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About Me
I'm Hafsa Shakeel, the founder of the non-profit Meraki Mindfulness. A student in A-levels (or high school for all my American friends), I live by these wise words by one of my favorite writers, Oscar Wilde: "To define is to limit." I find it an impossible task to say who I am, but perhaps a mosaic of pieces of me will suffice.
I love art, messy sketches on ripped sticky notes and intricate illustrations with multi-colored stippling alike. Swimming is life and yes, roller skating makes you the coolest kid on the block (the movies are right about this one). To read is to inhale knowledge, and what better to breathe in than Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Fyodor Dostoevsky and George R.R. Martin?
I find centipedes creepy, and spiders adorable (no, I do not usually discriminate between arachnids and chilopods; I find scorpions creepy too.). Biology is my passion, and I could spend hours in a lab making slides and diagrams. I have great aspirations and ambitions and hopes and I find it easier to dream with my eyes open.
Our art therapy sessions entail techniques such as
Doodling
Doodling is all about letting your creativity flow without the confines of a predetermined outline or sketch; all you need is a pen, a paper, and loose thoughts to pen down. A proven way of stress release and clearing your mind, doodling comprises some of my fondest memories from childhood, and has grown into a form of meditation for me.
Zentangle
The Zentangle method is a fun, relaxing technique that allows one to create beautiful drawings constituting structured patterns called 'tangles'. These tangles are combinations of dots, lines, curves and orbs. The patterns are drawn on pieces of paper called 'tiles' that can be assembled into mosaics.
Learn more about the Zentangle method at the official website:
Art Journaling
Art journaling is all about accompanying your artistic masterpieces with the string of thoughts that inspired them. Art journaling allows you to explore all kinds of techniques, mediums, and methodologies while reflecting on the inspiration and ideas behind each piece. It truly is one of the best ways to encapsulate your creativity in one place.
Painting
Painting is one of the oldest skills inherited by mankind, that has evolved accordingly with different places and cultures. It reminds us of the fact that artistic expression is an inherent inclination in the human race.
At Meraki Mindfulness, we have recently made painting, especially oil painting, a part of our art therapy sessions to diversify the art techniques we explore.
Tambour Embroidery
Art is not just pen and paper; it is in our traditions, culture, and heritage. Tambour embroidery is a technique practiced by dressmakers and weavers since the 17th century in the Indian subcontinent as 'Ari embroidery', and was popularized in Europe in the 18th century.
Tambour embroidery is one of my favorite hobbies, and soon I am excited to introduce it to our art therapy sessions as well!