made.

If you were a website or an app - which app would you be and why?

I’d like YouTube because of the diversity of the topics.

Your favourite quote?

“In life, much like in Bruce Springsteen songs, you can either stay and rot, or you can escape and burn.”

Anything else we should know?

I really enjoy talking about film and media from different prospectives, for example right now my thing is Muslim and south asian representation in sci-fi movies.

If you would like to get in touch with Mustafa, here are his details:

Email

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

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Twitter
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