Artist Mariam Alobeidli Shares Insights On Her Vibrant Journey In The Art World

"Art is all around us." It's a notion that's we've heard about a million times, but what does it truly mean? To create art out of simple everyday experiences, to weave magic out of our culture and community...what better way to elevate the experience that art is. It is as unifying a journey as it is compelling. And nobody would know about this better than Mariam Alobeidli, an Emirati artist who is known in the artists' community for her vibrant, colourful creations that emanate a robust, joyous energy that you just can't look away from.

Here's Mariam giving us her two cents on her journey as an artist and what the practice of creation means to her.

On the Inspiration Behind Her Creations

This is one of the questions that I get all the time! As cliche as this sounds I always say art is all around us, you can literally create many things from anything. I made a video about this before to answer this question by showing people how easy it is to create something from things around us, in this video I used chocolates!

On her Creative Process; Are You a Spur-of-the-Moment Artist or is it More Long-Drawn?

Honestly it depends on the type of work I would have to do! If it's a commissioned piece, it would be a planned piece where I meet with the client understand what they want, work on a sketch, get feedback, and so on! However, if it's a drawing for fun, that's a different story! Sometimes I would be hanging out in a mall and would suddenly get an idea for a drawing, first thing I would do is write it down and then when I go back home start sketching the idea and have fun with it! Most of the time I end up with something completely different than what I imaged but that's what I love about art! How unpredictable it is.

On the Impact of the Emirati Culture On Her Art and Art Style

I'm based in Sharjah. Being in the UAE and part of its culture has definitely had a huge impact on my art. I worked as cultural guide, giving tours in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. So I have always had so much love for my culture, traditions, and heritage. I always try to showcase that in my art, even if it's for something so small. For example, you'll notice that my characters always wear the traditional Emirati clothing, or they'll have henna on their hands; small things to showcase the Emirati culture.

A Simple Piece of Advice to Aspiring Young Artists Who Want to Pursue a Creative Career

One of the biggest things that made a difference for me was just to start posting on social media. We're so lucky to live in this generation where it's easier to get recognition from people online. If artists want to start taking their art more seriously and do work for major companies/brands, my most important advice would be to start posting your work and build your profile!

On the One Theme/Motif That She Finds Herself Coming Back to Most Often

This is an easy question! Definitely end using culture and imagination together! I grew up watching cartoons/animated movies, I've always thought about how cool would it be if we had Emirati characters in these which is what inspired my to draw Emirati characters in imaginary scenes!