Hey, I’m Blnd Abdullah, but most people call me Blend.

I was born in Erbil, Kurdistan, and even though I’m far from home now, those roots are still a big part of me. Eight years ago, my life changed . I found myself in a new country, in a reality I never asked for. I was a lost, scared kid who didn’t understand why I had ended up here, why everything familiar had to be left behind. Change is terrifying when you don’t see it coming, when you don’t get a choice. For the longest time, I held onto memories like they were the only thing keeping me from disappearing completely. The streets felt unfamiliar, the faces didn’t look like home, and no matter how much time passed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong.

There’s a word—غوربەت (ghurbat), that perfectly describes that feeling. It’s not just about being away from home; it’s about being stuck in between, never fully belonging anywhere. It’s the weight of migration, the constant ache of missing a place that doesn’t exist the same way anymore. It’s looking at where you are and still feeling like a guest, like one day you’ll have to pack up and leave again. I’ve carried ghurbat with me every day since I left, sometimes without even realizing it.

I’m a documentary photographer and photojournalist, working as a Chief photographer for MCCPA and a Contributor with NDY Photos, Getty Images, SOPA Images, IMAGIA Photos, and Zuma Press. In addition to all of this, I'm Monroe Community's photographer, serving as a photographer for Community Relations and Student Life & Leadership, covering major events withing the college life.  But honestly, I’m still figuring it out. I carry my Pelican case every day, hoping I can escape from reality, but there are days when I feel lost. I’m chasing something, but I don’t always know what it is. Sometimes I get fooled by nostalgia, those little lies it tells me about the past being better than it really was. I think I romanticize things, even though I know it’s not all how I remember it. But maybe that’s just part of being human.

Photography’s my way of holding onto things, of capturing moments and feelings that matter, even when I’m not sure what those moments are yet. At first, it was just a way to remember, to hold onto the little things that made me feel something. But over time, it became more than that. It became my language when words failed me, my anchor when everything felt too overwhelming. It gave me a way to carve out a space in a world that didn’t always feel like mine.

Looking back, I see how much has changed. From that kid who whispered dreams into the night to the photographer who now captures the world as it is. From holding a camera for the first time to working with some of the biggest names in the industry. From wandering, searching, questioning, to standing here now.

But deep down, I am still that little lost kid. The one who never fully understood why life had to change so suddenly. The one who still gets fooled by nostalgia, still reaches for the past even when it slips through my fingers. And even though I’m here, even though I’ve made it this far, self-doubt still follows me, every day, every second. It lingers in the quiet moments, in the spaces between accomplishments, whispering that maybe I’m not enough, that maybe I’ll never truly belong.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that doubt doesn’t get the final say. Curiosity does. Resilience does. The part of me that keeps going, keeps creating, keeps searching for meaning, that’s the part that wins. Growth doesn’t erase the past, it just teaches you how to carry it differently. And as much as I chase the future, a part of me will always be looking back, searching for something familiar in a world that keeps moving forward.

That little guy with big dreams, the one who used to rest his head on his dada’s chest, imagining a world bigger than the one he knew, he’s still here. But now, he’s living the dreams he once whispered into the night.

And even though ghurbat will always be a part of me, I’m learning to find home in the present, not just in the past.

I’m also in my third semester studying Graphic Design at Monroe Community College (MCC), trying to learn and grow in different ways. Life is busy, and I juggle a lot, work, school, photography. But I keep pushing forward because I know the work I’m doing now is part of figuring it all out.

I don’t have all the answers, but maybe that’s the point. The not knowing, the searching, the trying. So, take a look at my work. Maybe something here speaks to you, or maybe it’s just another frozen moment in time.

Thanks for stopping by.