It is a tradition at CreativeMornings to work with an artist in our community to create an illustration for the monthly theme.

A monthly theme inspires new conversations and ideas that we otherwise wouldn’t think about. At our events, speakers are invited to share a story around the theme and what it means to them. After a month, we are excited to see the talks and inspiration that are born out of the theme.

The global theme for September is Muse.

Given that these monthly illustrations are at events all around the world, it’s only right that we get to know the illustrator.

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Meet Shahul Hameed

Shahul Hameed is a mural graffiti artist and illustrator currently based in Dubai. Hailing from Kerala, India, Shahul’s inclination for art started at a very young age.

Before venturing out to be a full-time artist, Shahul worked at a firm that catered to reproducing and exporting paintings of eminent artists. This brief stint gave him the environment to closely interact with acclaimed works of art and inspired him to pursue his passion as a career.

Building on his forte in graffiti, he specializes in larger-than-life abstract figurines and scapes. His work is fluid and crosses between genres. Shahul likes to leave room for his audience to derive their own unique interpretations from his paintings.

How did you get into illustration work?

As a child, I was constantly drawing and creating art. It was something I always inherently wanted to do. It felt like a way to communicate. The more I drew, the better I got, and the easier it became to communicate my ideas. I’ve just been drawing all my life.

How has your work evolved over time and what were some influences that caused it?

Since I’m self-taught, it took a while for my illustration skills to get to where they are now. My excitement about making art has only intensified over the years. I do a lot of self-promotion because my clients typically reach out to me after seeing my work in other publications, on my website, in books, or on social media. Clients that find me organically give me creative freedom.

I like to be accurate so I always do my research thoroughly. Then, I do conceptual work to come up with some main themes, start playing with visual ideas relating to them, and then start drawing compositional thumbnails.

My artistic style has changed a lot over the years, but I’ll always love playing with colors and shapes. I’m inspired by everything and regularly discover new things I like, which I’m sure influences my work.

As a mural artist, you must be used to having large walls to paint beautiful visual stories. What is it about large canvases that you love most?

Murals allow me to experience the dialogue that public spaces create between my work and the people around it. I love interacting with passersby’s who stop to watch me paint. I’m flattered when I hear people take the time to interpret what I’m doing and take photos of my work.

And of course, I do murals because I enjoy the challenge of painting on large walls. I think of walls as an engaging artistic format, and it also comes from a pure desire to see my drawings on a bigger scale.

How did you go about interpreting this month’s theme Muse?

As a creative artist, the word ‘muse’ felt really close to me. I believe every individual has talent living inside of them and that they want to bring it out. ‘Muse’ can be anything that makes the artistic spirit of a person want to write, paint, or create a piece of music. I believe in and cherish this word.

What is the creative art scene in Dubai like?

Dubai is a city that moves very fast. I’ve been in Dubai for the past 15 years, and it’s a landscape of talent that inspires youth and supports their rise into success.

Currently, Dubai’s art scene is remarkably international. It opens a vast global platform which has been a formative part of the journey for many early-career artists and collectives. I’ve loved every bit of seeing how the city has progressed over the years.

What’s something that you recently learned or was inspired by that’s influencing your work or life?

While I was working as an art director at a media company, I knew something was missing in my life. I became more unhappy because I was doing the same pattern of work and having too many projects made me stressed. I realized I needed to pursue my own dreams. I wanted my paints and brushes back. Since then, I’ve been living out loud and looking to inspire others through my murals.

Do you have any projects or plans for this year? What’s one thing you’d like to do more of?

I’m focusing on making my art accessible to the public. I’ve been steering my direction towards solely murals and street art. I believe that art is to be made disposable to the broader community and is not to be hoarded by art enthusiasts and connoisseurs alone.

Tell us something about yourself that we can’t find online.

I love plants and enjoy seeing them grow. Kerala’s traditional foods, a must-try.

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You can explore more of Shaul’s work on his website, Behance, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.