Matthew Whitehouse interviewed Lawrence for I-D. Here are three big moments from the interview.
On growing up in Israeli-occupied Palestine, including his family telling him to tell strangers they were Jordanian for safety:
“I only understood the significance of all of tthat when I grew older, experiencing the conflict daily. You can feel the tension fear, and pain in the air of Jerusalem. I try every day to stay away from trouble because I know I will regret the outcome.”
On how he keeps the willpower to keep creating and being himself amid danger::
“As long as you surround yourself with people that inspire you to keep going then you’re safe. In terms of societal expectations within my community, it’s hard to express myself freely in public because I live in a conservative place. This is where the internet comes in as a safe place for me to express myself with no censorship.”
His life goal::
“I’m trying to showcase the hidden, the misrepresented and the creatives of the Middle East. We aren’t all war and terror, we have a lot to say, we have experiences and stories to share, cultures to celebrate and most importantly an ambition for life.