Esma: My instagram name (@strudelworte) when translated to English is actually Strudel Words, because I’ve always wanted something kind of connected to Austria because that’s where I’m from and grew up, and strudel is the dessert that is typical to Austria, and ‘words’ because I’ve started with lettering, and that was my first passion (hand lettering/brush lettering), and I felt like they kind of resembled strudels, and it just made this interesting word that I thought this is what I want for the name of my platform. I also didn’t change it when I started with illustrations, so it kind of stayed because it’s memorable.
I am 24 years old, my parents come from Bosnia originally, and they came to Austria in the 90’s following the war in Bosnia. I have two older sisters, and have grown up in Southern Austria and then Vienna where I live now. I love languages, and am studying English and America studies and German studies, and I’m finishing my Bachelors degree.
Karsen: Not only when did you get into art, but how did you specify in illustration?
Esma: At the beginning of 2019 because I kind of wanted to have the knowledge of illustrating things for children, I was very interested in children's book publishing and wanted to have the skill to illustrate stories and to be of service for children. That was my main motivation for starting drawing, and I didn’t know or couldn’t believe how people reacted to it. For me it was just draw something and post it and to keep drawing, and it was very interesting how people liked the drawings even though I didn’t think they were very good. Illustrating is a really cool medium for connecting with people because you have something at one glance, for example when you see a picture you know immediately what it’s about, and what it wants to tell you. I also love writing, so combining text with pictures, to kind of add another dimension of connection.
Karsen: Loads of people love your work because they feel like they can relate to it, is that sort of your aim with the different drawings that you do? Or what would you say is your greatest hope from the work you create?
Esma: Thank you! I’m still amazed at how people kind of react to these silly little drawings. I want to achieve kind of a normality of Muslim women and girls through my drawings. To show the world that we are as weird, cool, and different as anyone else, and we kind of have the same normal problems and we like crazy things are just completely unique personalities. I want Muslim women and girls to see themselves and each other through my drawings, and to connect to them and to be unapologetic about what they like and how special they are. And also for non-Muslims to see that we’re colourful and amazing and normal people.
Karsen: How has the journey been for you and what would you say has been the greatest part so far?
Esma: It has been absolutely crazy, I never ever imagined this to blow up like this in a year, I never expected such a great resonance! And I’m really happy that people like them and benefit from them. It’s really unexpected. The greatest thing has been people messaging me that they feel warmth in their hearts from your work, and when they see what you’ve created. But to just have this really cool reaction from people and say things like ‘it’s because of you I started drawing’, or ‘I started following more Muslim artists’, etc. Or just the unexpectedness of all of this happening because I never thought so many people would come to my content and be as amazed by it as I am.
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KB: What is it that originally inspired you to begin your work in skincare/beauty?
CN: Honestly, it was pure necessity. At the same time I converted, I was struggling a lot with my skin, and so I constantly wore makeup to cover up imperfections, and as I studied Islam, I realized that I wanted to be more modest in my makeup application, but to do that I needed to take care of my skin, and also I needed to have cosmetics that would be in line with Islamic guidelines. Because I didn’t find anyone else doing this and offering something like this, I decided to start studying, researching and from that my line was born.
KB: Can you briefly describe the process you go through in developing new products?
CN: Developing a product takes a while, because there are a lot of things that go into it. First is deciding what I want to make, is it necessary? What is the purpose of it? Then I need to make sure I can make it with the purest of ingredients, that will benefit the skin. That part can take a while, because this is where a lot of testing needs to be done. But once that is finished, then I need to look into the right packaging. I am trying to move away from plastics and so finding the right container can be hard, because plastic is what’s more readily available.
KB: What advice would you give to women who are dealing with problem skin and feeling discouraged?
CN: I would tell them that this is an opportunity for them to practice skin care in a holistic way, because I have come to believe that our skin is the best alarm system Allah gave us. Everything that’s happening on the inside gets reflected in our skin, one way or another. And if you approach skin care like this, healing the inside as well as outside, not only will you see the results, and be more confident, but you will be doing yourself a great service, and you will be taking care of the trust that is our bodies.
KB: Are your makeup products suitable for all?
CN: Absolutely, I would say that I formulate skincare for sensitive skin, but this in turn makes for very gentle, but very effective products. I have helped many sisters that thought their skin was acne prone, when in fact, their skin was in a state of irritation because of the products they were using. And one of my favorite things is when I hear mothers sharing my products with their daughters because of the safety and purity of the ingredients!
KB: Where can everyone find you?
CN: You can find me pretty much everywhere with Claudia Nour!
