Shahad Nazer

“Never take the little things for granted.”

Shahad Nazer - a Saudi/Egyptian hybrid with Turkish origins, is a self-taught artist who describes her style of art as "Digital Collage Art". For Shahad the Covid-10 has affected her in a positive way surprisingly. She was hired for many freelance jobs by companies and she also got a new job during the pandemic. Read our exclusive interview with Shahad and know more about this artist.

Thank you for joining us for this interview It's my pleasure. Thank you for your time.

Please introduce yourself to our readers. My name is Shahad Nazer. I'm a Saudi/Egyptian hybrid with Turkish origins. I am 24 years of age and a collage artist and an aspiring writer.

Tell us about your education. I studied advertising under creative design at UBT in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

What got you interested in arts? I was into art ever since I was 10 years old. Thanks to my parents who are both artists themselves.

Are you a self-taught artist or did you take an formal training? I'm a self-taught artist.

What is your form of art best described as? I think it's called Digital collage art.

What are your favourite materials to use? As I am a digital artist, I mostly use Adobe Photoshop program.

How would you best describe your style of art My style varies from dreamy, imaginative to powerful and emotional.

What is the message that you like to convey through your art? Mostly my messages are thoughts or feelings that I fail to put into words or societal issues that we face here in our society. Especially when it comes to women empowerment.

Where do you take the inspiration for your work? My inspiration comes from my dreams, my unspoken thoughts and my surroundings.

What is your process of completing a piece from start to finish? I look for the elements needed to piece my work together, and then combined all these elements to creative a complete artwork that sends the message I have in mind.

How has your professional life been affected by the pandemic, the ongoing issues with coronavirus? It has been affected in a positive way surprisingly, because a lot of companies started looking for freelancers to work on the things that needed to be done before the quarantine happened. However, when it came to selling my work, that had to be put on hold. But aside from that, I also got a new job during the pandemic.

What’s it like where you are? Jeddah is a small city, hot and humid, has friendly people mostly and very creative minds. I think that's how I would describe it best.

What does an average day look like for you under lockdown? Wake up early, have breakfast, play a little COD or spend time with my cat, get to work, finish my tasks, and spend time with my family as much as I can playing cards, boardgames, or watch a movie.

How are you dealing with this sudden change in lifestyle? I'm dealing with it one step at a time. I don't think life will get back to normal any time soon, but I'll try to embrace the change as much as I can.

What are the important lessons you have learned during this time? Never take the little things for granted.

What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your life and/or career? Making a list of all the things I want to do now that the lockdown has been liftend.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? That I'm not a bad cook after all.

Did you develop any new interest or hobby or learned a new skill during this time? Yes I learned how to make a really good shrimp pasta, and I've

been really interested in podcasts lately.

What's your favourite music/songs for the moment? Been listening to Isak Danielson recently, and Stuck with U was my quarantine jam.

Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Just distract yourself as much as you can, discover new talents and hobbies, read new books, learn new things, explore your hidden abilities.

What 3 things could you not live without under lockdown? Family, Fiance, and my cat.

What are you missing most about the outside world? The beach.

What are you most looking forward to doing once the lockdown is over? Tan and shopping.

How do you think life will be after Covid-19? It'll be very different, but maybe in a good way who knows.

Finally, your message for us at CP magazine. Keep thriving, keep producing, you guys are awesome! Can't wait to read this articile. :)