We recently connected with Nehan Shujaat and have shared our conversation below.
Nehan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Parents play such a significant role in our lives it feels like there are never enough words to describe their impact. Growing up my parents had a direct role on how I saw the world, there is no double about it. I remember they encouraged drawing and painting at a young age. They gave me the confidence to feel like an artist before I truly grasped what an artist was. I feel as if I didn’t have them as parents I don’t think I would have become an artist, and I’m grateful that I was raised among people who believed and nurtured this part of me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Writing poetry and creating art have been two ways for me to find my identity while growing up. I was a very sensitive/emotional person so I always felt that the best way for me to express myself healthily was to write or paint. The discipline of art was something I was encouraged to pursue at a young age, and poetry was something I invested time in during middle and high school. I am proud that I have continued creating art and writing even though my life took me in the healthcare direction. I think what I want readers to take from this is you can’t make an excuse for what you love, you should invest in it even if it doesn’t bring money, or doesn’t fit your career. What you love to do is worth pursuing no matter what.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I had taken more advantage of social media and really honed in on the opportunities provided by it. I wouldn’t say I’m “tech savvy”, and having to showcase my work through social media has been tough because I never feel completely up to date on all ways I can display and explore my work. I wish I had got into digital art sooner, it’s something I’m delving into now but I feel like I’m always struggling to find time with how busy work and school can be.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
What society can do is continue visiting museums, allow for funding for public places that hold artistic value, and never underestimate the power of the liberal arts. I notice so many beautiful things become dying arts, such as cursive writing. I feel like we should encourage the youth to excel in things like this. What we didn’t have before that we have now are so many tutorials and ways to learn about creativity on platforms like Youtube. This makes it so much easier to learn things like we never have before. I love that I can find how to do almost anything I can think of on there.
I also think another thing people can do to support artists is engage with their work online as well. If this is the place where people are being discovered, and you like someone’s art or writing, it’s worth sharing with your friends/family!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nehanshujaat.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nehanshujaat
- Linkedin: Nehan Shujaat