My website is www.claudianour.com, instagram @claudianour and facebook/claudianour
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Dina: My name is Dina, and I'm a photographer based in London. I specialise in portrait photography although I love capturing different scenes during my travels. Travelling usually inspires a lot of ideas in me that I often try to bring to reality. I'm of mixed cultural background which is another source of inspiration for my work. I like exploring themes of identity and cultural diversity in my portraits and I learn so much from my subjects that I always try to make it a point for them to tell me their story by asking them a couple of questions that they're free to answer as they like. I find that the answers to those questions complete the final piece of work so much more beautifully and offers another level of understanding who they are beyond the photograph.
KB: So, I wanted to speak to you about your photography and more specifically the process that you go through before taking portraits. So, from what I understand you can do to a method of getting to know your subject and then photographing based on that, can you explain that to me a bit?
Dina: That's right. The process I follow is based on my never-ending state of wonderment when I think of all the stories we each have as individuals. Sometimes I come across people who say so much without a single word, and that fueled my desire to want to capture that. I am aware that everyone is living their own chapters to their stories and have survived things and seen things I may never know anything about, but I can recognise that it made them into who they are. I try to bridge the gap between myself as the artist/observer and the human being in front of me who has agreed to me capturing their essence as best as I can, by listening more intently to what they wish to disclose to me beyond the photo session. An image is worth 1000 words, so if I can provide the best of both visuals and words and have the final body of outcome be personal and real to the individual, then I'm happy.
KB: I feel like during sessions in which you really try and capture the essence of an individual, it can tend to get quite deep. Has that ever happened to you?
Dina: Sometimes it does. Sometimes there is no need for deep discussions with words because our exchange within that photo session is already so telling. I feel privileged that I can create a safe space for everyone I photograph to feel comfortable enough to expose as much or as little as they want simply through their body language in each pose and their overall energy. There is already a mutual agreement between us to create art together, so that helps as an initial ice breaker. However deep the exchange goes after that is never planned and always worth it.
KB: What has been the best part of working in this sort of way that some might see as unconventional as opposed to just having a model for a specific purpose?
Dina: The human connection has been the best part, without a doubt. I knew from very early on that I wanted to go into this style of portrait work and tap deeper into the different creative ways to make the final body of work feel more complete and personal.
I think art is beautiful in so many different ways, but I like exploring further into how to make that art more inspiring, how it can make someone look and think twice and perhaps ask questions they otherwise wouldn't.
It's important to me to ensure that art continues to be multi-faceted. It shouldn't just be to make you feel good or comfortable, it should do something more. We all ask ourselves questions every day, our mind processes different thoughts constantly, how powerful is it then, if my images can cause that same process in the viewer, because of the energy I poured into my work or the receptiveness of the person looking at my work, or a mixture of both? That entire exchange is priceless for me. I wouldn't change it for anything, it's why I specialise in it as controversial or long-winded as it may seem to some, as long as it still means this much to me then I feel obliged to continue pursuing it and improving in it.
You can find Dina on Instagram @dina_laraki, and her photography on @portraitsbydina
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KB: Could you give us a brief summary of your journey for those who aren’t familiar?
Lina: Firstly, thank you so much for the question, I really like the fact that it’s surrounded around the topic of trusting yourself, especially when everything feels like its tumbling down. The self-belief that you can overcome it along with the trust in God, is something that is a big part of my journey. My name is Lina and in 2014 just before my 17th birthday, I travelled to mecca to perform Umrah with my family and on the way there we were hit by a reckless speeding driver who caused our car to flip multiple times, and through that car accident I had a spinal cord injury which paralyzed me from the upper chest down. So ever since I have been on a journey to learn to walk again, and it’s also been a journey of self-discovery, experiencing life as a wheelchair user, and also just meeting so many incredible people. Going through many trials that have taught me so much and helped me transform into an individual that I don’t think I would’ve been if I didn’t have this trial.
KB: What was the transition like from feelings of hopelessness to feeling like you had control and could do something about the situation? And with that did you face any kinds of opposition and how did you combat that and persevere?
Lina: I don’t remember a particular instant per se, I the beginning my dad told me that the doctor in the early stages let me know that there's a huge chance I won’t be able to walk again or gain fully body movement. That was in the first week, but the thing is, I don’t remember the first week. My dad said that I responded with something like “it’s okay even if that is the case, I believe God has a plan, London is a very accessible city”, but I don't remember that whole week, which I think is a blessing really. I was kind of in an “I don’t know what’s going on” state for a few weeks, then a few months. So, I was just kind of thinking oh my spinal cord will heal within x amount of time, but I just kept thinking the recovery process will take a bit longer then a bit longer.
I was surrounded by a lot of support in terms of even the nurses making it really fun, no one ever mentioned anything to do with my prognosis, so I just kind of went with the flow. I remember my hospital experiences being fun, and I think that’s largely to do with being in denial, but also expecting to heal, even though it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. 6 months later when I was flown to London from the hospital in Saudi, I kind of realised that there isn’t a 100% chance of recovery. I remember a moment in Saudi when I asked the physio would I be able to walk again? And she said “I don’t know”, which is when I realised that it wasn’t 100% certain I would, but I still kept showing like I wasn’t phased, even though that was a complete shock to me.
