Interview: Amara Ramdhanny
“My art is the only place where I feel like I can safely shout: “Look at me! I exist! I’m a Black and Brown woman! I exist and I matter!” - AR
From illustration, designing and modelling Amara Ramdhanny (@amara__davi) is a visionary in all fields! A Brooklyn based creative whose work is focused on women and non-binary people of colour, could never see themselves doing anything else but creating. Along with producing works of art, Amara had the opportunity to work with Nike this summer, designing a sneaker called “Isle of Spice,” inspired by their mother and their homeland. Amara’s art, be it on their face or on their dazzling Instagram is honest and passionate Amara is a creative who I can not wait to see blow up.
Halima: Hi Amara! I’ve been following your Instagram for a little while now, and what drew me to your feed was how bright and colourful everything is! your illustrations especially. What got you into drawing and creating illustrations?
Amara: Hey! That means so much to me. I love drawing so it always means a lot to me when my art resonates with people! Honestly, I started drawing and creating illustrations from a really young age. I wasn’t really good at anything that I thought mattered like I got good grades in school or whatever but I didn’t really have any talents like sports or dancing or anything like that. I really loved watching cartoons and reading comic books and stuff, I was that kind of kid, the anime-watching, Sailor Moon backpack-owning kid (lol) so once I really got into that, I just knew that I had to draw (and continue drawing) illustrations. I quit a lot of stuff as a kid too: tap dancing, sports teams, etc. Drawing was different because even when I wasn’t that good at it, it made me feel good and when I got better at it, I felt even better as well.
Images: Instagram @amara__davi
H: What inspires you to create the illustrations that you do?
A: I’m inspired by a lot of stuff!! Movies, TV shows, Anime, Fashion, etc.! At its core though, my art will almost always be focused on Women and Nonbinary people of colour because that’s literally the world that I know and it would be hard for me to draw otherwise. Growing up, the representation that I had was maybe a small community in the media but a larger community that I encountered in my daily life. At first, I used to just try to emulate what I saw on TV or in comic books but making art like that, at least for me, always felt hollow and inauthentic. Now I draw women of color with body hair because I am a woman of color with body hair, my mother is, my friends are, etc. I love mixing concepts though! The idea of stuff like magical girl anime mixed with like hindu mythology or greek mythology mixed with black female fashion!!! There’s so much beauty in other cultures, especially in the cultures of people of color, for the world to just focus on the same eurocentric images for a large number of years. I just want to be a part of showing that beauty in fun ways because that’s what I enjoy!
H: You create art not only on paper or electronically, but on your face! Your make up looks are so extravagant and over-exaggerated (your MET gala 2018 look was incredible). It’s so different from what I see people usually do with makeup, what inspires the way you do makeup? Give us some tips! Spill your secrets!
Images: Instagram @amara__davi
A: Thank you! Makeup is something special!!! I will be honest with you, growing up I was, unfortunately, 100% one of those “not like other girls” kid (yuck) I couldn’t stand makeup and stuff like that. But that all stemmed from my own insecurities, I didn’t think I was as pretty as the girls that were into makeup like that, I didn’t think I would be good at it. Those were all issues that I had to deal with, and were never the fault of all the beautiful women that I was envious of because I was insecure. Around my senior year of high school, though, I found a new found respect and admiration for makeup!! I saw so many incredible creatives using makeup as an art form on Tumblr and Instagram and I was in awe of their talents, especially creatives of color like @honeydon.t and @maytahmi on IG. They made me realize that makeup was less about being “conventionally pretty” (whatever that means) and more about feeling good and self-expression. That was really cool to me and really pushed me into makeup, plus I do feel really good when I wear makeup, I feel like a different character which is super fun! I even found a newfound respect for the conventional “beauty” makeup that I had once despised because I saw how much work and skill it takes. Like, I’ll never be able to do a perfect winged-eyeliner look, or a cut-crease, or work at the Sephora kiosk and do your makeup for the prom, I’m not that skilled (lol), those makeup artists are extremely skilled in what they do. I take more makeup references from things like: old music videos, cartoons, movies, anime, I love references like that! I love feeling like a fictional character or something and makeup definitely did that. Once I realized that there aren’t really any rules to makeup, it just became another medium of art to play around with like painting or sculpture. Wear lipstick on your eyelids (as long as it’s safe and nontoxic), blush of your lips, fabric on your eyebrows, glue little trinkets to you face, dress like a comic book character if you want!! Just don’t do anything offensive and have fun! It doesn’t matter how skilled you are at it (unless you’re a professional, then please try to fully master your craft. There are already so many MUAs in the industry that cannot do makeup on people of color and that is so upsetting), as long as it makes you feel good!
H: Along with being an artist, you model. What advice would you give to other black/ brown women and non-binary people who want to go into the modelling industry?
A: I would advise other black/ brown women and non-binary people who want to go into the modelling industry to never do things that make them uncomfortable, as important as it is to do things outside of your comfort zone and grow, you should never have to feel forced to do something that you don’t want to do. A lot of people in this industry, not all though but still a few, as in any industry, look for any opportunity to take advantage of others but you should not have to compromise your own feelings and comfort in order to feel as if you have succeeded. If you’re comfortable with nudity, awesome! Go you! However, if you aren’t that’s perfectly fine too and that decision should be respected by anyone you work with. Also, you know yourself better than anyone else, if you’re uncomfortable in a situation that is your right and never let anyone take advantage of that or make you feel like you are lesser than you are. It isn’t an easy industry but remember that the last “no” that life throws at you should never be the last time that you try to achieve your goals, there will always be people who you will not be a right fit for and that’s okay because at the same time there are always people that you are the right fit for, as well. Work hard, stay safe, be kind, and have fun.
