As you can tell I’ve been spending more time than usual on Instagram. And, yes, I’m a better person for it! I think it's about filtering out what interests you and adds to your soul and creative spirit as opposed to what diminishes it. That being said, on a clear Sunday morning some weeks ago I was over the moon to stumble across the profile of an award-winning crystal artist by the name of Sara Shakeel.
Now, first things first, this isn’t like that Sex & The City episode where a bored housewife takes a hot glue gun and some rhinestones and calls it a brand nor is it another ‘Insta-artist’ looking to make a quick buck with next to no talent. Because let’s be real we live in a world of scammers and it takes a quick-wit to be able to discern between the two.
But, Sara Shakeel is the real deal. Formerly a dentist, Shakeel like most artists started creating works as a means of expression and as a result has birthed a new form of art; one which incorporates crystals with soulful imagery in a symbiosis that transcends traditional mediums while uplifting the viewer. (Holistic Art?) Having amassed an impressive following of 1 million users on Instagram, SS was soon contracted to create works for leading brands like Browns, Reebok and Kourtney Kardashian’s lifestyle brand Poosh. However, it is her affiliation with body-positivity that is a true marker for greatness. In her first series of work entitled #glitterstretchmarks Swarovski crystals, gold glitter and the cosmos were superimposed onto vivid imagery of natural stretchmarks thereby elevating them from their otherwise negative connotation or classification as a bodily imperfection. These powerful statements are then merged with a larger body of work that delves into imagery that seamlessly dips between fantasy and reality providing a running commentary on the truth of our times be it, health workers, in glittering face masks or a crystallized egg cracked to reveal the dripping yolk within.
In short, Sara Shakeel’s work best exemplifies how it is our interpretation of reality that matters the most. Our outlook on life that controls the outcome of our existence. As we battle this global pandemic together, works of artists such as Shakeel’s is an important reminder that life is often better with glittering optimism.
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