When I came to the UK, one thing that kept me going was seeing all the other patients fully depressed and down, and I would say 'oh my god I don’t want that to be me', so I did everything not to become that. In my head I was like I cannot be like that. My mum was also injured, so I think that was a huge part of me staying optimistic and not focusing so much on myself or complaining, and I knew that if I showed a semblance of sadness then my family will become sad. And you could tell that they were trying so hard to stay optimistic for me, and I knew if I didn’t show it as well, they would break and that would break me. So, it was either the injury that’s gonna break me or my family’s sadness.
So, there wasn’t a real transition. Then leaving the hospital I was left in this new home because my old one wasn’t accessible. I remember being on the bed and looking at my chair thinking - damn. This is real. The world kind of stopped, because the hospital was my comfort bubble for a year, always activity and noise. And then here I was on a bed while everyone was at school, and I was just like wow this is it.
And that’s where it started to kick in and I had real emotion. So, my optimism was there in the beginning but kind of died down after I left the hospital. It was such a period of sadness because I just felt clueless while trying to pick up these pieces and didn’t know how to put them back together. I didn’t leave the house, I didn’t see myself in the mirror for many years. It’s weird because I’ve never actually thought about this before, so you asking this question is making me look back because I never really have. I’m now realising that I never allowed myself to feel sad in front of others, that’s why the moment when I was finally alone, I allowed myself to feel sad, slept in for crazy hours every day, didn’t want to do anything, my happiness was quite fake. This slow coming out of denial.
There are a few factors to the second question - what motivates me and gave me resilience, and the courage and drive to really overcome this prognosis and negative vibes that were projected onto me. I’ve always been someone who’s optimistic - sometimes even deemed unrealistic, but for me if I can just have these extreme goals and highly optimistic views, then at least some of it will manifest. So, for me it was ‘oh I believe the body has the ability to heal itself’, and saying that without any scientific background, I just had these ‘anything is possible’ type thoughts which helped deflect any negative view on my circumstances.
Having that foundation as a perspective really helped me, because then I decided to selectively choose books that aligned with that way of thinking. So, from my days in hospital I would start reading loads, and one that really stuck with me was called Mind Over Medicine. It basically consolidated everything that I thought, and it confirmed how the body can heal itself. She spoke of this concept called neuroplasticity, that the mind and nerves have the ability to regenerate and create new neural pathways. So that was the scientific terms that I needed to back up my highly optimistic view. I would even search or ask my dad to print me all these articles with these key words in them. I was very selective in what I consumed. Secondly, I have a very resilient mother, and she is going through a similar injury at the same time as I am, so we are in it together. If she’s not giving up, I’m not giving up. And even if she was, I wouldn’t because I need to support her. While it sounds crazy, I think there was beauty in us both dealing with similar injuries.
Now looking back years later, I say to myself ‘wow Allah I think I understand why you put my mother and I in this together’ - whether that's the case or not. I see a lot of things that came out of it that helped both of us.
Lastly, I have siblings, family and friends who supported me from the get go and I can’t let them down. And my belief in God - I don’t have an excuse, of course we are human and we can collapse and fluctuate, but I also remind myself that I could have been dead or had brain damage. If I’m not grateful for what I already have, it feels like a slap to God. He’s allowed me to still breathe, speak, eat, and those are all the things I couldn’t do in the first month. So, I know how those things feel. I feel bad for complaining long term if that makes sense. Small hiccups are okay, but I really try to be cognizant and pick myself up.
My relationship with Allah is very instrumental in that. Additionally, with the feelings of loneliness, I knew God was always there and really felt He was there at times. Seeing other patients around me being the opposite really pushed me too - it was like a dystopia. Just before my accident actually in English we were learning about dystopian fiction and creating a dystopian novel, and I felt like I was in one when in the hospital, and didn’t want to succumb to that.
KB: Such an incredible story and you are such an incredible human! Where would you say that you’re at now in your journey as far as what you’ve achieved and your future goals?
Lina: I would say that I’m in a place where my purpose is ‘clear’ to me, which is, A. to serve God through both my ups and downs. I really have come to grasp the fact that real life is in jannah, where there will be no tests, hardships or struggle, and that really does keep me going and make me excited for it. Although I do enjoy living, it is testing and knowing that there will be another life after this which isn’t makes me really excited. Especially when we’re out here painting a pseudo version of a perfect life, like it doesn’t exist here and that’s why we all have hardships.
It would be to help others transform their lives, and I think I can start doing that by setting an example, just by leading I hope I can help others. Physically, I’ve come from not having a twitch of a movement from my upper chest down, to constantly training my body ever since, so today I’ve regained a lot of upper body strength and movement all the way down to my hips, and some very tiny activation of my legs which is incredible progress, and was really not seen as possible by the medical team in the hospital. I have big goals and small goals; my ultimate goal is to walk again.
