We were lucky to catch up with Ishra Mohaymen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ishra, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Life without purpose is like a hamster running on a hamster wheel with no end in sight. One does not need an elaborate 5 year or a 10 year plan to lead a meaningful life. With that being said, it is not always a straightforward road to find the purpose of one’s existence.
After years of pursuing the wrong career, chasing meaningless worldly gains and pleasing people, I had a full circle moment and came to a realization as Art to be the purpose of my life. The desire to create has always been inherent within me despite a long break whilst I was involved in my higher studies. As a child, always doodling cartoon characters, enacting play like scenes in my mind and creating fantasy lands with my Lego bricks, were the building blocks of my creativity. Further down the lane, during college, I developed a deep love for history. I read a whole lot of historical fiction and non fiction books mostly about the eras of Tudor England and the World Wars. I watched quite a lot of period drama movies and TV Shows namely Downton Abbey, Vikings, The Pianist and Schindler’s List to name a few.
So how does my love for history relate with Art as my life’s purpose? It is all connected. I dwelled deep within the elements of that time as far as my mind would let me. My father is a retired pilot, hence I was fortunate to have travelled a lot in my life. Italy was the most notable destination where I was lucky to have visited a few times. Rome took my breath away. With every step I took on those ancient cobbled streets, I felt like as if the stones were alive and were whispering to me, all the events that they have witnessed. I took in the beauty of the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum where once upon a time, Julius Caesar walked those very lanes. Mighty Colosseum, an architectural marvel today, has so much darkness associated with it. It is insane to think that such a beautiful structure was made where gladiators fought to death solely for people’s entertainment. So inspired was I with my travels that I created a whole painting series representing those ancient Roman ruins and the many narrow cobbled streets.
Before moving to Dallas, I resided in Toronto and New Jersey for an extended period of time. New York City from New Jersey was just a breeze away and I spent most of my weekends there. I was always in awe at the literal evidence of the past and present before my eyes. By this I mean, ornate 19th century buildings standing next to skyscrapers with glass facades is a wonder itself. Pedestrians and vehicles everywhere moving in a synchronized system. Flashing billboards and traffic lights dancing to the reflective wet rainy streets. These nuances were the very ingredients that I assert in my cityscape paintings.
The places that I left my footprints on and the beauty that my eyes witnessed in essence, influenced me to paint and thus find my passion and the purpose of my life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hi! I am Ishra. My friends and loved ones calls me Ishy, hence the quirky handle of my Instagram account: @ishy_kreates. I am a visual artist. Most of my work consists of contemporary oil paintings where I incorporate autobiographical components, vague semi-narratives of my life’s encounters and experiences. In my work, I seek to strike a coherent balance between representation and abstraction.
In most of my oil paintings, I focus on daily city street scenes along with figurative forms in vivid charismatic texture and color. My cityscape compositions comprises of busy rainy-day city scenes where I emphasize on motion and momentum. Using mainly palette knives as opposed to brushes, I lay my colors on the canvas, often directly from the tube, building thick layers and texture which brings forth structure and dimension. With each stroke, I strive to imply a delicate story thus inviting the viewer alongside my journey of self-discovery.
My main focus is more about conveying an emotional state rather than embellishing an external outlook. My aim is to create a unique tension between color and texture into a controlled eloquence. My hope is that through my work, a visual language is established between our inner and outward realm where observed realities merge.
Some fun facts about me:
– I am pretty nifty with heavy duty power tools. I made a makeshift workshop in my garage where I create my own canvases and frames for my paintings as well as involve myself in various DIY projects.
– I am quite soft spoken but if I see a bug, my vocal cords reaches the roof! I am utterly terrified of creepy crawlers!
– I love all things fashion and makeup! Edgy and subdued elegance aligns with my style aesthetic.
– Black and Olive Green are my favorite colors.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I believe that some aspects, whether it is your self improvement or creative journey remains universal and they should always be implemented in your life.
Be Authentic with yourself and your work. Do not get lost in comparing yourself with others. For example, it is unrealistic to compare someone’s 30 year experience with only your 10 year journey. Comparison diminishes one’s potential. In the case of creativity, it is a mistake if the artist is creating Art in parallel of what is trending at present. If you are always chasing trends, you and your work will not stand out.
Accept that we are all different individuals with different perspectives, skills and experiences. No one is better or worse than the other. We are all just different. “Different” being the key word. Everyone’s creative style and artistic concept will vary. It is not right to copy someone else’s technique. Doing so would only be a betrayal to yourself. Let yourself flow through your creative work, only then you will attain recognition.
Learn to handle rejection. Getting rejected, can be incredibly disappointing where one may even start to doubt their skills and deem themselves to be failures. As one door closes, another will open. You will not be the right fit in every place that you apply to. Whether it is galleries, establishments or corporations, each of them are distinctive in their own way and have their own preferred candidate in mind. It may take a hundred rejections to finally find your place, the key is to never falter, never quit. There is abundant space for each individual in this world. We just have to find the right place for ourselves.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I do not believe in the phrase “a self-made man” or a “self-made woman”. Behind every individual’s life, there are multiple experiences and people who helped build his/her life. It is not always external factors such as financial assistance that I am talking about. Offering mental support, living authentically where one lives by example as an inspiration to someone, or something as little as a chance encounter on the street with a stranger, all come to factor in shaping a person’s life.
My biggest rock and the person who I look up-to the most, is my beloved husband, Syed. I have never come across anyone who is so methodical with every obstacle and every challenge that life throws his way. He is someone who never falters and has an innate ability to remain calm under duress. Efficiency is his middle name as he will tackle and complete any given task before a deadline has even been initiated. If something needs to be done, he never leaves it for later. No matter the discomfort or how arduous it is, he will finish the work today. Syed is my biggest inspiration when it comes to living life to the fullest but responsibly. We all have one life to lead but that does not mean that we get to just live in the present and forget about tomorrow.
Following simple tips like these are life lessons that I follow whole heartedly. I have learned so much from him and continue to do so. We can all take a page from his book of values and principles. It is my honor to have him as my life partner who lifts me up in every way and I am so blessed to walk this Earth beside him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ishramohaymen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishy_kreates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ishy.kreates
