A Form of Expression. 

 Rukaiya Feroz Rampurawala.

 Darajah Sabea.

Over the years many people have asked me what my inspiration is behind creating art pieces. To be honest, even as a child, art for me was a way to escape boredom. I, without a doubt, agree with what Robert M Pirsig states "Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity."

Although now usually in the haste of life it's not easy to be bored all the time, now doing art for me has genuinely manifested into a pure passion, a form of expression I am so fond of, it completely takes over me.

I usually like experimenting with all sorts of mediums and crafts, like clay, sculpture making, pencil sketches, water, and oil paints but my fortè would definitely be an acrylic painting. I adore it.

I find that painting with acrylics really compliments my somewhat hasty nature, they dry quickly and give beautiful results in the shortest amount of time, and I personally find them more suitable because they are relatively mess-free. 

With that being said, all kinds of paints are equally versatile, each set of mediums is like owning different types of clothes, you express with what best fits the occasion!

Painting has taught me a good set of skills, I've learned the virtue of patience and the art of admiration through painting. Patience, I learn when I am going through the initial stages of a piece when every stroke looks distorted and the colors don't mix and nothing seems good, well to get through that for me is an achievement itself! I've learned that it takes time and practice to get to what you really want and it's okay to make mistakes.

The second virtue I have gained is admiring my surroundings. Have you ever stopped and looked at something and thought about how you would draw it or paint it? Well, it happens to me quite a lot. Taking inspiration from the things we observe ourselves, and working on that helps us find our unique style. For me, I like to use a lot of colors and I like to go into details, for you, it might be completely different, and that's entirely alright! Because in art, there aren't any limits!

And for those who refuse to believe that they possess any sense of artistic creativity and that there are only certain "gifted" people meant for doing art, well bear with me for being clichè, but "there is an artist inside all of us." Making people see what you see and feel through visual arts is a whole different sense of accomplishment, noticing the gradual endeavor in your own work is victory hands-down.

The most rewarding thing for us is that Art, by all means, brings us closer to showing gratitude towards the ability Allah has given mankind, the uniqueness he has bestowed on each soul to express however we like. And in the end, to think of all the opportunities we get to use our creative minds in the Khidmat of our Aqa Maula TUS, from doing Tazyeen in Asharah Mubarakah to keeping our humble homes pretty and decorated, seeking Maula's TUS happiness in art is the ultimate triumph.