It may seem super ambitious, its long, its costly, but for me if I set a goal like that that may be classed as far-fetched, it still allows for a direction to be created. If I set a goal of wanting to be a billionaire, even if I don’t reach that billion, at least if I can get like 30 million, then I’m happy. But had I not put that initial goal, I wouldn’t have any direction. So, if my ultimate goal is to recover all the movement that I’ve lost, even if I recover anything, I’m still happy. It can also allow me to train and maintain my body if in case a cure does come about, I’ll be ready.
My daily small goals are just to lift my legs out of bed and make use of what I have. Mentally, I am proud of myself for getting to a point where I can see beyond my physical limitations and set the focus on the millions of things that I can do and work towards. That is the core of the message I try to share, which is to know your true ability. Cliché sounding, sometimes I feel like it’s easier to lean towards what we can’t do or what we think we can’t, and reminding ourselves that the other side of the scale does exist. Simply with this change in perspective, you can guide your next steps. I want to continue to strengthen my mindset, it’s not really a goal you reach, but one that you keep reaching.
I’d say I’m quite an ambitious individual, which I think has kept me going because I’m just like there’s so much I want to do and try so there’s no time to waste. I usually keep my goals to myself, but I’m working on things like giving talks to audiences, where I can share what I’ve learnt or continue to learn. I’m just here to tell my story really. It wasn’t initially a goal of mine, but just due to the feedback I’ve received I told myself my dislike of being the point of attention is worth being sacrificed for a bigger purpose. Aside from that, I’m studying the human body and mind at university level, I want to travel, scuba dive, and work on myself, strengthen myself, my relationship with God and others, and leave my imprint on this earth.
Lina can be found on Instagram @linathedreamer or emailed at lina.bettayeb@wearemin.co
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SW: I guess my story of where it all started for me in relation to actually having studied a science was with my own fertility journey. I always had really difficult menstrual cycles that were just really irregular, and when I tried to get help for them I was just given the pill and didn’t really know much else. But then I started having a weird reaction to it so I stopped taking it and it happened to be around the time when I was really wanting to become a mom, but my body needed to detox off the pill because my cycle went back to being really irregular.
I ended up looking for ways to help me with that and regulate my cycle, so I could finally become pregnant. I sat with my parents and my mom told me to do a juice fast, and my dad told me to take an herbal tea formula that he created when I was really young which he actually sells. It’s called Timely Relief, and that was to help balance my hormones and help me to get pregnant. At that point my cycle was gone and I tried both of those things, and within 2 days my cycle started.
A few months after that alhamdulillah I became pregnant. That was pretty much the beginning when I realised like ‘oh my gosh’ I was struggling for so long, and it was really powerful for me to see that these types of natural approaches were able to help me get to the goal of becoming a mom. Since that was my journey to become pregnant, I decided I wanted to do things as natural as possible for the pregnancy and birth, and then I started to find out about postpartum healing.
KB: So, once you generally started focusing on Ayurveda, holistic wellness, etc. at what point did you get into postpartum care and womb wellness?
During my pregnancy I was really focused on learning as much as I could to help myself heal after birth, and that's when I got introduced to Ayurveda, and was like ‘oh my gosh there’s a whole science behind natural healing’, and I was really interested in learning it. When I was studying Ayurveda, I just knew I wanted to work in women's health. And then is also when I learned about vaginal steaming, because I was scared that my cycle would come back and be as horrible as it was before. That whole therapy really inspired me to work with women completely, so I work with womb care but also postpartum care through vaginal steaming and Ayurveda.
KB: What do you wish people knew regarding vaginal health, or what misconceptions do you feel people may have?
SW: What comes to me right away is that I just wish more women would take time to honour this sacred part of them, or their feminine self, I just wish we could honour that within us, and take care of ourselves in relation to the fact that we have these cycles and things that need our attention. I want women to honour them and not work against them, so for example with our Western culture being so fast paced, we’re keeping up with a masculine approach to living, which actually makes it really difficult on our feminine health and overall wellbeing. I just wish women felt more comfortable to slow down and pay attention to themselves, which is also during pregnancy and after having a baby. These are such sacred times but we really don’t get a chance to tend to ourselves in the ways that we need to and are unique to the feminine body.
KB: Do you often get people who are confused by the work that you do?
SW: Some people are definitely confused by the work that I do, especially with vaginal steaming, because it’s just something that isn’t well known in Western culture. So, it’s just something that they haven’t heard about before, and even with postpartum care, people are like why do you even need that? It’s just explaining that these are traditional practices. For example, there were never postpartum doulas because the entire village supported the woman. So nowadays we do need to have services like this that actually bring awareness because it isn’t within our culture or society anymore. But usually people receive it quite well, or they just laugh.
KB: What is the most rewarding part of your work, and where do you hope to go from here?
