#ConversationsonCreativity - Weaving Stories with Picha Stock
On November 1st at 6 Spin Street, Cape Town, we're exploring a fundamental question facing every African visual creator: How do you build sustainable income from authentic work without compromising your cultural voice?
This Conversations on Creativity session examines how stock photography transforms creative revenue streams when platforms prioritize ethical commerce over extraction.
We'll discuss PICHA Stock's 50% revenue-sharing model and what it means for photographers building sustainable practices, explore how authentic Afrocentric visual narratives connect with global markets, and celebrate the launch of Weaving Stories—a collection featuring 10 photographers from Kenya, Brazil, South Africa, Ghana, the USA, and Nigeria.
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Speakers
Josiane Faubert
Founder & CEO, PICHA Stock | Oil Painter | Seattle, USA
Josiane Faubert is an oil painter and entrepreneur who bridges intimate artistic practice with collective storytelling. As founder and CEO of PICHA Stock, she created a visual storytelling platform with a revolutionary 50% revenue-sharing model that positions creators as true partners. Her artistic journey began in Libreville, Gabon, developing a distinctive style painting women with recurring color palettes. This commitment to authentic representation extends through Weaving Stories—pairing photographers' visuals with their narratives—and Rhythm & Hues, bringing fine art prints into everyday spaces. Featured in What It Takes Volume 2, Josiane proves authentic visual storytelling requires human connection and equitable partnerships.
More about Josiane: https://www.instagram.com/itsme_josiane/
More about Weaving Stories: https://bit.ly/WeavingStoriesBkcn
More about Picha: https://bit.ly/aboutPicha
Mikhailia Petersen
Working in the medium of analogue film photography, Petersen focuses on portraiture. Through each project, the artist aims to capture her subjects in a truthful and celebratory manner, portraying those individuals she shoots through narrative-based storytelling, as opposed to isolated and essentializing single images. Interested in the post-colonial landscape of Cape Town, her work seeks to re-address the way POC and LGBTQIA+ people are framed within this context through hardship and oppression.
Instead, her photographs highlight the beauty and strength of people.
More Mikhailia: https://www.instagram.com/mikhailiapetersen/
Kat Grudko
Photographer | Cape Town
With 17 years behind the camera, Kat Grudko has built a Cape Town photography practice around a simple truth: powerful images emerge when subjects feel genuinely seen. Her approach—"friendship through the lens"—combines mood boards, personal check-ins, and intentional studio design to help women discover themselves in ways they never imagined. Kat believes authentic representation isn't performative inclusivity; it's a strategic advantage that drives real business growth. Featured in Weaving Stories, she champions women's empowerment photography, creating safe spaces where emotional intelligence meets technical excellence. Her work proves that when connection precedes the click, the resulting images carry transformative power for both subject and viewer.
More about Kat: https://www.instagram.com/katgrudkophoto/
Barbra Guya
Product Analyst & Photographer | Kenya
Barbra Guya describes herself as "an analyst by day, an artist by life." Raised with numbers in one hand and stories in the other, she uses analytical thinking as her creative superpower—grounding imagination in reality through critical problem-solving and process mapping. Her photography captures Kenyan life with authenticity rooted in personal narrative, from her project Diversity: Mothers of Color to everyday moments that reveal universal truths through African perspectives. Featured in Weaving Stories, Barbra embodies professional versatility as a competitive advantage, proving that creatives can excel across multiple domains. Her work contributes to conversations about creative career diversity across Africa, demonstrating that symbiosis—not competition—between careers creates sustainable creative practice.
More about Barbra: https://www.instagram.com/ah_yako
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The conversation addresses practical questions around platform selection, pricing strategies, licensing rights, and building portfolios that command fair compensation while maintaining cultural integrity.
This isn't theoretical discussion about "representation"—it's examining how ethical visual commerce actually functions and what creators need to know about monetizing authentic storytelling in global markets.
Event Details
Date: November 1, 2025
Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM
Location: 6 Spin Street, Cape Town
Format: Panel discussion + networking
About PICHA Stock:
A visual storytelling platform offering Afrocentric stock photography and video footage created by global Black and Afrocentric creatives. They return 50% of every license directly to creators—ethical storytelling that begins with who's behind the lens.
More about Picha: https://bit.ly/aboutPicha | Weaving Stories: https://bit.ly/WeavingStoriesBkcn
About Creative Nestlings:
A non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship among young African creatives. Since 2011, we've hosted 180+ creatives through our Conversations on Creativity series, creating space for honest dialogue about building sustainable creative careers across the continent.
Visit: creativenestlings.com