Episodes
Tuesday Mar 04, 2014
Episode 16 - Bridal Panel: Darcy Vasudev
Tuesday Mar 04, 2014
Tuesday Mar 04, 2014
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Perhaps you remember Darcy from the inaugural episode of this podcast, or maybe you have seen her work online...either way, she is hard to forget. A bridal panel just wouldn't be complete without talking to Darcy. In my years of friendship with her, Darcy has shared with me so much of her bridal henna knowledge. Her advice---based on personal experience---was very important to the growth of my own bridal henna business. I hope that you listeners will benefit from her advice as much as I did.
Upon listening back to the three (so far!) bridal panel episodes I am amazed at how many ways there are to run a henna business, not to mention all the different ways to do henna, from making paste to wrapping up a bride. I was able to glean such a variety by choosing artists with different backgrounds, located in different areas of the US (working on some interviews with overseas artists so stay tuned), unique approaches to their art and even different art. As you listen to this series of episodes I think you will see some common themes like the need to change up your marketing regularly, and keep trying different things until you find that sweet spot, and the need for a high level of professionalism both in your business activities as well as your art. What were the biggest takeaways from these interviews that influenced your career in henna?
Darcy can be found at hennaguru.com as well as hennalounge.com; she has a huge presence on all the social media that you have heard of, and even some you haven't!
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Monday Jan 20, 2014
Episode 15 - Sarah Walters
Monday Jan 20, 2014
Monday Jan 20, 2014
Sarah, of sarahenna.com, is not only a fellow henna artist but is also an IT person by day, like myself. Talking with her for the podcast felt very familiar because of our similarly split personalities. I've long admired Sarah's work, especially her bridal work, because it embodies so much of what I am always striving to achieve, especially clean lines and original designs. Wandering around her Flickr galleries is such a pleasure and also an inspiration.
I learned a lot from my conversation with Sarah and our conversation continued on Facebook where she has been really helpful--along with a lot of other pros--at helping me with my cone challenges. It was interesting to hear the practical matters of bridal henna and compare and contrast it with the information gleaned from other bridal artists. I think a lot of us henna artists strive to find the one perfect way to do henna, but these conversations have shown me that not only are there a lot of different approaches to the art form, but also that individual artists often change their methods from bride to bride, or evolve over time. I think that I can give myself a break for finding myself in beginner's mode at times, now that I know that great artists who I admire are also still learning. I hope you enjoy the podcast and discover that you are also growing!
Sunday Dec 29, 2013
Episode 14 - Fatima Oulad Thami
Sunday Dec 29, 2013
Sunday Dec 29, 2013
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My interview with Fatima was so fun. After we hung up I was exhausted and energized and kinda teary. It was such a joy to talk to someone who is so passionate about her art and especially about Moroccan henna. I often feel like I'm the tree in the forest which no one is there to hear when I talk about Moroccan henna. The henna world is all Indian, all the time and there doesn't seem to be space for Moroccan henna in that world which makes me very sad. That's why talking with Fatima, whose passion for Moroccan henna far surpasses mine, was such a treat.
Collecting images of her work for this blog post was another pleasure. You can see from the photos above that she seriously rocks the Moroccan Fessi style in a way that I rarely see outside of Morocco. I get misty-eyed looking at these designs of hers...nostalgic for Morocco but blown away by someone who conveys the best of Moroccan henna through her work. What is also incredible are her non-Moroccan designs which are also executed with a syringe. Having tried to do henna with a syringe I can barely imagine doing Moroccan designs with them let alone the floral and viney work that Fatima creates. I really love the pieces where she fuses the Moroccan with the Indian in a way that few artists can do. In this sense she is a true Moroccan artist, personifying the crossroads nature of Morocco, picking up influences from all over the world and expertly melding them into a creation that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Sunday Dec 22, 2013
Episode 13 - Bridal Panel: Sumeyya Hussain (nee Rahman)
Sunday Dec 22, 2013
Sunday Dec 22, 2013
I have always loved Sumeyya's work and have stalked her and her photos for years, but after "meeting" her on Skype for the podcast I learned that we are both Michiganders and fellow fast-talkers. As always, this episode was all about what I could get out of it for my own personal use, as a bridal henna artist. I gleaned some great marketing tips from Sumeyya as well as new ways to think about the layout of bridal designs. I have a page of notes of things I want to work on and I owe it all to Sumeyya! Even though this podcast is increasingly for my own benefit I hope that you, my faithful listeners, will find something of interest in it for you, like crumbs that fall off the table where the feast is happening.