SW: Feeling like I was successfully able to hold space or create the environment for a woman to feel comfortable enough to open up and talk about things that are very private to her, I feel like that’s such a gift when I’m able to do that, not only for them but for me. From here, I hope to continue serving women in their postpartum healing specifically, and I also hope to do a bit more focus on postpartum care long term. So, for example if people don’t recover in the period directly after birth, then they go on into their motherhood feeling very depleted and low in energy, sad, etc. So, I want to put more effort into supporting women in that time as well.
KB: That’s all so amazing and so valuable. Where can we all learn more about your work and what you’re sharing?
SW: You can find me on Instagram @sabrina.womb
]]>KB: Hi Maryam! I really love your content and you always inspire me to be more conscious in my choices. Have you always been someone to consume/purchase ethically, or was it more of an education/transition process?
Maryam: It was definitely much more of an education/transition process, but it did not start off that way. So I have been thrifting or trying to shop ethically for close to 5 years now, when I was finishing my last year of highschool and transitioning into college. My wallet was pretty much breathing dust bunnies at that point, so there was really no way for me to buy any clothes for a job I’d just started, which is when my best friend introduced me to thrift shopping. And that’s kind of when it started and it hasn’t really let up since then. And then around a year and a half to two years later, I started learning more about ethical consumption and how horrible the consumption we have under capitalism is for the planet, and that just kind of upped my level of wanting to thrift and feeling it was the right decision. And there isn’t necessarily a need to buy so much new when so much has already been created and our resources are not infinite. So, to me that’s a really important decision in all my consumption needs currently.
KB: Apart from the financial and environmental aspect, how do you think this transition and lifestyle change has impacted you internally?
Maryam: It really makes me think of something as in how it impacts others and how it impacts the earth. Because you know in our society a lot of times its “I, I, I” and we’re only thought to look internally into what we need and kind of just screw everyone else over- especially under a Capitalist system. So learning about thrifting and ethical consumption helps take you out of that, and puts everything into a different way. You see the world a lot clearer in some aspects (but not in some others), but it definitely has changed me internally.
KB: As fashion is always changing and in the modest fashion world most people tend to follow the same template, do you ever struggle with the feeling or “missing out” when it comes to the latest trends and styles?
Maryam: I definitely do sometimes, but not always because some of the trends I just don’t particularly like for myself. I don’t either find them compatible with what I feel is modest for myself, or my simple style aesthetically. So sometimes yes and sometimes no. Generally though, I am really confident in finding things in the thrift stores, and tweaking or changing them my own way. So that helps: being confident in what I like, and finding consistently good pieces.
Styles always come around, they’re cyclical processes. So as we’re seeing now, all these different trends coming back from the 90’s, 80’s, etc. It kind of says that nothing ever truly goes out of style, you just have to wait a few years for it to come back. So in that, not entirely, but sometimes yes I do. Especially when trying to be a modest/hijabi fashion blogger, or lifestyle blogger, I want to keep up with everyone and I want to provide the content that everyone is wanting to see me post. So it is hard in that aspect, but I always try to remind myself that my niche is my niche, and people follow me because they like to see what I want to post and what I like.
KB: What would be your best advice to someone wanting to make more ethical fashion choices?
Maryam: It’s really daunting, especially when you haven't thrift shopped before or haven’t grown up doing it, because it’s such a different experience than going to the mall. Everything is just put up on a rack, sometimes it’s organised, but even that is super daunting because you can’t just say “oh I like that top let me find my size”, because sometimes you’re gonna find something but you’re not sure how it will fit. But the best tip I would give someone wanting to start out with thrift shopping would be to know your measurements and taste, have something that you want to look for going in. So that you kind of have a goal, because without the goal you can kind of be a little bit overwhelmed.
If you go in with the idea- “okay I want to find a new sweater”, that way you know what colours you like, so you can go to where you see that. So it’s a smaller task to undertake than simply walking in and saying “oh I need clothes”. But another piece of advice would be - there are brands coming up such as everlane, that are really showcasing that you can buy fresh new clothes and still be ethical and sustainable, and that you’re not alone in your journey. This isn’t something that you’re gonna have to undertake all by yourself, there's a really nice big community online, you can even find a person that can help you and make you feel like you're not the only one going through these struggles of coming to terms with how much waste is actually out there and your part in it, and how daunting that can really be.
KB: It’s really great to hear from someone in this industry, and I definitely think we can all strive to make more conscious decisions! Where can everyone find you and your content?
Maryam: I’m on Instagram @maryamescapades!
]]>Shaimaa: I would describe myself as someone who is lost in two worlds. I recently graduated from Cardiff University as a Doctor, and moved to Devon for my first set of jobs and I’m currently on surgery which I’m loving. But I’m also a huge creative spirit, and would call myself an artist in the realm of mostly Islamic art. My niche is at the moment watercolour and gold ink on Islamic geometry. So the kind of work and craft you see in Morocco, Granada, Andalusia, and that kind of realm of Islamic architecture is incredibly interesting to me. Also, Arabic calligraphy but more specifically Arabic calligraphy on maps. I have this huge fascination with maps and I think I’ve just stopped doing any Arabic calligraphy that doesn’t go with maps that I find.
