May I Introduce: Sara Shakeel
First Sara Shakeel wanted to become a dentist but then she missed the final test's at Dental School. Now she lives in Pakistan and counts more than 300 thousand followers on Instagram. The motivation for her glittering and surreal artwork lies in the healing process of creating itself: 'Each picture heals a part of me and I hope it heals a part of you too.' Therefore she turns every day objects into shiny pieces of glitter and gold: 'I try to create an imagery that blends hope, love, positivity all in the oddest and darkest of place', said the woman who empowered millions of women through glittering stretch marks.
Oct. 21, 2018
Labels: On track, May I introduce
The art of collage making has always shown the opportunity for exploration, to stick different things together and finally create a new different content from the suspected image. As Playboy states in their interview with Sara her 'spark for creation resonates from the inside out' aimed 'to transform the so-called ugly' into something beautiful. Her collages are full with glittering sparks or liters of diamonds. For Sara 'diamonds and crystals are not just a medium of positivity but a source of strength' as she explains for Playboy Magazine. (Playboy)
Through her pictures Sara tells us a beautiful story about her own painful experiences but also about the pain of others which she witnessed. When Sara took some photos of a small and lean friend, she was surprised and also fascinated by her huge amount of stretchmarks. Her friend asked her to photoshop them which Sara did but in an unusual way - she made them sparkling and the so called #glitterstretchmarks were born. 'To be on the chubby side or to even talk about stretchmarks is not something one is proud of, I have seen my stretch marks grow from the day I started putting on weight, I'd be honest even before uploading it I was thinking why would anyone be interested in my concept of stretch marks turned into glitter or crystals!!! My god I was so wrong!' (Sara Shakeel) Her collages illustrate also a way to find some peace with her different own body struggles: 'If you look into my pictures, you’ll see diamonds and crystals coming out of [the] nose and eyes every time. First, because this is how I imagine myself when going through this problem. It kind of helps me be patient with my allergies! And also an interpretation of how positive one can be through art.' (Playboy) Sometimes she is still surprised by the power of her collages without getting above herself.
Since Sara uploaded this photo she lives two lifes. One in here home country Pakistan and another through Instagram and social media. Her whole life changed in a crazy way from being a student to become a full time artist and Instagram paved the way when Miley Cyrus shared her artwork of Donald Trump or the crystal kitty paws and Sarah Jessica Parker commented on one of her pictures.It’s been a 'roller coaster ride' as she says: 'So many doors are still opening for me; I couldn’t be more grateful! I still have a lot to achieve and I know it’s not too far away. I’m on a roll!' (SaraShakeel)
Besides glittering stretch marks you can also find some goldfish in ice cream or UFO's at the sky above the cloudy city. Sometimes I miss more of this critical funny aspect in her work, because glittering pommes frites or glittering tongues and shades don't provide no message for me - it's just beautiful to look at but maybe that's the healing aspect itself! If you want to know more about her artwork and her mindset you can find her on Instagram or just visit her website. There is much more to see and to explore within your own experiences and body issues you will find through Sara's artwork. ♥
I was a dentist in-the-making, my main purpose was to heal people with my knowledge. Little did I know, the process of studying dentistry and failing in my finals would make me end up being an artist that I am today! (Playboy)
all photos via: Sara Shakeel
text: Jana Theresa Lou
