Umm…Mummy….

One of the most vivid and fun times I remember as a child, is laying down and streaking paint all across the newspaper laid down  on the white kitchen floor. With my mother’s help I painted my little heart out, creating master pieces in the form of Easter eggs, family drawings, construction paper wonderlands, and painted animals.

Looking back I suppose it’s not so strange that I’m a studio art major, but the sudden switch from cell biology was certainly a shock, maybe even a little to me. When I decided to make the change, I had no clear reasoning, experience, or goal to base my decision off of. All I knew was that I had been inspired and what I wanted to do was what I wanted to do and I was going to do it. Trying to explain myself to my desi family did not play as well as I naively thought. I struggled with the prospect of disobeying my parents’ wishes, as well as my own intentions and motives for pursuing my passion.

A trusted advisor told me this: “Go with what you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life, but make sure that whatever you study has a market too especially if you need to work and support a family…the person’s provision is in the hands of Allah, and that everyone will get what Allah has alloted for them in this life, not an atom more or less. The most critical thing is to have discipline and work hard and then to rely on Allah. This is definitely a formula for success. If the person doesn’t like what they do, they will never work hard and thus will never succeed…Just make sure that you don’t get angry while speaking with her [your mother]. Also make sure that you make a lot of duaa before speaking with her…Also, continue to make istikhara and trust that after making istikhara and tons of duaa, Allah will put you on the path that’s best for you. Please be patient with this.”

Major points: Be honest with yourself. Why are you doing this? Is it because you think it’s easy? Trust me, it’s not, but that can be said of anything. If you love what you do and honestly work hard and stay focused, you can succeed. Also what are you planning on doing with the skill you acquire through studies? Anything you do should be for the sake of Allah and to benefit the Ummah. Always keep yourself within the boundaries of Islam. 

Money isn’t everything, but you need it. Be realistic. Depending on what field of art you go into, there are different levels of risk. Hone in on your skills and the field you want to pursue. There are so many possibilities, but try to choose something that will be practical. Graphic artists have fewer risks than painters. Maybe double major with something “safe,” like me, but know what that means.  

Be patient with your parents, friends/other people, and Allah. Continue to pray and reevaluate your intentions constantly.

Lastly: you’re not alone in this. Even if all your friends are bio majors, there is a whole community of people, Muslims included, that are there to help you and support you. Find them and reach out to them. “Surrounding yourself with a team that shares your values and stays true to those values will make for a better outcome”

One quiet night in the masjid, I found my philosophy on art: Tafsir of Surah26 Ayats 224-227:
The Poets: to be read along with the exceptions mentioned in verse 227 below. Poetry and other arts are not in themselves evil, but may on the contrary be used in the service of religion and righteousness. But there is danger that they may be prostituted for base purposes. If they are insincere or are divorced from actual life or its goodness, or its serious purpose, they may become instrument s of evil or futility. They then wander about without any purpose and seek the depths (valleys) of human folly rather than the heights of divine light.

Poetry and the fine arts which are to be commended are those which emanate from minds steeped in Faith, which try to carry out in life the fine sentiments they express in their artistic work, aim at the glory of Allah rather than self glorification or the fulsome praise of men with feet of clay, and do not (as in Jihad) attack anything except aggressive evil. In this sense a perfect artist should be a perfect man. Perfection may not be attainable in this life, but should be the aim of every man, and especially of one who wishes to become a supreme artist, not only in technique, but in spirit and essentials. Among the commendable poets contemporary with the holy Prophet (s) may be mentioned Hassan and Labid; the latter had the honor of being one of the seven whose poems were selected for “hanging” (the Mu’allaqat) in the Days of Ignorance.