I think people associate me with a fight or a pursuit for keeping going as a creative, in a world where its very important to maybe follow the rules a bit - it’s very difficult to explain. But a fight for being creative and literally going for it and fighting for your ultimate goals or dreams as an artist. I think that reflects on my Instagram, in between all of my term times and work, I try and exhibit and commit to art courses. It’s a full commitment to pursuing a career or a lifestyle as an artist. And I hope that people see that on my Instagram and on my website.
KB: So one of my favourite things about you is that you are someone who uses both aspects of your mind - scientific and creative. I’m sure this has been difficult to balance for you, but what do you feel keeps you motivated to keep both channels of yourself open?
Shaimaa: I feel like to answer this question I have to tell you a little bit more background wise. So growing up, science and maths were very much encouraged, and I feel like although I would paint I didn’t pay attention to that much. It wasn’t until my A-levels that I really realised I’m incredibly artsy and creative, and just would spend all of my time thinking about or looking at art. It doesn’t even have to be Islamic art - I was just very fascinated by the artwork of the world. But it wasn’t very much encouraged, and I was just made to be quite ‘sciency’, which I think is quite a common story for a lot of people who have traditional Arab parents, or just the mentality of it’s always very important to think about what you want to do academically, and don’t worry too much about your hobbies. So it doesn’t feel like a balancing act for me now, it feels like medicine is a bit on autopilot and the creative side of things are taking more of a front seat because I have to fight for it more in the environment I’m in, in terms of family and expectations.
I don’t think of art and medicine as two separate things to be honest. I think I ended up going into medicine because of this potential for a platform to do good, and even now as I start my job as a junior doctor, I’m thinking about why I went into medicine. I would love to do more work abroad, like with NGO’s, that sort of work really inspires me. And with that there are also ways you could incorporate art into it, in terms of film, documentary making, things like that. So it isn’t just a separate thing for me.
KB: Would you say that your art is a way for you to step back and unwind from the heaviness/intensity of practicing medicine? Is it in a way, a medicine for you? (Cliché, I know)
Shaimaa: 100% yes. Art is definitely a way of escaping from medicine which now is long hours, whereas before it was just the stress of endless studying. That’s where the name SalaamSanctuary (my art brand) comes from actually - a peaceful creative space away from everything, really. Not only work and obligations but the chaos of the world, especially now. For me art is something that you can control. The easy part is knowing that you like art and the galleries and stuff, but the hard part is building yourself up as an artist. So, it isn’t always peaceful and easy, there are stressful parts to it as I’ve come to know.
KB: So what got you into Islamic geometry specifically and why is it a passion of yours?
Shaimaa: So, this is a really long story, but essentially the first time I formally studied art was at A-levels, and that was just a massive wake-up for me that there are so many creatives out there. I studied abstract work, mixed media, landscaping, and all other sorts of mediums, and that was the first time I actually went to galleries and museums and had a look at people’s different styles of artwork.
I didn’t really know that there was Islamic art at that point, and then when I took my year out before uni, I downloaded Instagram and that is when I started connecting with creatives, but also creatives that were Muslim, and that is when I discovered this whole beautiful world of Islamic architecture, Arabic calligraphy, Islamic geometry, and Arabesque and traditional forms of art that I’d never seen with my own eyes or even in pictures.
That really fascinated me, so I started following people like Peter Gould, Adam Williamson, and Richard Henry who offer courses in Morocco, Turkey, Granada, and Iran. It was very inspiring to me because I didn’t relate to English artists in the same way I related to people who also incorporate religion into their art. Ever since then I’ve been studying geometry and Arabic script, and seeing where I take it and exploring that niche. As well as from a background of liking abstract acrylic work and watercolour and things like that. So, it’s just a massive journey of which I still feel like I’m right at the beginning. But it’s incredible, I’ve met so many different people and it’s so nice to relate to them creatively and through religion as well.
KB: That’s all so amazing and your work is phenomenal, I hope you’re able to continue growing within it. Where can people find your artwork and follow your journey?
Shaimaa: My Instagram for my work is @salamsanctuary, but you can also find blog posts and additional content on my website salamsanctuary.com!
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KB: What would you say your mission is as an individual, and what you feel is something you need to commit your efforts towards?
SUMI: I don’t think you can call it a mission - I don’t think I’ve done that much to be named a ‘mission’, but in these few years, I have come to realise that there is an insane amount of pressure on women's bodies, and on matters concerning women’s bodies, that don’t actually influence our value as an individual (how clever we are, how smart we are, how talented we are) - and my mission is to demise all of this in a way that future generations to come will not think that if they look a certain way or decide to way one thing instead of something else, they can’t be who they want to be. Or that they can’t choose a certain career path, and can’t do what they want to do or even achieve their dreams because of something they wear, or that they’ve been called names because of something they wear.
