‘My anger is my fuel’ – Maryam Akram

Maryam Akram, a young digital artist from Lahore, talks to BOLD about her digital artwork, the scope of digital art in Pakistan and the opportunities it offers to today’s artists

Lahore: “Art is not what you see; it’s what you make others see,” says Edgar Degas, a French Impressionist artist of the 20th century, explicitly  describing the essence of art and what an artist is supposed to do. A piece of  art helps one  experience something unique that perhaps no other mode of communication can do. Although traditional forms of art have been present in the world for eons, digital art is relatively an emerging medium which has taken the world by storm, thanks to its significance, tech-driven function and utility, offering the lot of young artists a plethora of avenues to explore and express their latent creativity as well as develop lucrative careers. Maryam Akram, a young digital artist, has designed and illustrated four books, along with creating digital artwork for a variety of purposes. Having embarked on a professional journey vacillating between Lahore and New York, Maryam Akram talks to BOLD about the overarching theme behind her digital artwork, the scope of this form of art and the opportunities it offers to today’s artists.

BOLD: Is digital art  replacing the traditional art and how important is it for new artists to pursue digital art to stay relevant in the field?

Maryam Akram: Traditional art has not lost its value or become insignificant after the onset of digital art, as both forms of art make a deep  impact on the world.  It can safely be said that the digital art stems from the traditional art, however, there’s no dichotomy between them. Even though digital art is in vogue, it has not yet been able to replace the traditional medium. Of course, it’s become easier for traditional artists to showcase their talent by employing various digital art tools to have a wider audience and become more accessible to art lovers.

What about the professional scope, coupled with career growth opportunities, offered by the field of digital art? How is it determined?

For newbies, it takes a lot of time and effort to make a place in the field of digital art. Given that  the world of digital art is very competitive all one has to do is work hard, stick to one’s own style and carve a niche.

Tell us a bit about the process, the tools you use and how easy or difficult is to learn and use them?

I started to work with such traditional mediums as watercolors but moved to the digital art. Currently, I use a graphics editor app called Procreate on iPad with Apple Pencil. It’s not difficult to learn digital art if one is regular and persistent in one’s efforts.

Could you please describe your art in a word?

The word ‘empathy’ would be the right term to describe my art as I tend to apply myself to create empathy through my illustrations. My job as an illustrator is to channel my anger into creativity. Honestly speaking, my anger is my fuel, which is acquired from my experience as an immigrant parent and woman and from the environment we live in and the stories we come to know about.

How do you design a book cover?

When it comes to designing a book cover, I first talk to my client to understand their motif.  Since an illustration is always based on a particular idea, knowing the client’s requirement helps my use my creativity in the right direction. I sleep on it, wait for the moment of afflatus and when I have an idea that I really like, I start working on it. One can’t judge a book by its cover, however, designing book covers is a tad difficult and challenging.  This is primarily because a lot depends on the book cover since it is the first introduction of the book.

For digital artists, what’s the main difference between the U.S. and Pakistani markets?

In the United States, art is rather ubiquitous phenomenon and can be found in every nook and cranny. This really helped me add value to my art and illustrations. In the US market there a huge with loads of opportunities for digital artists with substantial monetary returns.

Do you think Pakistan, as a nation, is supportive of its artists’ community, particularly digital artists?

Digital artists in Pakistan have a good following and people regularly approach us to create art for them for different objectives. However, the monetary returns are not very attractive, mostly because of fierce competition. Comparatively speaking, people here love and value art, but very few of them are willing to pay you what you demand.

What are some avenues that emerging digital artists can use to sell their work, locally and globally?

I’ve tried a social commerce platform called Teespring because it shares half of the price you set for your artwork with you. They take care of the production and sales and all you have to do is upload your design on their products’ list.

Is it difficult for women in Pakistan to pursue a career in digital art?

I think it is harder, particularly for new moms and immigrant women. It’s difficult because if you’re the primary parent, especially in a country where you have no help, you have to climb mountains and exhaust yourself to become someone. Personally speaking, it is quite challenging for a mother to juggle with rearing a child and pursuing her career at the same time. But one needs to train oneself to make it work successfully.