Canvas and page: Muzainah Shahrukh Yasin talks about painting and writing
A composition by Muzainah Shahrukh Yasin.
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Muzainah Shahrukh Yasin, a Year 9C student in Al Salam Private School, Dubai, is an artist and an aspiring author. “For me, art is a form of expression,” she says. “I sometimes call it “fifty shades of red.” We start with a neutral white canvas, then splatter some pink, representing the emotions that leak out. As we reach the intense red, it shows everything locked inside our hearts spilling out.”
“Art is therapeutic for me,” she continues. “I enjoy the stress of deciding where everything should go, and it helps me loosen up.” She is currently in the process of authoring a book.
Her debut novel is The Blood Crown, a fantasy duology series involving revenge, redemption and proving oneself. The Blood Crown is inspired by the Folk of the Air series authored by Holly Black; Muzainah discovered the plot has similarities with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She also writes short stories, poems and narratives, publishing them online on the Booksie website.
She is a winner of numerous certificates of appreciation including ones for highest scores, narrative writing contests, on the-spot story writing competitions, was the best news presenter, the best campus journalism student of the week winner, won first prizes in inter-school and international awards on Quran and Science Model-Making, been conferred certificates for excellence for drawing with water colours, won certificates of appreciation for basketball and relay races, bagged certificates for volunteering, has been bestowed badges of honour including one for representing her school as Youth Ambassador at the International Art Marathon 2024-2025, been acknowledged as a mentor to students in lower grades, was a drama co-director with two plays to her credit, is an innovation committee leader, and a Creative Assistant at Mellow Marshmellow, a home-based business established by her mother that specialises in personalised items.
The multi-talented Muzainah Shahrukh Yasin speaks to Gulf Today.
Have you studied art formally or are you self-taught?My mother is an artist, and I’ve learned art in school; but I’m mostly self-taught. I started out drawing geometrical shapes as well as stickman figures and designing dressing tables with doodles. Then I got interested in quilling and knife painting. Both are my specialties, and I’ve done many paintings in these art forms.
Who are the artists who inspire you?
Why do they do so?If I had to choose my favourite artist, it would definitely be Leonardo da Vinci. Undoubtedly, I’ve always wanted to create something like the Mona Lisa. However, “inspire” in this context would refer to how I would have recreated that painting.
Take “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh; the painting is beautiful - yet I would want to recreate it through quilling. So when I say that I’m inspired by an artist, I mean I am inspired to recreate their works through different ways.
What are the subjects you draw?
I usually do still life drawing, which includes sketching various objects such as mugs or fruits. I also sketch animals and landscapes.
You are influenced by Holly Black and Shakespeare. What are the writerly qualities you like in them?
Holly Black has an ethereal way of describing things and is uniquely creative. She’s written the Folk of the Air series, and I absolutely love the character development of her main character. Shakespeare, well, he is one of the most influential writers of all time.
I love the fact that he shows the real world instead of sugarcoating it. His plays are so intricately plotted, it’s impossible not to marvel at them.
Do you have set times to write or do you write as the mood strikes?
I write as the mood strikes. Placing set times for myself makes my writing seem forced and bland. So when I’m filled with the urge to write something, I open a document or a piece of paper and jot it all down. I edit it later.
Do you suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you remedy it?
Yes, I suffer from it a lot. It usually happens when there is more description to be detailed and I have to plot a character’s motives. Sometimes, once I’ve completed writing a story, my mind goes blank. To remedy this, I usually read books in any genre to get a story idea. A change of scenery and exercise is also extremely helpful. Sometimes I go for a cycle ride to clear my brain, and to take in my surroundings.
You like mentoring younger writers. Why?
It is fun and, most of all, interesting. Each individual’s perspective varies deeply, and they may have a better and more unique take on some ideas I might have. It allows me to learn and gain insights into the ways other people think and how I can help them grow, as well as motivate them.
Who are your favourite authors? Why are they musts in your reading list?
Holly Jackson, hands down. All her books are full of mystery, intrigue and stupefying plot twists that keep the reader in a chokehold. I cannot forget Suzanne Collins.
I have read the whole Hunger Games series and watched most of the movies and I absolutely loved it. I also really enjoy Lisa Jewell’s writing. Her books, with their adult perspectives, offer a refreshing change from the teenage outlook I might have.
I also love Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Inheritance Games trilogy. Those books are packed with mystery, riddles and unexpected twists.
