TEXTILE DESIGNER, ARTIST
Could you share how do you expand your vision of art, fashion?
I try to surround my self with things that inspire me. Sometimes inspiration comes to me it self and sometimes I need to seek out and find it. It can be a conversation with a stranger, going to museums, art galleries and performances or going and exploring the unfamiliar areas. I had to train my self to look, hunt and find those elements that are inspiring to me that will ultimately help me expand my artistic vision.
Sometimes what I’m going through in my personal life becomes the story and mood of my work. I had to learn to tap into my own experience in life and turn it into a story, a piece of art or a pattern on textile. As a kid I have always felt connected to sound and music and also loved to paint. I started to play piano and paint at the same time when I was a kid but didn’t continue learning how to play a musical instrument but have been painting since childhood.
Later on during my design practice in school I’ve realized that although I can’t play an instrument but music and sound still had so much influence on my visual work so the connection was not lost. I started exploring the idea of connecting those to passions of mine. Music and Visual Art! Sometimes I go to different music venues with a sketchbook and each time it surprises me how the work I create is different depends on the mood and type of the sound. It helps me to progress through the process of developing new ideas.
What is the most important thing for creating new work?
Perhaps letting the fear of unknown go. It is not always easy to explore the unfamiliar and create something new! Self-doubt while starting a new work is something I may experience but I need to be able to continue my journey into the unknown territory of my creations and designs. I think that through experiments are hypothesis posed in my mind to explore the potential ideas for my new work.
What makes you choose this profession?
My desire to return to University to do my masters degree in Textile Design was prompted by a great desire to further focus, strengthen, and sharpen my creative and technical abilities. Human’s body and its power have always fascinated me.
It is so powerful when artists use the physical body as a medium to make art. For instance what performance artists do to express their distinctive views and make their voices heard in social, political and sexual climate. I did a lot of life drawing during my undergrad and before that, watched a lot of art performances, ballet performances and other sorts of dance and body movements. So Marriage of my curiosity and appreciation for human body and textile being my favorite medium leaded me to school of fashion. Meanwhile, it has dawned on me that textile design is indeed a rich and challenging subject.
I have also come to discover that textile designing, that I specialize in, is of great importance in the fashion world. It can be as simple as something you put on to make yourself feel good, or as dynamic as something illustrative of culture, time and its transformations.
This realization has kept me in constant excitement, for the profession that I am enamored of is the career that can fulfill my aspirations. I have always emphasized on the importance of imagination and free expression in my work throughout my practice.
If you have a superpower or talent, which one do you wish to have? Why?
I wish I had healing power. I believe that what some humans are going through in life is not fair. Like defenseless people in war or someone who is suffering from incurable diseases. I wish I was able to uphold justice or to reduce their pains.
Is art, fashion important in your life? Why?
Yes it is. Art elevates my energy and mood. I enjoy exploring paintings, music, architecture and fashion. Any form of creative human expression, which is perhaps a way of enriching the human experience, brings me joy.
Art plays a great role in helping diversity and fight against different forms of unjust societal segregation and that inspires me. It can be in form of film, music or theatre. All of which can aim to spread awareness or bring cultural diversity. And Fashion is a way to express my self. I can tell a story with what I wear.
