When people first meet Hala Al-Awadhi, they are always curious about her origins and sense an incoming plot- twist. Born to a Kuwaiti father and a Ukrainian mother, she is proud of both of her identities. The mix always sparks conversation and has given her a unique perspective on life that she welcomes and enjoys engaging in. Her mixed heritage fuels her insatiable desire to explore the world in different ways from art to journalism.
“Being of mixed heritage has shaped me tremendously and makes up a huge part of who I am. I live with two cultures. It has shaped my thinking, and opened me up to various perspectives. Kuwait and Ukraine are obviously two very contrasting sides. Being bicultural is a dichotomy,” Hala says.
She goes on to explain that “It’s Ukraine at home, and when we step out beyond our fence it’s Kuwait.” I’m living in two worlds whereby I speak both languages, and eat Kuwaiti food and Ukrainian dishes my mother makes, and all in all I’m upholding both traditions. It’s an intersection of both cultures at home, where we speak English, Russian, and Arabic within the family. Even though I never lived in Ukraine, I spent all my childhood summers there up until my grandparents passed away. And still, I feel well-connected culturally and emotionally to the place even having lived in Kuwait my entire life. I always am alternating between both sides and in Kuwaiti society, it can get pretty confusing too!”
Hala had always wanted to start drawing or dabbling in some sort of art form. She had been talented in art class at school but hadn’t picked up a pen until very recently. During Kuwait’s first lock down, she picked up a black pen in the middle of the night, a journal that was lying in front of her, turned to a blank page and just started drawing a plant pot at home.
The connection to art is much older than that, her father is an abstract artist and she has always been exposed to art and surrounded and inspired by it. She grew up seeing her father in his gallery, painting his next piece. As a family, they love visiting galleries, museums, and exhibitions every chance they get.
“It all happened instinctively and after that I started drawing one object after another around the house at least once per day…and it snowballed from there. I was particularly drawn to pen sketching that was black and white with touches of color in places. Then, I really wanted to learn to add motion to my drawings, so I began playing with animation, adding music and special sound effects. My sketches started to take on another feel and mood,” she explained.
Hala enjoys working with black pen and colored pencils. She has also explored using graphite once but continues to gravitate to using a pen. Hala told us that she would love to try different mediums like adding paint to her drawings or translating her sketches onto other surfaces than paper. The use of mixed media definitely has her curiosity piqued.
A look at Hala’s illustrations will show mundane and everyday objects like washing machines and baqalas. “For some reason that I can’t explain, I am drawn to sketching household objects, still-life scenes, daily life scenarios, rooms, houses and shops, as well as streets. I get inspired by photography, things I see in the movies, sometimes I read something in a book that conjures up an imaginary scene. I also get inspired by my surroundings on a daily basis,” she explained.
Her family’s ongoing support motivates and encourages her to pursue her hobbies and interests. Positive feedback from people pushes her to move forward. People’s reactions to her art are definitely a driver.
“I’ve been told my sketches make them feel nostalgic and home-y. Also the drive to get better is always there for me. Art is a way of communicating, and I would love to see myself mastering this communication. I envision certain scenarios in my mind, moods, and feelings that I wish to bring to life on paper skillfully,” she elaborated.
Art and illustration is not the only creative venue that Hala enjoys dabbling in. She started a blog where she interviews people and experiments with journalism.
“Journalism was always my love. Storytelling my experiences and travel accounts as well as my passion for certain subjects brings me joy. Currently I have my web blog where I do this, whenever time allows. Social media has definitely taken over that aspect, but I am honestly still a lover of traditional print and the ol’ blogging. If I were to pursue it further, I would focus more on interviewing people with interesting stories to tell, making mini docu-series and focusing on videography. I guess you could say it’s “an art” too!,”says Hala.
Right now, though she is focusing on drawing improving.”With every new drawing I create, I see myself moving forward and learning something about my style. Personally, I just aim to keep improving myself, I don’t have an accomplishment in mind. Drawing just makes me feel happy,” she said. And we are glad because we are enjoying watching her progression.
The best advice she received was that the key is finding your own art. Viewers need to instantly recognize “the artist” in a piece. She told us that it might be challenging butthe more you practice, the more you find yourself in your art.
To aspiring aritsits, Hala’s advice is simple but requires effort. “Practice drawing every day and you will make progress. And most importantly, you have to ask yourself why you are creating. Be authentic. If drawing makes you happy, just go with the flow and see where it takes you,”concludes Hala.
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL QUESTIONNAIRE
What do you most value about your friends?
Honesty and understanding.
Which living person do you most admire?
My parents.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Family or friends’ get-togethers over some good food. A bonus if it’s raining outside. It’s such a warm and fuzzy feeling, and a feeling of sheer contentment!
What is your greatest extravagance?
Stationery.
What is your most treasured possession?
My diaries and journals. I keep records of pretty much everything! Also, physical photographs of memories.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my loved ones.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Patience.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Mastering drawing anything that comes to mind.
What is one trait you have that you are most grateful for?
Being optimistic. Simply believing that things will always work out in the end.
What is the human trait you most dislike about others?
Insincerity / two-faced people.
What is it that you most dislike?
Feeling forced to do something I don’t want to do.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“It’s ok”
What are your favorite words to live by?
Do things your future self will thank you for. I love it because it applies to pretty much everything! Also, make every day worth remembering!
Where would you most like to live?
In Japan or somewhere with breathtaking nature, like Slovenia.
If you could have any job, what would it be?
A travel journalist, like the ones on the Travel Channel with my own Travel show!
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
Starting a small business from scratch and the learning process that goes with it, evolving as a person, reading a lot more books! Pursuing my drawing hobby, being the best daughter, mother, wife that I can be. Sometimes it’s even the little, everyday things that make the greatest achievements.
What do you hope for the future?
I don’t tend to look too far into the future. I believe in savoring the present moments in life to the utmost – where I am here and now. And to try to get as much out of life every day as I possibly can, because you never know, tomorrow may not come.
Check out Hala’s work on Instagram @art.halo and read her musings on thepocketgirl.com.