H: Did you know you were going to be creative and work in the creative industry?
A: I think from a young age, the universe decided that I had to be a creative and work in the creative industry. I just could not see myself doing anything else. When I was in school, I knew so many people who wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, a psychologist, a nurse, etc. I couldn’t see myself doing any of that. I wanted to draw things, write things, collaborate with people, tell stories. I was googling things like “professions that involve being creative”, “creative director” and stuff like that, I wanted to know how I could do something that I enjoyed doing and that other people said that I was pretty good at. That was all that mattered to me.
H: If you had a magic wand and could change anything you wanted about the art world, what would it be?
A: If I could change anything about the art world? I would want it to be more inclusive, and when I say that I mean real inclusivity. People of all ages, ethnicities, religions, shapes and sizes, classes, etc. all have stories to tell and unique perspectives that we don’t often get to see. The creative world is so focused on trends and is so cliquey, everyone’s work must be “in” right now or they discard it to the side, and it’s always the same 10 people or so that you hear about. However, I can’t say I blame them for being a little cliquey, it’s easier to work with people that you feel safer with and have worked with before, and I get that! But after a while the creative industry starts to feel like if you aren’t already “in” or close with someone who is, then you never get “in” and after a while the same people over and over again feels so boring. That’s why I love Instagram, as much as social media has its faults, it allows people from all walks of life to express themselves and whatever they want to share with the world. I have seen so many incredibly talented creatives, who may not be “in” the industry, share their work via Instagram and that’s amazing! Someone like me, whose work might have never even left their bedroom, can share their work with the world and there’s literally no better feeling (at least for me lol) as an artist to be able to do that.
Image: Instagram by @malik.jpg
H: I can’t continue this interview without asking you about the “Isle of Spice,” sneakers you created for Nike! What was it like being selected to be a Nike By You x Cultivator Creator, and what was the process like?
A: Yes! That’s an amazing story!! I happened to be browsing Instagram one afternoon and I got an advertisement for Cultivator’s program with Nike and I wasn’t even sure if it was legit or not! I checked it out and it seemed true and it wasn’t one of those submit art and “pay to apply” things, so I figured it was worth a shot and filled out the application, which was pretty much just: “name, info, where are you from, tell us about your work, etc.” After submitting that application, I knew I would have loved to be selected but I tried not to stress over it much and focused on other things. About a month later, I got an acceptance email and was it utter disbelief!!! I’m not the person that wins or get selected for things a lot, so just reading the acceptance email was such a big accomplishment for me. The next two months or so before the launch was just non-stop work, but I loved it. The entire creative process before the actual product was out was definitely a lot of work, from designing the sneaker to making promotional artwork to planning photo-shoots, etc. but I had so much fun with everything and working with so many incredible creatives. The whole thing was a massive endorphin rush and really confirmed to me that working on creative projects is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
H: What inspired the vibrant colours and the name of your sneakers? (we want more shoe designs from you in the future, please and thank you!)
A: Well the “Isle of Spice” is technically a nickname for my mother’s home country, the island of Grenada, because it is known for exporting a lot of spices, such as nutmeg. My mother is such a big influence on my life and in my art, so much of my own identity is rooted in hers’ as an Indo-Caribbean immigrant living in America. My art and overall aesthetic is very vibrant, bright colors that take up space and draw attention. My outward personality is so different from that, so my art is the only place where I feel like I can safely shout: “Look at me! I exist! I’m a Black and Brown woman! I exist and I matter!”, if that makes sense. So much of that power comes from my relationship with my mother, we may not always see eye-to-eye on every subject but I have had the privilege of always feeling safe to be myself thanks to her, and I will forever be grateful for that, so I named my sneakers after Grenada, to reflect that. My mother is an Indo-Grenadian woman and she exists! And although it may seem rather minor, the world is better off because of that. I loved getting to express that through such a cool medium like a sneaker and there are definitely more stories that I would love to tell through a medium like that again if I ever get a chance like that again!
H: Where do you see yourself and your art in 10 years?
A: Honestly? I really don’t know because if you asked me just last year if I thought that my art would be where it is now, I would say “no way”. There are tons of stuff that I would love to do though, I know that for sure! There are so many creative mediums that I would love to try, more writing and more illustrations. I would love to do an album cover or write/direct a film, for instance. Overall, I would really love to work with other creatives, especially creatives of color. There are just so many stories that I would love to share of my own, and so many people whose stories I believe should be shared, and I would love to be a part of that, in whatever way I can.
H: The last question, gotta make it a fun one: What would your first steps be in a zombie apocalypse?
A: To be fair, the three options in any zombie apocalypse scenario is fight, flight, or give in and become a zombie! I love the idea of a ragtag group that becomes like a family and fights to stay alive and is always on the run in order to survive, but let’s be honest, eventually the only two options in life would be to die as a human or become a member of a large undead zombie hoard roaming the earth, and one of those sounds a little more fun than the other, I’ll leave it up to you to decide which one (lol).
Interview by: Halima Jibril
@h.alimaa
(she/her)
You can follow Amara on Instagram: @amara__davi
(they/them/she/her)