Shaina, the Freelance Illustrator

Shaina Saeed, 26 years old, is a freelance illustrator.

Since she can remember, Shaina was always creating little crafts like notebooks for her friends. She says that she has always had this innate need to create something.

“I didn’t know I was any good at it until I drew something for an exam at age 14,” said Shaina. When she had gotten back her drawing, she realized it was not all bad. Shaina also shared her insight that seeing her art after a few days lets her see it from a new perspective. And this is particularly important, not just for traditional art, but also in other creative pursuits such as writing – where you can go back and see it from a fresh perspective, without which you cannot do objective self-critique.

Shaina says that one of the biggest misconceptions in our society is that people believe we do not need artists. Every product we use commercially, from soaps to food products to phones, use works of artists to distinguish their products. Shaina describes the role of an artists as a translator using visual communication to bridge the gap between the manufacturer and the laymen.

Art is the universal language which we all understand.

Just as most artists, Shaina also says it’s incredibly challenging to find gigs in the Maldives, and most of the work she finds is from international clients. She says that it is difficult to find your footing in this country, especially if you are not socially adept.

Shaina says that to support local artists, the government needs to recognize the role and scope of visual art in the economy and our society, and not discourage the group. She also shared that the administration needs to introduce more grants and programs, not just for digital media, but traditional art training as well.