Talking to Sumeyya was a blast; she's very smart and quick, but also opinionated, funny and grounded. Being around someone who is so dedicated to the business side of things while having a high level of passion for the art of henna is really infectious, and a great reminder about what we are all here for, in this little henna world of ours.
You can see more from Sumeyya at her website: http://www.hennacraze.com/ Prepare to drool!
Wednesday Dec 11, 2013
Episode 12 - Bridgette Bartlett of Maple Mehndi
Wednesday Dec 11, 2013
Wednesday Dec 11, 2013
I'm in a rush to get this out so I'll just post Bridgette's bio here and add to this post later, if time permits.
I am native to Vermont, growing up surrounded by mountains and forrest. I have always been artistic, mostly a photographer before discovering henna in 2011. The soothing flow of henna quickly became the focus of my artistic energy. Instead of trying to capture a moment in time, henna allows me to be present. A quiet creation to celebrate and adorn in any culture or country. I feel blessed to bring this art form to people all over the world.
Thursday Nov 21, 2013
Episode 11 - Neeta Sharma aka Mehndi Designer
Thursday Nov 21, 2013
Thursday Nov 21, 2013
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What a surprising pleasure it was talking to Neeta Sharma for this episode. It really shouldn't be such a surprise because everyone told me how sweet and generous and knowledgeable she is, and she did not disappoint. I don't know if Neeta could hear it but I was smiling on the other end of the line. As always, the interview taught me so much; I continue to think of these interviews as my own private therapy sessions which I decide to share with all of you. You're most welcome!
I've been keeping an eye on Neeta over the years as I worked to hone my bridal henna skills. She seems a bit shy about sharing her work and so I kind of lost touch with her. Then I saw a bunch of her new work as part of a mehndi artist competition and I was blown away all over again by her level of detail, the fineness of her lines and the originality of her layout. I kind of feel like I discovered a new henna artist but it's just Neeta being excellent! If you haven't seen her work in a while you're in for a treat.
Knowing Neeta only through her work and her reputation I didn't know how the conversation would go so I had a lot of questions just in case I needed to fill time. Fortunately she is a fount not only of information about henna, but also very interesting insights into creativity and attitude making my job that much easier. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will have more questions for her which will require another Neeta episode.
Saturday Nov 02, 2013
Sunday Sep 29, 2013
Sunday Sep 22, 2013
Episode 8 - Hiral Shah aka Hiral Henna
Sunday Sep 22, 2013
Sunday Sep 22, 2013
Hiral and I are fellow wolverines from Michigan..though Hiral’s birth country is India. I met her about 6 years ago when I was visiting Michigan. She still saw herself as an inexperienced henna artist. Fast-forward a few years and Hiral had rocketed to new heights in her henna skills. She is a model for engaged effort to master an art form and the results were amazingly apparent. Her path to super-pro included attendance at too many henna conferences to count (I exaggerate only slightly), constant learning and practice, and a trip to India to study with a mehndi master. She even packed up and moved out West where she could find more mentors, as well as a lot more clients. I think we can all learn from Hiral and her concerted effort to get from point A to point B, and beyond. I really admire her courage to go to India to study with a master as well as relocate for her art.
I’ve kept in touch with Hiral over the year through social media but we never really talked about the specifics of what she was up to. I was really thrilled that she agreed to let me interview her so I could learn more about her journey and share it all with you. I hope you enjoy the conversation at least half as much as I did!
Hiral Shah has loved mehndi all her life. She spent the first decade of her life getting henna done every chance possible by her Mom, Bani. At the age of 11, she started taking matters, or mehndi cones rather, in her own hands and doodling over herself. This hobby has stayed with her over the years until she began her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. While she was studying for her B.S. in Psychology, she founded Hiral Henna, and the rest is history.
Hiral had a knack for mehndi so initially, she did not pursue any formal training for this skill. Once she decided to become a professional henna artist though, she began attending henna conferences in the U.S. and Canada since 2009. At these conferences, she learned how to do different styles of Indian, Arabic, Moroccan, Polynesian, festival, contemporary, and tribal henna. In early 2012, she also trained with Harin Dalal, and as a result, she specializes in dulha-dulhan and Radha-Krishna designs. She also taught at Henna Gathering in 2010, at the Spring Fling in 2011 and 2013, and at the Windy City Mehndi Meetup in 2012.
Sunday Sep 08, 2013