Centering Faith - A Conversation on Spiritual Motives with Multimedia Artist Sahar Rana
Words by Safia Sheikh
Sahar Rana’s powerful and expressive visuals invite viewers into the world of this talented visual-maker. Bold and conceptual, her images are imbued with rich and saturated hues that evoke visceral emotions. The multihyphenate continues to master new creative talents, expertly experimenting with a variety of mediums while playing the role of Photographer, Director, and well-rounded Multimedia Artist.
Her approach to the creative world is one of responsibility and leading her endeavours with a higher purpose in mind: how can these talents be used in service of Allah? The simplicity of this ethos is juxtaposed against the visual complexity of her images. A storyteller at heart, Sahar’s work masterfully transforms her subjects into another dimension; the camera lens serves as a portal into this new and colourful world where–for a moment–the viewer is immersed in the narrative unfolding before their eyes.
Does the burden of the story ever swallow you whole? How does one negotiate their creative output to avoid sacrificing a sense of self and remaining true to one’s values? These are the points of introspection that drive Rana’s behind-the-scenes moments. We had the opportunity to glimpse behind the curtain to learn about the spiritual journey and motivations behind this powerhouse’s bold visuals and her evolving relationship with the art world.
Those who are familiar with your work will know that your style is really consistent through the use of maximalism and vibrant colours. What draws you to incorporate these specific elements into your work?
Sahar: For me it’s very personal; going back to the type of person that I am and what I’m trying to accomplish. I was always very shy, and I felt like photography as a medium–it wasn’t something you could really ignore. If it’s something that’s really in your face with a lot of colours and patterns, it’s like: “okay I’m speaking, can you hear me now?”. That’s what my main intention is with maximalism and all these vibrant colours: you can’t really turn away from it and I want to stand out. When I have a message to say, [to ensure] that you hear it.
Or the people that I photograph–the subjects–it’s [about] making them look like a character in their own world. Making them look more powerful instead of (for example) when you see documentary photos, sometimes it becomes very depressing. I just wanted to do something different that would be unique enough that people would be like “okay, this is something different, I want to see it”.
I think it serves well to subvert some images you might be used to, and see things in a different light, so that’s really beautiful. What does that image-making process look like?
Sahar: I always tell people that a lot of my ideas—I feel like it’s not myself that’s doing the whole thing. It sounds really weird: I feel like the idea is given to me. Usually I have dreams or a random, sudden idea comes to me, and I have to sketch it down right away.
I also have an idea book on Google Docs which is 50 pages long of all the ideas I’ve ever had in my life [laughs]. I categorize it and then when I have time, or when a certain idea keeps coming to me, or I focus on which one is more important to me, then I take that and execute it into an actual production.
Production-wise: looking for the location. [I consider] if I want it to be a long-term series or something like a short-term project, how many people are gonna be on a team, where I’m gonna publish this, how it’s gonna look like in the end, what I actually [want to] do with the photos or media I create–that’s the general process that I go through.
You mentioned something really beautiful about how this feels like it comes to you in a way, and I think that kind of spiritual element is a really great segue into the next topic. How does your faith influence your work or your creative output?
Sahar: They always tell you: “You should know your why”, because if you don’t know why you’re doing something, then it’s not really gonna go anywhere.
In my mind, if I’m given a certain skill or I have something in my life that could be of use to another, I feel like I need to share that. For example, if I have knowledge: trying to turn that into a story that I can share with others; turning that into a tangible form and teaching others in that way. I’m very passionate about helping others or trying to transform the narrative. Even if I don’t try to, my voice and my images end up being so political at times and you can’t really run away from it. I am a Muslim woman: I will never ever be able to turn away from that. It will always be associated with my work.
When you’re given something, not being selfish with it and sharing that with others; meaning that I have a responsibility. For example, I have a diploma in Islamic studies, memorizing the English translation of the Quran and Alhamdulillah, but I feel like I know so much now that it would be selfish to keep it to myself, and I have a responsibility with the skills that I have.
Or for example, something that I think about a lot is how other people in the world are enduring things that feel so otherworldly because of the environment that I’m in. It’s sort of a test of like, “okay I’ve given all this to you”– like I have a home–”you have all this free time, you’re healthy: what are you gonna do with that?”. In my mind, it’s always [about] going back to my purpose: how can I please the One that’s created me and serve that purpose, instead of just myself.
I think both in Islam we recognize this and people who are not Muslim can also relate to this: we will always come up against some types of trials, tribulations, and challenges. You are a visible Muslim: I’m curious to hear: have you faced any type of challenges in your journey to where you are today, and how have you overcome them?
Sahar: For me, it wasn’t a lot of external hatred or microaggressions. It was always there, but I’m not usually one to take it to heart. I’m mostly worried about my faith and what path I’m on, meaning not going downhill or being in the wrong environment.
Being in this industry (in the arts); there’s not a lot of us. Because there’s so few of us, it’s very hard to stay true to who you are, and being confident in things like “this is what I believe in”, and not being influenced by what everyone says is “normal” or says you should be doing. Even if you’re the odd one out. For example, if you’re shooting on set, no one’s gonna be like “Go ahead, pray, while we’re in the middle of this big production, take that 5-10 minutes”- and then having to say it [repeatedly], because it’s 5 times a day…it’s not really something that people can relate to.
