IN THE STUDIO WITH ARTIST NADIA NIZAMUDIN
When we came across Nadia Nizamudin’s Instagram feed, we were immediately taken with the vibrant colour combos and the mash-up of mediums. Nadia does printmaking, collage, embroidery and painting to create quirky artworks that really pop. We caught her just before she was about to take off for a month of travel, and she was nice enough to take time out to chat with us about her artistic process and business.
IN THE STUDIO WITH ARTIST NADIA NIZAMUDIN
Hi Nadia, so you’re about to head off on a trip to Turkmenistan. How exciting! What will you be doing there? And will you be creating while you’re on the road?
Hi Tara! I am already in Turkmenistan as we speak. Currently, I am in the Balkan region, in a small town called Kiyanly. It is really a beautiful area. The place I am staying is right smack beside the Caspian Sea. I am an Instrument Engineer by profession, and my industry is Oil and Gas, therefore I have to travel to remote areas where my current platforms are in. And because I am in the Caspian sea, this trip I have challenged myself to use colors I hardly use in my paintings – mainly blues and greens – inspired by the landscape and surroundings. It’s a hard, but fun challenge I might say!
When you’re not on the road, what is a typical day like for you?
Since I still work full time my 9-5 is already out of the equation unless I am on sick leave or public holidays. Once I get home, I usually have about half an hour before my kid comes back from playschool (her playschool ends at 630pm) so I really used that time to squeeze in my art. I’ve learned the hard way that in order to juggle both career is to have everything planned out properly. Every Sunday night I have detailed out the daily tasks or goals for my art from Monday to Friday. It saves so much energy and time, and I can use the 30 minutes efficiently. For example, on Monday I would spend it with priming up my reclaimed wood blocks. Tuesday I would be painting the base colors on my textiles, Wednesday is for me to carve my blocks.
After everything is settled, usually at 930 at night, I have one more hour for me to play. This I would take my time, painting, stitching, printing. Unfinished work will continue the next night.
You use all kinds of mediums in your artwork including embroidery, painting, collaging and printmaking techniques. Do you have a favourite?
It’s hard to choose. I love all of them equally. Each medium or style for me results in a different mood or expectation. For example, I feel more liberated and unharnessed when I do my embroidery. There is no pattern to follow, just me following my instinct. Painting is much more calculated. I face a little bit of pressure from myself because I am self-taught, therefore the doubt of whether I am doing it ‘right’ is always there. Printmaking has that reputation to yield perfect results, but I’ve let go of that. I think if I really have to choose I’d choose collage. Collage has always been my go to art ever since in high school. It uses accessible and readily available tools, and it’s fun to create a narrative or a voice for the images I find.
How would you describe your style?
Clean but quirky. In printmaking, I love simple Scandinavian inspired patterns and motifs, using neutral, earthy colors. But my embroidery, paintings and collages are as colorful as they can be. I find it to be refreshing to be able to jump from one style to another.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Subconsciously, I am inspired by the concept of grief and heartbreak. My art tend to gravitate towards a sad, somber feel, even though the end result is not with the bright colors. When I am working on them I usually relate it to something sad, like a poem or a story. My current embroidered painting is based on this poem by W.S. Merwin, titled ‘Separation’. It is only 3 lines, but hold so much of weight and grief that I keep reciting it in my head as I stitch. It’s such a beautiful piece of work. I would be lucky if my work gets to be close to that.
What do you do on days when you’re feeling super unmotivated to create? Do you have any tips for us on how to get yourself out of the dreaded ‘artist’s block’?
I keep a blank pad of kraft paper that I go to on days where life just feels heavy and tired. It’s tiny (A5 sized) and it is enough for me to complete it in minutes. Oil pastels, collages, mini doodles, I have no restrictions. It’s enough to make me feel accomplished and refreshed.
How important is social media to your business as an artist?
I think I would be one of the few who would say that traditional branding/marketing is as important as social media. I started out doing art markets and moved up to small group exhibitions and shows. Showing your work face to face with your potential customers or collectors still gives me the biggest exposure as opposed to social media. I also think partly it is due to the algorithms of Instagram and Facebook now. However, I love the powerful penetration of social media; you can reach much larger database of people than you could ever imagine, especially artists. I value and treasure the connections I’ve made with other artists and the community of artists I am in, something only social media can give.
In your opinion, what are the most important things an artist needs to do to get their work out there in the world and make sales?
Show your work. I used to be in the camp of wanting to be ‘discovered’. The idea of having your talent sought out, instead of selling your work like a door-to-door salesman is incredibly romantic, but somehow it doesn’t work like this anymore, especially considering that the market is saturated. I was lucky to establish a relationship with a few of the successful artists and printmakers and one thing I took from them is that they were vigilant in getting their work across potential customers and clients. I’ve made sales and created opportunities for myself by taking the chance to introduce myself and my body of work.
Do you have any words of advice for other aspiring artists who are just starting out?
Be involved in the art community around you. Find your tribe of other artists so you can share inspirations and encouragement and become each other support system. But the most important thing is to keep making your art. You can worry about the business making part later, have a substantial body of work, develop your style, fall in love with making art. It’s so much easier to approach gallery owners or collectors when you have a strong portfolio. If it fails, you still have that passion of making art, which should not be hindered by the business part of it.
We love connecting with inspiring artists like yourself. Can you tell us about another female creator in your community who inspires you and why?
I currently am inspired by the works of @sherrymccourt_fineart and @karinolah. They put a twist on conventional painting by incorporating items such as maps (Sherry) and textiles (Karin). I’ve always felt attracted to art that has more than one element or medium in it. Whenever I see their posts or their current WIPs, I would be excited to start on my own. I believe that is how inspiration should work; when your whole heart is buzzing with the possibility of your creation.
Check out Nadia Nizamudin’s work and please show your support!
www.instagram.com/nadianizamudin