KB: That is amazing and so important. So I know you run a blog/platform called Ya Sisterhood (Your Abrahamic Sisterhood), can you tell me a bit about it and what your intention behind starting it was?
SUMI: Ya Sisterhood is a platform discussing not only what it means to be a woman, but a spiritual woman (specifically those following Abrahamic faiths). Through that there is an emphasis on a sisterhood between women, and focusing on our similarities as opposed to differences. So, the proper answer is that I was having a conversation with a friend who is a practising Christian, and we realised that we have much more in common than we thought. And what we wanted to build and still want to build is a community of women elevating women, despite what our differences may be. We also aim to share what it means to be a practising religious woman.
KB: That’s such a unique concept and not something that I’ve personally come across before. Where are you planning/hoping to go with that initiative?
SUMI: There’s many talks and many ideas, but at the end of the day we will have to see where it is going to take us. What we know for sure is that we would love this to get to as many people as possible, and get as many women as possible to have more genuine and deep conversations regarding womanhood and faith. It’s a platform open to all that want to contribute. We feature various blog posts about the lifestyles of practising religious women.
KB: What would you say is the greatest impact that starting Ya Sisterhood has had on you?
SUMI: It pushed me beyond my comfort zone, to talk about things I didn’t think I’d be able to in public, and to realise that many go through the same. It created a sense of unity and belonging through engagement with other women and their stories.
KB: What are you currently working on and where can we find you?
SUMI: We are currently working on a series about women’s empowerment through cross-religion scriptures, and also about stigmas that are directly related to culture but get mistaken as religion.
We can be found on Instagram as well as our website @yasisterhood, and I can be found @coveredinlayers on instagram.
KB: I know you have been quite busy with work/finishing your degree as well as all of your pursuits, so how do you strive to balance your time?
SUMI: It’s a lot of pre-planning at the end of every week for the next week, otherwise you won’t be able to get everything out of it. With the juggling between a job, classes and everything it’s almost impossible to balance it all without a good planning strategy.
KB: So a bit of a more broad and densely packed question: what do you envision as your legacy?
SUMI: A generation of women that realise they have much more in common as a whole life experience being a woman than tiny differences and details that get so often emphasized. But that are actually just meant to divide us. The idea is to make women realise we share much more in this life than we think, and we go through some of those struggles and challenges and also have our faith as our compass. Our faiths, especially Abrahamic, are very similar. In the sense that they share common core values.
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So, here we are with the first ever blog where we at LYRA interview inspiring women all around the world, ordinary people doing extraordinary things; just the kind of women we love to support here at LYRA. Medina Tenour Whiteman lives in Orgiva, Granada, and is a singer song-writer, artist, poet and multi instrumental musician. Today we caught up with her in her hometown of Orgiva, over a cup of English tea in the Alpujarra Mountains!
LYRA: let’s start off with a little bit about you…
Medina: I’m a writer, musician, and singer. When I say I’m a writer it means I do this in lots of different ways, it’s the only category I could find that covers lots of different things - I write songs, poems, stories, essays, articles and at different times of my life I’ve done more of one then the other.
LYRA: Being a musician and travelling around the world to perform and showcase your work, have you ever felt there were any barriers to getting your work out there or any restrictions as a Muslim woman trying to make it in such a competitive industry?
Medina: it’s funny because I don’t really feel like I have been restricted. There is this one time though I remember going to a conference at Friends House in Euston road and Anas Canon was there…and he was doing lots of hip-hop at that time, and we knew people in common and I approached him and was like ‘listen I’d really like to sing with you’ and he turned around and said straight up ‘we’re not working with women singers at the moment’ and that to be honest was a blow at the time. I started to think; maybe this idea is too far out for people…I mean for them to imagine listening to a Muslim woman singing? Even though it’s something that is really common all over the Muslim world, from Pakistan to North Africa…and even Iranian Classical music, that’s classy and often these women have a whole male orchestra behind them, there’s no weirdness about it at all. Their singing is their art, their skill, work and science, and people respect them for it.
A woman’s voice is a human instrument, so it’s quite distressing and sad that there are people out there who don’t want to hear women’s voices naturally, and that is sad. I’ve been very blessed in that I’ve had connections with people who don’t disagree with music, and don’t have a problem with instruments, because I also play guitar…but most of all the barriers have been in my mind, you know being frightened of appearing publicly and publicising my work because I didn’t want to receive negative attention.
LYRA: And what is your mantra for dealing with negative attentions/comments?
