My First Love.

Art is my passion, my first love and most of all the definition of who I am. - Shanah

The two top pieces from the left are more recent than the rest. Some of these are finished

Writing is and has never been my first love nor passion. No. I write because it is the only way I get over feelings of hurt, anguish and most of all incessant thoughts on a particular subject. What I think of myself in those dark solitary moments of creation and drawing is ‘artist’ not writer. I love to design and to draw. It is my first love and will always be. It is the one thing that I have a knack and desire for.
When I talked about it here; I never went into the details. I have drawn since I was a young girl – pre-teens. I used to draw on and off school holidays and breaks. I even remember my first pieces as a young girl. Drawing is something that comes naturally to me, as easy as breathing when the details aren’t so intricate. There are days where I sleep the next morning because I spent the night working on a piece. Days where I unplug; switch off the phone, get off social media and mute the television while I get lost in the moment. In the beauty of the process of creation. Those are the days I live for sometimes. The days when artistic inspiration is on a high and I lose everything to my imagination and the pencil executing the mental concept on paper, are the most exciting days of my life.
I draw a little more often lately and what never ceases to take my breath away is the evolution of a design. There is a whole lot to marvel at during the execution of a mental image and what eventually ends on paper. The mental vision is always different from the final design.This is why it is so hard to put into words the thoughts that brought on a particular piece and the source of inspiration. Thoughts are usually parallel to the actual design. To be honest; when I am drawing nothing is going on in my mind. I’m more still and at peace during those moments- I compare it to meditation and those peaceful moments you find yourself in during prayer.
Much as I am more open with my writing and don’t mind sharing, I am much more sensitive when it comes to my drawing. I never used to let anyone look at my pieces in my youth and still don’t. The only person who used to see the process from start to finish is my brother. No one else. I do share some on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook but it makes me feel like I am standing in the nude for the whole world to see and criticize. And it freaks me out. But I am trying to be a little more open.
Art is the only thing that makes me feel as agitated as a drug addict in withdrawal due to the lack of creative release. Last year, I was forced into buying art supplies for my former place of my employment because I needed that relief. It was the only thing I could think about the entire week. I would surely be lost if I couldn’t draw unlike writing although I need it too to stay sane.
Art is my passion, my first love and most of all the definition of who I am. Everything else comes second to it.

A Look Back On My 2014.

Not so long ago on an evening out with my brothers, I had a moment of reflection upon everything that happened in the course of 2014. This took me to the years where my girl Shar and I would promise each other on new years eve- the new year was our year. We did this for a couple of years until we both realized ‘our’ year was yet to come.
I smiled to myself as it occurred to me that 2014 was the year we were both waiting for; the one God had ordained. So much has happened in this year than in all the previous years we used to hang our hopes on. A dream I had stopped dreaming finally came true. I am gainfully employed and so is my girl. Knowing that we are going through this at the same point in our lives means everything to me. To be able to share experiences and hurts with each other as we navigate this new journey is more than one could ask for.
The road to financial independence is quite challenging for both of us. However, I am glad to be back on a scheduled and focused point in life. There is a lot of comfort in knowing where you must be at a particular time and what you should do than trying to figure out how to spend the day and make the time fruitful.
Also, artistic inspiration has been on a high this year than any other. I draw on and off every year which is nothing new but trying my hand at creating jewellery and carrying it off is something I never saw coming. Nurturing the talent has been quite the ride. The ideas are endless yet the time is rarely there. I wouldn’t change it for anything. Being a jewellery designer is one of my biggest dreams. It is what I want to be in the years to come. God willing. And taking these baby steps in the right direction are everything.
Best of all this year; is having my brother around. Sad’s being here has made the work experience a little bit easier. There are times when I don’t think he understands me at all yet he does. Having him around at this moment in time is more than I could have ever imagined because at the end of the day; he is my confidant, my sense of humor and most of all my brother.I shall miss him immensely when the time for him to leave dawns. I pray for nothing but the best for him.
Enough of the mushiness. LOL. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything that’s been 2014. The friends I have made both old and new, the experiences, gift of life to see most of it come true and the new dreams.
Happy New Year people. May all your wishes and dreams come true in the coming year.

The Good From 2013 Continued…

“Everyday may not be good but there’s something good in everyday.”

A continuation to this post:

24/08/2013 – Received a pink jewelry set from my cousin Shakira.

31/08/2013 – My brother’s marriage. He’s wanted to get married for so long that I am glad it happened and seeing him happy makes me happy.

3/09/2013 – Had a jewelry re-sale and made a bit of money from it.

04/11/2013 – Simply Shanah is three years old!
                   - Exchanged numbers with a boy I really like. I last exchanged numbers with a guy I’m into four years ago, I think. Much as I like him, it is blatantly obvious it’s going no where.
                  - My maternal Grand Father’s death anniversary. I’m grateful to my family for the memorial prayers they hold in his stead every year.

6/11/2013 – Positive friends who listen when you need it and give advice when you least expect it.

11/11/2013 – My girl Claire’s generous soul.
                  - Brainstorming sessions with my friend Ama. These get the creative juices flowing and I lover her for her unwavering support.

