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Shadia Zayed in the She Lives Creatively Spotlight

Marcella Alexandria

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October 9th, 2014 - 10:10 PM

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Shadia Zayed in the She Lives Creatively Spotlight

Shadia Zayed is an artist who will forever remain near and dear to my heart! I met Shadia about 9 years ago (when I still lived in Michigan) after I signed up to take her acrylic painting class. It was Shadia who taught me how much fun it is to play with Golden acrylic mediums. And she's responsible for my addiction to adding interest to my paintings with interference paints.

Since studying acrylic painting techniques with Shadia nearly a decade ago, her passion for creating, her commitment to blazing her own trail as a self-employed fine artist and muralist, and her over the top scary - in a good way! - annual Halloween parties continue to inspire me. So this month, my teacher and friend, Shadia Zayed shines in the She Lives Creatively Spotlight.

Marcella: You are a fine artist and you own Ambiance Design Studio, a decorative painting and mural company. What are your favorite types of wall treatments or murals to paint?

Shadia: I am always most excited to paint children’s rooms. Not only are they the most fun to paint because they tend to be more vibrant and colorful, but also the children get so excited and have so much awe and interest in art, so it’s great to see their reaction to the process.

M: How do you balance creating your studio work, which you show in several galleries throughout Michigan, with decorative and mural work you create for your clients?

S: Honestly, it’s challenging. I have found what works best for me at this stage in my career is to set one specific weekday, each week, to focus strictly on my studio work. I certainly paint and work on marketing my business on other days as available. But holding a specific day exclusively for art has helped me re-focus the direction of my career. My intention is to gradually up that ratio of 4 murals/faux days to 1 art day, until my work is exclusively in the fine art realm rather than the decorative art realm. What’s important to me is consistency, so while I don’t have a definitive date for that goal, I know I am working daily to get there.

M: You recently hired an assistant to help you with decorative painting and murals. What types of duties do you delegate to her?

S: Presently, her duties are primarily in the preparation of the room. She helps tape, drop cloth and sometimes does base coating. She is gradually learning different faux techniques and, as a very skilled artist herself, recently assisted on mural projects by laying out some sketches.

M: How has hiring an assistant improved your creativity and your business’ productivity?

S: As all people who are self-employed assuredly learn after some time working for themselves, it is very easy to get in the “habit” of doing EVERYTHING on your own. Hiring an assistant has greatly improved my productivity by helping realize my time is best spent where I have the most to offer. Sure, I can tape a room expertly in preparation for a decorative painting project (after over a decade, anyone could)…but my expertise and time is better spent doing things for which I am uniquely gifted. This understanding has enhanced my creativity by allowing me the added flexibility in my schedule to commit to the weekly “studio day” I mentioned earlier.

Read the rest of my interview with Shadia here: http://marcellanordbeck.blogspot.com/2014/10/she-lives-creatively-spotlight-shadia.html

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