We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Louma El-Khoury a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Louma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Every time I think about my creative path, I trace it back to my parents’ support and presence. Being encouraged creatively as a child/adolescent in an environment that pushed traditional routes (importance of academics only), isn’t something that I take for granted. I am where I am today because my parents encouraged my creative endeavors, and I am forever grateful for this. They did so in small ways, like always buying me paper and art supplies even when they were hard to come by, and in big ways like letting me travel and study abroad at an early age when it was not “trendy” or common to do that at the time, especially not for young girls.

Louma, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. From a young age, I always went back to drawing when things got challenging or bad. I remember always thinking “at least I can draw” like it was something nobody can take away from me.

I got interested in fashion illustration when I was about 8 years old, and luckily, there was no shortage of fashion magazines to get inspired from (long before the internet was a thing). So I taught myself fashion illustration, and the natural progress of things led me to travel to Montreal to study fashion design. My work experience moved from fashion design to graphic and product design, but fashion illustration was a constant throughout my career. I believe it all led me to the keepsakes I create today, because it all started with the fashion keepsakes I made for my girls. My experience in illustration, graphic design, and product/packaging design made possible the existence and success of my company.

About the keepsakes:

I’m a big believer that the environment we live in is a main factor in the quality of our life. An uncluttered space that is beautiful and features mindful items that make us feel good contributes largely to our daily peace of mind.
That’s where the Pokidots keepsakes come in:

1. The keepsakes help get rid of clutter: most clients who tend to keep things they have no use for because of their sentimental value—like their children’s baby clothes—have reported that parting with/donating the clothes they are not using anymore became much easier once they had a keepsake made. It felt like closure to choose one piece that represents their loved one, or a specific part of their life, and so they were more comfortable letting go of the rest. This is the decluttering aspect.

2. The keepsakes contribute to a beautiful environment: just by being in it, as meaningful works of art that are a reminder of joyful moments and wonderful days. Each keepsake tells a unique story, and having one in your home is like a reminder of the good in your life.

I love all the keepsakes I have created, and I can remember the names of all the people whose clothes I’ve used. What sets me apart is that I love listening to the stories behind these clothes and why they are being preserved, and I try to infuse the custom keepsakes with a glimpse of the personalities of the people involved and their stories. I’m proud of the recent collection of DIY keepsakes that I created for the people who choose to make their own keepsakes, and they also make simpler/faster gifts. I’ve had an amazing first year with the DIYs, and I’m looking forward to more growth in the upcoming months :)

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I know it may take a while before this happens, but taking artists more seriously would be a good start.

In my day, art at school, compared to academic topics, was considered as the unimportant fun class, almost like an escape from the serious and sometimes boring subjects we have to take. Then, little by little, art becomes optional, until it disappears from the curriculum altogether. Fast forward a few years, now we are out of school and working, and art is still viewed as something fun and people have a hard time regarding it as a real job, which in turn makes it hard for artists to be seen as valuable.

Schools are now starting to give more importance to art and creativity, social media is introducing us to more and more successful artists who are making a living (and more!) from their art, and I think, if we stay on this path, we may get to a place where artists are finally given the value they deserve, just like other, more “academic” roles.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Because we live in a society that doesn’t value art and an art career as much as a more traditional path, artists often deal with “imposter syndrome” when they start their art career, especially as business owners. Because we are also part of this society, we end up not giving ourselves the value we deserve! A book that helped me tremendously with this is “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero. Sincero isn’t for everyone, but I am a big fan of her writing style and her content. Reading her books inspired me in a big way to believe in myself and do what I was called to do on this earth :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pokidots.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/pokidots
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pokidots
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louma/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@loumaepokidots1129