Medina: Online can be really horrible, I’ve been trolled on twitter on the back of articles I’ve published and you can’t tag anything with the word ‘Islam’ which is horrible. Expected but horrible. If you want to make something beautiful to counter ugly narrative though it is an upstream struggle, it’s worth doing, but you’re working against the tide. Creating beauty I think is obligatory for Muslims, in our personal and work lives…even if you’re creating a business, you should make it beautiful, much like LYRA actually when I think about it!
LYRA: thanks! We think that too! In terms of inspirations then, what would you say your inspirations are for your art?
Medina: I have such a broad range of inspirations it’s hard to know where to start. In terms of poetry I think Sufi poetry always inspired me, even though I’ve always read them in translation, until more recently since I’ve started studying Persian I can actually look at Rumi’s poetry in the original language and actually understand words in this that just feels really magical. I was also bought up on qasidas (Islamic spiritual songs) which also really influenced me, it’s really unlike secular poetry or western poetry, it’s not about ruffling people’s feathers or making people uncomfortable, it’s the opposite, more like a healing balm, because I think as Muslims we already feel uncomfortable and at times can feel traumatised, so for me when I’m creating art for someone, Muslim or not, I want this to reach them at a very deep, profound, personal and spiritual level and benefit them in some way; whether that’s soothing or healing. I want people to feel better when they read my stuff, especially if they’re taking their precious asset which is time, to honour your work. That’s probably really ambitious but, that’s what I would like.
LYRA: In terms of what the future holds for you, what would you say your hopes or fears are, as an artist and also as a woman, a mother, and everything else you encompass?
Medina: time! I need to find time to dedicate to my art; and a lot of time it’s hard because I have so much desire to make art and it’s frustrating not to be able to find the time to do this, and when I do have time, I also have to think about you know having provision and taking on paperwork and more formal work over art, which is always a fear. I am looking to finish my young adult novel, and also I would love to make an album too! So I hope to find the time to do those things.
LYRA: Seeing as LYRA is into fitness and lifestyle, are there things in your life fitness or activity wise which re really central and key to your wellbeing?
Medina: I don’t do enough of it but I absolutely love yoga and qi-gong, I would also love to do more martial arts. Having a toddler makes it a bit difficult because you need a lot of space! I love dancing too, I’m an avid dancer and I think it’s a huge discharge of negative energy. I also love being in nature, being surrounded by mountains and trees is really important to me. I also love gardening and I have to do this for my sanity, to touch the earth and be amongst trees and flowers!
LYRA: What advice would you give to women out there who really want to pursue something who might feel restricted because of any kinds of reasons, be it culture, religion, or anything else?
Medina: first of all you have to persevere, but it’s important to get through unpleasant moments where you think is it really worth it. I also find it hugely beneficial to find people who are in a similar circumstance and in a similar situation as you for example when I joined a women’s writing group a few years ago when i had a 6 month old and a 2 year old, and I felt very stressed and overwhelmed, but just that hour and a half every week was so liberating. As a writer your very solitary and can be very distant from people, which is why I guess social media is good because people can read your book, but having a circle, whether that’s as a dancer, musician or artist, it’s so freeing, learning to jam with other people, finding you have those abilities all along, and can grow. If you can find a circle where you can share your work and yourself, you’d be surprised at how positive those things are; and disregard the voice that says ‘this is going to be awful’ because that will rarely happen. Sometimes I facilitate creative writing workshops and I always tell people to be honest. Being frank will always read to people better. Stop trying so hard and just do it.
LYRA: What are you currently working on, and where can we find your stuff?
Medina: I’m currently working on writing a Young adult novel, and also re-publishing my poetry book called Love is Traveller and we are its path’ which will be sold via my blog so watch out for this! My blog is also a constant work in progress and you can find lots of articles and stories by me on there. I’m always doing music, whether that’s here in Spain or abroad, you can follow me on social media where I post updates about these. I think I will be recording an album when the time is right.
Medina: complete, utter nutcase! (No just kidding) I would say creative, loud and driven.
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Along with the launch of our swimwear brand, we are also introducing a charity campaign to motivate more women to partake in swimming to promote fitness. At LYRA we want to get women all over the world involved with everything that swimming has to offer.
Research by Sport England discovered that 75 per cent of women say they want to be more active, prohibited primarily from “fear of judgement – on appearance, ability or how they chose to spend time on themselves”. These findings were the driving force behind our ‘LYRASwim’ campaign, which aims to inspire women and abolish the unnecessary anxiety and apprehension some feel when it comes to swimming. The ‘LyraSwims’ campaign doesn’t hold back in trying to encourage women to beat these barriers.
As a recognised supporter of the #ThisGirlCan campaign, we have designed a range of swimwear that fits the needs of all women to help increase participation rates in swimming. Through our ‘LYRAswim’ campaign we want to tell the real story of women who exercise through swimming. They come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of ability.
Keep a look out for more to come on the ‘LYRAswim campaign’. You can also use the hashtags #LYRAswim and #thisgirlcan to join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter.
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