Today we’d like to introduce you to Farnaz Harouni.
Hi Farnaz, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started making art as a mechanism to process trauma and it became my life’s obsession. Art gives meaning to an otherwise random and chaotic world. My fascination started with Fashion Design, expanded to Interior Design, mixed media, and is now focused on Sculpting. I also had the privilege of teaching the next generation of designers at my Alma mater, Otis College of Art and Design, for 17 years. My work is primarily centered around women’s empowerment. In my first series of sculptures, I worked in bronze and tackled some serious and deeply philosophical topics that I feel very passionate about. My new collection of painted lips wall sculptures, is a more pop and seductive way to convey my message. The lips are about the power of self expression and embracing your unique identity. It reflects the beauty of the collective and celebrates the diversity of the individual. Art reflects life just as life reflects art. I like to add the kind of art to the world to make it more of what I’d like to see reflected back. A more beautiful world is one where we’re all free to express ourselves and embraced for our differences, without feeling like we need to conform to belong.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I fled my native home of Iran with my family when I was 7. We left everything behind and risked our lives to get out so that we could start a new life in America, free from the oppressive regime in Iran that controls every aspect of life. I do not take this freedom lightly. The emotional scars of childhood in a war zone, losing my parents in the desert in the dead of night as we crossed the boarder out of Iran, all the cruelty and bullying I endured for the first 3 years of immigrant life, and the decades of living survival mode, all shaped me into the person I am. I take nothing for granted. I work hard and I find joy in everything (including hard work) because I know that all of this is a privilege I would never have if I was still stuck in Iran. As world events have unfolded in recent times, I find myself grateful to be out of the danger zone while experiencing survivor’s guilt and PTSD at the same time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I feel like I’m on a mission to spread light, love, and positivity. When people ask me what I do, I often hesitate to respond because the full truth is too many things to make sense to most people. But I don’t see it that way. It’s all a part of beautifying the world in any way possible. Weather I make a custom gown for someone, desian their dream home, or create a work of art it’s all a tool to make someone feel joy. I’m so proud of the fact that I’ve never had to advertise and I have more work than I can handle at all times. When vou live with passion, the feeling is contagious, people resonate with it, and it uplifts them. If at the end of my life, I know I’ve done all I could to improve the lives of those around me in all the ways I can, I will rest happy.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Some might think that choosing a career in the arts is too out of the box and decide to play it safe for the sake of conformity. I’d like to say, if your heart beckons you to take this path of creative expression, follow it. Not because you will be guaranteed a comfortable life, but because the price of stifling the creative impulse is your soul. For me, no amount of money from a conventional / corporate career path would compare to the gratification that comes from the path I chose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Farnaz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnazharouni/profilecard/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farnaz.harouni.1
Image Credits
Shay Salehrabi
