Every expat I have ever met in Jeddah, artist or no, has always been absolutely certain of one fact: there is no room for the expat artist to grow in Jeddah’s local art scene. Yes, you can get a teaching job, yes, you can even visit art galleries superficially, but to be part of it all? Nope. Not happening. And for the longest time I believed them. After all, it IS daunting to step out of your comfort zone, to put yourself out there without even knowing the language, and try to find a space for yourself. But after the first Skype …
Tag: experiences
Making sense of Symposium 1
Okay, this has definitely been LONG overdue. Symposium 1 happened last week! and I only just now managed to sit down to reflect upon what occurred. But it is not as though I was idling that time away, I have been working on all the aspects I previously mentioned in my post Pause which will help me get steadily nearer to my academic and professional goals. So let’s get down to it. Reflections on Symposium 1 as per the Lawrence Wilke’s model: Remember: If I think back to what stood out for me in the second half of the symposium (which was …
Live. Learn. Grow
Being a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) is one of the most rewarding experiences. But let’s be real, being a SAHM is also a huge sacrifice. Sometime back I was at the mall, introducing myself to the mothers of Manahil’s school friends and they were all so supremely talented! Gynecologists, engineers, business administrators, (artist!) you name it! And they were all putting their ambition and hard work aside and using their talent and intelligence to raise a first class next generation, which is a very noble thing of course! But you have to admit, that sometimes, in the midst of dirty diapers and …