Today we’d like to introduce you to Rijaa Nadeem

Hi Rijaa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

The Art Escape Residency was born from a simple idea. Me and my partner wanted to establish a space where artists, writers and musicians could come to be free to express themselves while building meaningful relationships with other creatives. We wanted them to be inspired by each other and recharge in the beauty of a new location. Where imagination could run wild while we all supported each other in creating beautiful memories and art together.

We succeeded in creating such a space during our first year in Chitral, Pakistan. Creatives came from all over Pakistan and from the USA to have a magical experience with us. We explored the breathtaking remote culture of the Kalash Valley where the traditions have remained unchanged for centuries. We stayed in the gorgeous Villa Ayun surrounded by the vast and peaceful Hindu Kush mountains. We experienced the local rituals of the Ayun village and danced to the music of the people. Our participants created authentic art and works of literature inspired by their surroundings which moved us all.

My name is Rijaa Nadeem and my partner is Aqsa Seth. Our goal was to create a space that welcomed all. We look forward to growing this space for more creatives worldwide.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

When we decided to move forward with the residency, our biggest challenge was to establish ourselves in a credible way. We wanted to be clear and precise about expectations. We had to build our brand from scratch which requires a lot of research and strategy. We believe a professionally strong website was the key first step towards achieving credibility. Since we did not yet have a presence, we had to create one so that people would trust us enough to apply to our program.

We followed it up by creating a thorough social media Plan. We built an overarching strategy for the content approach, making sure it was relatable and concise. Responding to interested participants’ questions quickly was crucial. Laying out the details and complete information in a clear way allowed us to paint a full picture of what participants could expect to experience with us on this journey. We also offered a scholarship program since we did not want creatives to be discouraged from applying due to financial restraints.

We are extremely proud of the high number of positive responses. We received an overwhelming amount of impressive applications from exceptionally gifted artists, writers, and filmmakers. Choosing only a few was a formidable challenge.We had a rigorous review process. It was incredibly important for us to bring people who would adhere to our values of freedom of speech and acceptance.

With the participants that joined us, we exceeded our own expectations. We had Lydia Yost who joined us from Dallas, Parker Rossier joined us from Portland, Rida Hussain joined us from Karachi and Haseeb Sultan joined us from Islamabad. This was the perfect group of people to bring together to kick off the Art Escape residency and they set a high bar for our future residencies.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Art Escape Residency . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

The Art Escape Residency is a one of its kind creative residency in which participants will be selected to join us for a beautiful getaway. We welcome writers, visual artists, filmmakers, musicians and provide them with a space immersed in nature where they will have the freedom to work on their craft.

What sets us apart from other residencies is the immersiveness that our program offers. We include workshops for painting, writing and technology art integrations. These are offered so that the participants have a chance to enhance their current skill sets.

What truly makes us unique is that along with technical workshops, we also offer meditation and mindfulness workshops which guide our participants to be genuinely present in the experience.

We understand the way of the world where we all must constantly work and be plagued by every day routines in order to survive. The Art Escape residency was created specifically to allow creatives to have a break and not only focus on their craft but also to build unique memories.

Our goal has always been for this to be an international residency so that people can join us from all around the world. We encourage exposure to new cultures and ways of life so that we can be inspired by each other and build meaningful connections.

We are incredibly proud of how our participants came together and created lifelong friendships. We became a family going through these beautiful moments together and we strive to continue this tradition for our future residencies.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?

The freedom for people to be who they are is perhaps the most important value we embrace. Our mission with the Art Escape residency is to create a space free of judgement or pressures of societal norms. We find that much of our world can be divided on grounds of culture, religion or identity. However, these differences are also what gives us a unique perspective and allow us to make authentic art. That is why we wanted to create an opportunity for creatives to break away from such restrictions and be free to express themselves however they desire.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artescaperesidency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artescaperesidency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Art-Escape-Residency/61554214265176/

Image Credits

Rida Hussain
Haseeb Sultan Abdul