Memories. They form a huge part of our own selves, design and shape the kind of people we tend to be in the future. This series of ‘Reminiscence’ is a journey back to my past memories using pastels to showcase those colorful days and memories that shaped me up into the kind of person I am today.
Childhood is a time of mesmerization by different phenomenon’s going around us at all times. Some were in awe of sportsmen, whilst some were reigned by superheroes. For me, skateboarding caught my eye, I was a regular 14-year-old kid trying to make sense of the all the x’s in Algebra. One fine day I was strolling down the school ground with my confused algebraic thoughts when suddenly they were distracted by a kid skateboarding. I was left in awe by the ‘coolness’ of that skateboard and couldn’t wait to try it myself. I approached my parents who were my superheroes and they bought me one from the nearby store but sadly it wasn’t meant to last. After that, I got one from India (yeah even I didn’t know that you could find things there) and sadly that too joined my pile of X’s. Finally, I turned myself towards the modern era for help aka the internet, mind you that back in 2011-2012 the internet did not have any Gs in it the way we define them these days, so I went up on colorful google and started ‘researching’ about finding the perfect partner (skateboard) and as luck would have it, I met my match ‘RAGE’ and I had my first date in Abu Dhabi City Corniche Skatepark aka ‘The Kings of the Concrete’.
Honestly, I had no clue what to do nor any sense, it was my father who gave me a push to skate down my first ramp and since then it has been a beautiful journey of ups and downs and a few injuries as memoirs It was Mark Issa, a frequent visitor to the skatepark who became my inspiration, I spent a lot of time observing him and adapting his methods into my skating, as I have improved my drawings by observing Jono Dry. I developed these observation skills early on which has helped me today to learn from my environment and to adapt to situations with ease and have been of paramount importance to my own growth and the growth of my art and my skateboarding.
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People have found comfort in creating specific days to honor different aspects of life, I’ve recently had the opportunity to showcase my art at WorldArt Dubai 2022, similarly on ‘World Skateboarding Day 2012’ I performed a ‘5-0 Grind’ on a mini ramp which landed me Etnies Ryan Sheckler’s autographed skate shoes. Similarly, my art has brought me many rewards in life, Al-Jamea Tus Saifiyah has awarded me as the ‘Artist of the year’ three years in a row, and I have been able to exhibit my art in various exhibitions in Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah, The Radiant Arts exhibition, and other global platforms.
Reminiscing these memories of celebratory past not only create a sense of gratitude and warmth in myself but also motivate me to strive towards achieving further excellences. Life has a unique resemblance to these skateparks with ramps going up and down creating butterflies in one’s stomach, I hope that I live a life with constant butterflies in my stomach whilst going up and down.
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