20/11/2013 – Made a pair of rings out of stones for a necklace. Second time I pimp up a ring or two.

21/11/2013 – Cut my hair into bangs or a fringe.

22/11/2013 – Made a necklace out of black squares from my sister’s dress.

24/11/2013 – Need to nurture my accessories design and see how far I can go with it.

01/12/2013 – New month, wonder what it has in store.

06/13/2013 – Woke up to news of Nelson Mandela’s death who died on 5/12/2013.

08/12/2013 – Attended my cousin Farida’s wedding. Happy to have been there and see it happen.
                   - Love the gifts from Farida’s in-laws.

10/12/2013 – Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. A fitting farewell to Africa’s purest heroes.

12/12/2013 – Grateful for beautifully fierce and its subsequent social media pages. Maintaining it and the pages gives me a sense of purpose.
                 - The possibility of attaining a new phone looms in the near future.
                 -  Hearing from my friend Ossy who I haven’t seen since November.
                 - Time; being in peace and at peace with everything so far.

15/12/2013 – Seeing the Nelson Mandela funeral telecast reminded me of my maternal Grand Father’s funeral.

16/12/2013 – The Whatsapp text from one of my oldest best friends, Joy, made my night. It reminded me of our friendship in primary school then the one at University. I can’t wait to see her after years.
                  - Sighted a butterfly and I remembered  The Alchemist. They are good omens and we should believe in them.

19/12/2013 – Catch up session with my friend Malcolm. A really old friend from Primary School and University.

20/12/2013 – My uncle Uthman’s 40th birthday celebration. I love family gatherings like these because we get to be together in one place with the cousins and catch up on everything as we are all at different stages and paths in our lives.
                  - One of my creations found a new home. I am glad it went to someone who really loves it.

24/12/2013 – I received pretty little accessories from aunt; a little pink purse and a huge cocktail ring.
                   - News from Chingy about her departure from the country. She’s wanted to go for so long that I am glad Allah finally made it possible for her.

29/12/2013 – My aunt Saudah’s graduation dua. So glad to see this was done for her for she has achieved quite a lot. We’re so close that I hardly refer to her as ‘aunt’. I love moments like these because I get to see some of my favourite people in the world like my girl Smooch. Seeing her and catching up with her means the world to me, then there is Shaffy and Baker.

30/12/2013 – What a day chockfull of surprise visits! First my girls Smooch and Baby Jara ( I was aware of their pending visit) then Leila (baby on board) and Shaffy! These are what memories are made of. The thing about family is; however long you’ve taken to see each other, there is always something that binds you and makes the eons of distance slip away.
                - I have been so creative this year that I am proud of my artistic talent. This is one of my best highlights.
                - My uncle Omar made Haj and the one to whom I am best niece is in the process of preparation for the trip. I pray God makes it possible for him and glad for it to have happened for Uncle Omar (both of these are faithful readers)
                - Grateful to God for my life, family and friends. Y'all are everything to me. 
                - Totally unrelated but I am so glad that Justin Timberlake is BACK on the music scene. Yup, this was his year along with Eminem and Robin Thicke.


On that really nostalgic  note; Happy 2014 Everyone. Be Safe.

A Few Edits.

The thing about artistic inspiration is; you never know when it is going to take a break nor return, it just does. All of a sudden, you find yourself thinking about these ideas for a design and how to make something work or you fail to come up with an idea when you want to.
By now, y’all know I am BIG on making something work for You, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. I've had these colored square beads for quite a long time. Whenever I would think of making something out of them, it wouldn't work. You won’t believe how many times I've made them into something then taken it apart because it doesn't gel until I resorted to leaving them be.

Well, artistic inspiration decided to return and on one fine weekend, I got everything I needed to work on together and accomplished it all…some of it anyway. I am so lazy. I took apart these beads and reworked them into arm candy. A bracelet, to be honest and I think (at the moment) it works. I like the crisscross shape it does when wound on the arm.

Another thing I had to do on my edit list was this chunky necklace I got last year…I think. It was so long and heavy what with the chunky balls. The first time I wore it, people kept asking me whether my neck hurt. LOL! If it could look that heavy to onlookers, how about me the wearer? I made the decision to reduce it to a collar necklace, not a chocker but those that hang to above or on the chest first chance I got.The thing about ideas is you can think it, keep it at the back of your mind until you get round to working on it.

When I was done with re-working the beads into a bracelet, I reduced the necklace too. I made sure to keep the original ball arrangement so as not to spoil the colour combination. On editing, I got more beads to make arm candy to go with the necklace. They were so many, I made two beaded bracelets out of it.
I also had a necklace my sister had given me that needed editing. Some of the stones had fallen out but the pearls were intact. I took out the empty stone shells, remained with the pearls and made two bracelets. One chunky one with the large pearls and a smaller one. These are faux pearls, by the way.

Guess where all this is, in my little basket of arm candy. Yeah, I keep my jewellery in these little baskets for easy access and storage. I have enough to run a small boutique apparently, people keep telling me this but I refute it.