Today we’d like to introduce you to Ghazal Qadri.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a Muslim, born and grown most of my life in Kashmir. I recently moved to the United States for pursuing Illustration for higher studies. I graduated with an MA in Illustration from the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA in the year 2020. Currently, I am based in Atlanta, USA. I work as a freelance Illustrator, represented by Sara Crowe of the Sara Crowe Literary based in Boston. Sara and I work together to get book deals.
Kashmir, the place I was born, boasts a rich heritage of art and craft. It’s a haven for culture lovers looking forward to witnessing varied art & craft in the beautiful valley. A glimpse of its rich art & craft heritage can be seen in the lives of the people living there. From utensils to clothes to furniture to jewelry almost everything reflects the master skills and dedication of the locals towards the traditional art & craft in Kashmir. Weaving crewel and shawl and pashmina embroidery, wood crafting, and carving silver work, paper mache, phool kari. are some of the professions which involve a huge number of Kashmiris. There’s a palpable presence of art and design in almost every aspect of their day-to-day life. Artists who live in this conflict zone are highly sensitive to their art and cultural traditions. Art is a process of healing for them. They release their anger and frustration by this form of expression. Despite a whole lot of societal barriers and obstacles that the artists face, they don’t give up and make a difference. For these artists, the brutal history is a canvas, and their art becomes a channel to express their emotions of anger and misery. It is a sort of outlet.
Born to rebel, a second-born, and a contrarian, for me doodling grew into a passion when I was still in my preteens. I took a departure from the much-cliched path of becoming a doctor or an engineer. I went to a boarding school after class 10 which turned out to be a defining moment for me. I worked as the illustrator of the school magazine and represented the school in several cartoon competitions. While all this happened, my friends and family always encouraged me to pursue my passion.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the major challenges I have faced in my journey is acceptance. Art and creativity still do not have recognition in the country where I belong to. Pursuing art as a girl is even more difficult and challenging. There are fewer opportunites and the ones that are available are not paying that well. For various such reasons, I decided to pursue art by living and studying abroad.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make comics. I am carried on by the flow, the purpose of which is to keep flowing, not looking for a peak or utopia but staying in the flow. You can find me staring at people most of the time. It is nothing but me looking out for content.LOL. I am always watching! I carry a pen and notebook in my pocket wherever I go. I may also make use of the Notes app on my phone to jot down the ideas that I wander around with and the experiences that I come across. It is not that hard to find an idea roaming. You just have to spot it. The world is colorful and fun! Homo Sapiens are amusing!
The daily comics that I now draw are mostly about me and my daily experiences, let me call them organic that come straight from my heart. All the characters are real!
The two long comic series that I always cherish are the real-life episodes – 1. my father’s love affair with his books – Papa Loves Mama Books; and 2. My life experiences with my Indian roommate in Maryland – Roommate no. 14. I enjoy drawing stories out of my personal experiences. It’s a lot of fun to record my memories and my emotions and let others also go through them.
My recent children’s picture book was published with Pratham Books –
“Sonth is here” – (translates: Spring is here)
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/510259-sonth-is-here
The book is my first-hand experience of welcoming the spring in Kashmir that brings joy and happiness to the people after having braved months-long harsh winter. I have always been mad keen to tell my personal stories while at the same time also exploring and promoting the culture of my native place. It’s really breathtaking to find someone else relating to your stories.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I, for one, have always been a backbencher in my school, mischievous and naughty to the boot. A kind of chatterbox who would invariably be caught in the class, drawing caricatures of teachers while they were delivering lectures. In effect, most of the time, I found myself sent packing outside the class. When I was in my preteens, my father bought me dozens of picture books and comics. I always loved to watch series like Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, Popoye and other cartoon shows on tv. Inspired by a whole lot of characters and storylines in the stuff I never knew when I started observing people and the events that took place around me.
I am very close to my parents and always CONNECTED, be it audio or a video call. I always curiously listen to their stories and then doodle. Staying away for almost 10 long years from Kashmir would take its toll. My yearning for my native place, its climate, music and songs, personalities, personal associations(present and past), possibilities and events (especially ‘the good old days’/‘the warm childhood’), innocence of childhood, and sweetness of youth is simply overpowering. The recollections of important events, people I care about, and places where I while away my time all trigger me to draw stories that readers somehow relate to their own nostalgic experiences.
Every mundane activity and the nature around me inspires me to create something relatable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ghazalqadri.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/____alif/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghazalqadri/
