Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Somayeh Faal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Somayeh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

In my experience, idea generation depends on two key factors: spending time practicing and studying a subject. Initially, I believed that creating an idea for an artwork required something exceptional and unique. However, I later realized that everyday topics and my experiences can intrigue viewers. By taking the time to explore and study, I turned the stories of my life into paintings. I discovered that ideas that come from brainstorming may seem simple at first, but they can develop and strengthen over time. When I devoted years to working on a specific subject, I would naturally come up with new perspectives and ideas about it. Over time, this process led to the creation of new, strong ideas.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a female artist born in Iran and dedicated my life to being an artist. I faced many challenges in pursuing my passion. i mention a few of them briefly:

1. Women in Iran, especially in the south, have limited rights. Women and artists, especially female artists, do not have a strong position or income. Women are expected to obey men and require their permission for almost everything. Despite growing up in an unsupportive environment, my family supported me.

2. Professional opportunities and the art market thrive in the north of the country, specifically in the capital city, Tehran. Living in the south of Iran limited my access to art associations, galleries, and art markets. As a result, I traveled to Tehran once a week for ten years, enduring a 36-hour train journey, to connect with other artists and art communities.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Finding partners and co-founders is always tricky, but, in a simple example, you gradually find your friends. When finding a friend, you should show love sincerely without expecting a reward. Similarly, honesty and commitment to work are essential when seeking a business partner.

I have observed many of my relatives seeking high-paying jobs after graduation. However, when I had no work experience, I worked for free for many companies and projects for several years. During this time, there were benefits for both me and them:
1- I found friends who introduced me to future job opportunities.
2- I gained professional work experience.
3- My resume became stronger.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I worked as a designer at a company for a few years. After some time, we disagreed about something not specified in the contract. Initially, I was furious and upset because I trusted my business partner and assumed the contract reflected my understanding without actually going through it. However, after a few days of contention and unease, I decided to hand over the project to the company. It’s essential to consider the long-term prospects in business partnerships and that maintaining good business relationships is more valuable than any single project. This wise decision eventually led to a long-term, friendly relationship with the company, and they provided me with much more extensive projects and income over the next ten years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.somayehfaal.com
• Instagram: somayeh_faaal