For me, it’s [about] being confident in what I do and why I do it, and being strong enough to tell people that I gotta go pray…”in this little corner…please don’t tap my shoulder because I can’t speak to you”. It might be a little embarrassing for people that don’t get it but I just want to make sure that I don’t end up being influenced to the point that it’s toxic to my personal faith and relationship with Allah.
It sounds like there’s some type of boundary-making that needs to happen; to some extent you need to assert yourself and be confident in who you are. How do you carve a space for yourself as a visibly Muslim woman?
Sahar: I was in a Zoom call presentation the other day of Muslim women voices in the arts, and someone mentioned that we need to make space for ourselves so we can showcase Muslim work to Muslims, compared to showcasing Muslim work to everyone else. It was very profound when she said it and it struck a chord with me. That really got me thinking: as an artist, you obviously take everything personally, and you want the most amount of people to actually see your work. What’s the value of work if it’s only kept to yourself?
I’m honestly still trying to figure out how I would create these spaces for myself but I know for sure that I’m trying my best to outreach into communities that are already doing the work: not reinventing the wheel, but looking at places that are already there and trying to support them. For example, volunteering at Mosquers Film Festival based in Edmonton: they are also on the same page about amplifying Muslim voices and storytelling, and the whole board is people that are on the same path and understand each other. Me being a part of that community helps me go back to the question that you asked: it’s just not having to create or start something all over. We don’t have big platforms at the level of Disney, Netflix, or big art museums and that stuff. We’ll eventually get there, inshAllah. But right now it’s just supporting the people that are doing that work right now.
If you were to look at the person you were when you started your journey into photography and visual-making, and look at the person that you are right now, what would you say are the biggest differences or major learnings that have come out of that growth journey?
Sahar: When I first started, I was very young. I think, compared to before, my faith is a lot stronger. Before, it was like: “Art is my entire world. Art is my purpose, my identity, that’s my everything.”, but now it’s sort of taken a backseat. Now it’s my faith, family, [and] health.
There’s so much more to your life than your career, and I’m not about to sell my soul to the art industry–that was pretty toxic before, honestly. I would do anything it took to get the magazines, the billboards; the network.. But now, it’s okay if I’m not at the top of the mountain when it comes to my art; it’s okay if I’m not going as fast as I want to.
Obviously, when you’re growing up, they tell you to focus on your career: everything is about that. Everything that you learn leads to how you’re able to make money and that ends up identifying you. For me, the fact that art was my career and that was the label that I had for myself; that’s what everyone knows me as, it sort of ended up making me proud to call myself that and be like “yeah, I’m an Artist, I don’t do anything else. I’m a Starving Artist, I sell my soul to this thing” but that is not a fun way to live.
Above all, when I go into my next project, I’m not thinking about how cool it will look. Now [I think], is this something that Allah will be happy with? Is this something that will support me in my other personal endeavours? Is this something that I have work-life balance in, so that I can actually spend time with my family? Something where I can go home, have enough rest, and not be working on set for hours on end? It’s not dunya-centric anymore. A lot of the changes have to do with my personal faith. I don’t know if this is something a lot of people realize as they get older in general and just maturing.
Do you have any upcoming projects or anything that you’re working on that you can share with us?
Sahar: Right now I’m working on my YouTube channel. I have a list of 256 ideas and that is the long-term project of my life. Like I said, I’ve been so tired of just one beauty/fashion/portrait photoshoot after the other. It sort of drained me so much because this is not leading me towards my purpose or anything. With YouTube, I can actually make meaningful things that people can sit down and listen [to]. It doesn’t have to be some maximalist photoshoot for people to actually listen and hear. I can still do things in a different way, pray for barakah in it, and go from there.
I’m so excited for this journey and sharing everything that I know, everything that I’ve learned, or conversations that I’ve had–like this one–and actually getting my voice out there.
I have some fine arts projects that I wanna do; a lot more things that are meaningful to me and my personal story. I’m excited to put that work out there. I feel like I’ve finally settled a bit after grief, healing myself in so many ways, and balancing everything else in my life, that I’m finally ready to jump back into focusing on very creative, out-there projects.
So excited to see the journey and new projects come out. Do you have any advice to anyone aspiring to go on a similar journey as you have?
Sahar: Cut out the noise. Even if it is positive noise of “oh you should do this”, “you should try that”, or “you can do this”, and “here are dreams that I think you should have”. You really need to isolate yourself for a bit, especially from the socials, because everyone is just doing their own thing, and you [might] think that whatever they’re doing is right to make themselves successful.
Know yourself, know what you want; sit down with yourself. Spend time with yourself, love yourself. So cheesy, but so true. If you don’t do that, you’re just gonna be influenced by what everyone else wants to do, and it will drain you to the point that you just wanna quit. [It’s] the reason I’ve been able to do photography for so long and still love it. Even though I really hated it sometimes–but it wasn’t photography that I hated itself; it was what I did with it or the stories I told with it. Know what you want.
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