From The Creator

My first childhood dream to become a scientist did not materialize. Following the pursuit of wonders in life, I wanted to be a gymnast, an explorer, an archaeologist. While threading on reality, there are real chances of becoming a physicist, an engineer, an architect, and yes a soldier. Well, I did worked on certain percentage of those chances. But none of them happened.

Drawing has made me into a joyful nuisance since 3. Yes, in the end, I am the only scientist living in my own mind. And at 10, I am grateful to my maths teacher for my first Roman calligraphy lesson. Ended up in school of design, I became a practitioner in corporate design and graphics since 1998. I felt dejected for not being able to join the army because probably of my weak bones. And therefore my luck to earn those government benefits disappeared.

Trying to learn what I’m supposed to do, in 2002 I picked up Arabic calligraphy, known as khat. At the same time, I worked on pottery with a master potter, my design mentor. And regularly seek lessons from a religious scholar, my childhood teacher on religious and spiritual aesthetics. I pursued further in Arabic calligraphy and Islamic arts with teachers and mentors in Malaysia and Turkey. Since 2006, engaging with the public through art education and services has unveiled different experiences of cultural textures and depths in the community.

For quite a period of time, design, pottery, calligraphy and martial arts, became a harmonised routine. I discovered those different disciplines from different teachers, ended up all rooted deep to the same core morals. It’s deeply astounding. These teachers have been the closest friends of my mind. And I’m working hard to be a proper being as a tribute and gratitude towards them. I didn’t know that to understand beauty, life could be just so grueling.

Drawing and writing was a childhood comfort, not an ambition. When all those ambitions of the world turned against me, childhood comfort is all I have. And there are nature, books, music, photography and crafts. And yes comics, anime, toys and the magic of instant food. I love observing how things are created, and easily absorbed with curiosities. And I love dreaming on how things could be created. Or impossibly created.

 

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I am easily attracted to so many things. And there are two things which inspires me most of the time. First is memory, and second is admiration.

Memory.

Memory, is to me a living entity by itself. It speaks, it floats, it breeds and it impersonates. It brings stories, questions and reasons, that builds me to be me. It keeps me on my growth in life. There are lessons through my senses, my imagination, emotions and conversations with the unknown. At times it brought me deeper and further beyond where a moment itself was created. At times it makes me crazy, and at times it gives me solace. And if a memory leaves you, then a certain purpose of life in you has expired. Everything in life will.

Admiration.

Two things that I admire. I admire creations of micro life. Curiosities and wonders keep exchanging presences, and you’ll get feelings on things, that will freeze your mind, that you couldn’t possibly explain. And there are my admiration for greatness in others. People producing good works, their endeavours, upholding responsibilities and virtues, fighting on righteous deeds, and their reasons in life. Including mother nature. All these makes me feel small. All the time.

These two forms of inspiration, it fuels me to produce visual hand works as a form of homage. Be it through writing or drawing, it’s a way of embracing life through the language of my hands.

Calligraphy keeps my mind alive. And illustration keeps my heart alive. These are my forms of servitude to my existence.

 

The way of the pen.

 

Welcome to Faizal Somadi Studio.

Thank you for visiting this online gallery. Made of works produced in my little home studio. I hope you take pleasure in them as much as I enjoy creating them.

 

Faizal Somadi.

2022 June. Singapore.