Creating A MASTERPIECE

Dedication and the abilty to stick to a goal has a way of changing people’s lives. Madhu S., the vibrant personality behind the viral art account Fem Visionary, tells Farah Baig how an act of commitment and passion came together to change her life.

brushstrokes, delicate hues and mesmerising art are just some of the reasons that make Fem Visionary so special. With nearly 225,000 followers, Fem Visionary is not just another account on Instagram but rather an escape for some.

Intricate

Madhu S., the creative force behind the account, started it in 2017 with the intention of committing herself to a goal for at least a year. “I was born in Bahrain, raised in Oman, and returned to the Kingdom nearly five years ago. At the time, I decided to commit myself to my art with intention as opposed to only creating it when I had free time. The reason was, I felt like I was being indecisive having changed careers and jobs too often,” she says. “So much has stemmed from that one decision. Today, I have an actual career in art, have been featured in a lot of places, had collaborations, amassed thousands of followers all around the world and just released my first book,” she adds with a smile. Taking a trip down memory lane, Madhu recalls how she was naturally drawn to art when she was just in kindergarten. “I was definitely one of those kids that wouldn’t pay attention and would be drawing instead,” she says. After grasping several art forms and mediums,

Madhu found her heart in one medium in particular – watercolours. Her delicate floral artwork is almost instantly recognisable, making it her signature style. “There is something so unique about watercolours. You see, with other mediums you can always work around things and fix them but with water colours… you have to make peace with it,” she explains. “You can picture your art being a certain way but there is a lot of letting go as things can change midway. The good thing is no two pieces are ever alike.”

With a love for teaching, Madhu decided to begin teaching online. “My courses are very self-paced as I believe that with certain mediums it helps if you have someone who can teach you. With watercolours you can end up with messes without guidance which can be quite discouraging if you’re unsure what to expect,” she says.

In addition to creating content online and teaching, Madhu published her first book –Vibrant Watercolour Birds – in December, 2022. The instructional book is available on various platforms including Amazon. “I strongly believe that everyone should have art in their lives. The book is a mix between realistic and more fun and has sections with practice exercises. If someone's not used watercolours before, they can actually take the book and start from scratch. It’s great for beginners and moves through intermediate and advanced since you pick up skills as you go through it,” she explains.

Sharing her advice for budding artists, Madhu says: “Find a style that you genuinely enjoy doing, and create work that is distinctive and distinguishes you as an artist. You can try different techniques but you have to be known for something that is specific to you. People need to know what you stand for; that’s what creates an impact.”

To keep up with Madhu, follow @femvisionary on Instagram.

The Things We Don’t Say

IS A NEW YOU REALLY NECESSARY?

In this month’s column, Farrah Saville looks at New Year’s resolutions and asks if "letting go of the pressures of new” will be better for all of us.

In the wise words of Queen Missy Elliot, one has to ask when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, “Is it worth it?”. There is an intense amount of pressure that comes with the start of the new year: new beginnings, new life, new health goals to reach and new diets, but what if we didn’t endeavor to commit to big changes at the beginning of the new year? Would it mean no progress and no change?

Often, at the start of a new year, we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves and find it difficult to get back up when we don’t reach them. Before you know it, it’s March and you’ve spent copious amounts of money on butter lettuce that goes to the vegetable drawer in the fridge to die and have used your gym membership once. Committing to big changes is difficult; so why do we put all this pressure on ourselves? I blame good marketing and pure toxic positivity. For some, the idea of a new year is the possibility of being able to change and see the newness of possibilities, for others… it’s not quite as simple.

What if we just accepted ourselves as is and instead of trying to create new goals for a new year accepted that change was not necessary in existential terms but a lot more practical. Wouldn’t it be easier to accept our flaws, continuously improve, and then begin the process of change instead of putting so much pressure on a new year? There is already so much intensity that comes with a new year - change, expectations, hopes, dreams; so why add the stress of big, altering goals like losing 20 kilos or running 5km a day. Maybe the ideal would be to build small habits instead of a resolution. I mean, even the word RES-O-LUTION feels so final, so big; its meaning: “a firm decision to do or not to do something” – that’s a big commitment.

Is the key not to wait for 365 days to pass to start again, start new but instead treat every day, every moment as a chance to start new, a chance to begin again. Imagine going into 2024 strong, achieving a small win each day: getting up earlier, sleeping eight hours a day and making sure to eat vegetables with each meal? And simply by taking each day as it comes, sleeping a few minutes earlier, adding one piece of butter lettuce to the plate and waking up five minutes earlier day by day.

Would that make a difference? Maybe the idea shouldn’t be new year’s resolutions but new day resolutions and most importantly, that we forgive ourselves each day and start again to achieve the best version of ourselves.