For the last couple of weeks, social media has been awash with the great art of a “small” woman christened “Minicheps” getting on her daily hustle with great optimism but the photos are thrilling.
Her name is Catherine Jepkemboi. She is 25 years old and her artwork has brought the internet to a standstill.
She has always had a passion for photography but never thought that it would get to a point where she is trending for her marvelous work.
Jepkemboi, a mother of two woke up on Monday morning to the news of her trending on social media.
“I was asleep on Monday morning when a friend called me and asked how I could still be in bed when I was trending on social media,” the Eldoret-based creator told Saturday Standard.
Her inspiration saw her borrow a camera and started taking photos together with her friend Meshak Korir.
Korir is in animation and when he noticed the passion Jepkemboi had for photography, he helped her create miniature images which is what went full-blown on the internet recently.
Jepkemboi terms her work “unique, authentic and personal. It means ‘this is Chep’.”
A lot of ideas come to play before she does it all. She looks at a picture and discuss with Korir on the best experiences to miniature.
“Before the final product comes out, my partner and I sit down and discuss various experiences we have had, as well as ideas. Afterwards, we go out to look for affordable objects and items that can be used for the day’s work,” she says.
It has not been an easy journey though; she started posting her work on the interwebs in 2019 but only got notice in 2021 when “We Are Africa”, a popular Facebook page posted her photos.
Not one to speak about deals on the table, she said several big companies have reached out to her but she is yet to make a conclusive decision on where to go.