With nearly 400K followers on Instagram, Sara Shakeel may not have had any formal art training but then again, she didn’t have to. She’s one of these new wave artists, one of the Insta age and it’s fair to say she’s become somewhat of a digi art sensation if her massive following is anything to go by (which includes big brands and famous faces such as model Coco Rocha owning her artwork), Forbes reported.
For the Pakistani dentist-turned-artist, she is all about conveying emotions and there’s no better to communicate these via the use of shiny, bright and alluring crystals of course (and there’s plenty of rainbows in there for good measure).
What was your first memory of art? Well to be honest, since the day I have laid my eyes on crayons, paint, glue, music, all forms of art I have been inquisitive. And let me tell you it’s never been limited to painting, whether it be music, theatre, acting, at a very young age I knew art had something in relation with creating the whole concept of creating itself and it was so therapeutic. I don’t have an art background, no one in my family is an artist, in fact, they are engineers, doctors, pilots, and teachers. I was told from a very young age, that there was no chance of me getting into an art school pursuing that line of work, thus I chose to be a dentist which I personally loved, equal to being an artist.
What feeds into your works? God, memories and whatever I lay my eyes on. My art is either a story I want to live for myself, something I have witnessed or a life I WANT to live, emotions play a major part in my work. I am in a habit of giving my heart to any piece I create.
Sum up your style…Unpredictable, funny, positive and extremely couture at times.
Why diamonds? Crystals and diamonds are my mediums of looking through this world! Bright, shiny, valuable and something to be taken care of, you must have noticed how I add crystals and diamonds to the most ordinary objects of everyday life. For example, while junk food is one of my favorite things, I have to control myself, so once in a while when I eat a burger or fries, I see them as being holy, shining and ready to be savored.
What is the greatest lesson learned when it comes to the art world? With no formal art training, this path of life, although very rewarding, it is extremely ruthless especially in today’s world where ideas are floating and every other person claims to be an artist.
I try to tell everyone who comes up to me for an advice, every human has their own gift which is unique and different from the billions out there, why waste time in copying others when that brain of yours can create a million new ideas if you only give it a chance! I mean I did, and it proved me right.
What is coming up for you? Lots of collaborations! And I really want to move somewhere I can be inspired on a daily basis! Maybe Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Florence…
