Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Muslimah Shareef. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Muslimah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I was creating paintings and working as a Medical Assistant. I never thought that any painting I created, someone would want in their house or that people would find it to be this great piece of art. I started showing my paintings to people and these paintings were of artist like Jay-Z, Eazy-E, Obama, Nelson Mandela, Robin Williams, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, the list goes on. Then one day, someone said how much do you sell them for? Creating art was never supposed to come to a point where I was going to sell anything. I guess I never thought it was good enough in other people’s eyes. But to the naked eye, to the opposition, to someone that’s not me, these paintings are wonderful, they see something that most of the time I cannot see.
Muslimah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got into painting from a relationship actually. I was in a 2 year relationship and the guy I was dating ended up breaking up with me right as I moved into a new apartment. I was finally living on my own in North Carolina. I had lived on my own prior to moving here from New York but this was my actual independence finally brewing, standing on my own, feeling good about it. That month I moved and got broken up with was the loneliest month I had ever experienced. I didn’t know what lonely was until then so I decided to do something that came natural to me, tap into my creativity. I went to Home Goods to decorate my apartment and saw this over 6 foot black canvas with gold outlined silhouette on it. I told myself that I could that so I ended up walking out, going to Michaels, grabbing a few 18×20 canvases and some white, pink and red paint. Then I went home, got settled in and sat on my bed with a canvas, a few paintbrushes and the paint; I created Marilyn Monroe, and it looked so great that I kept going and now I’m at the point I have an instagram dedicated to my art, I’ve sold several canvases, I have a website www.bkpaintsm.com and I don’t let anyone define my art but me. I do it when I want and how I want. I’m not always inspired and I realized that it’s ok, that happens. I’m proud of how far I’ve come with art and that I am still open to learning how to do it. I still learn from other artists, I don’t have too much pride to not appreciate another person’s artwork. I want my clients to know that I create during peace and want that to be exuded in my art. For them to know that I do it while I have my favorite songs playing, that I sing my heart out while painting, that I end up doing both of my loves (singing and painting) while making something that will last a lifetime.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
That I can do it on my own time, at my own leisure, that I can still learn from others through different outlets.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I did not go to school for art. I used to make art with my dad when I was a child using pistachio shells as heads for my stick figures. This is something that comes naturally, I can see what the painting needs to look like and it make it look that way by the time it’s done. I don’t draw or trace, I go straight to the canvas with the paint on the paintbrush to start each and every painting,
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bkpaintsm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooklyn.paintsm/
Image Credits
These images are mine, all of these paintings I created.