Encourage YourCreativity

withART Play

Expat in theMiddle East

Copyright Artist Strong © 2016; All Rights Reserved

Introduction

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I'm fortunate to be a traveling teacher. For 6 years, Itaught in a school that had students of 82nationalities. So when I say this, I speak from a placeof honesty:

People all over the world feel starved for the arts.

I started Artist Strong because I want people to realizethey are not alone. Their somewhat "secret" desire tostart drawing or painting isn't a peculiarity, but acommonality I find among people of all ages andnationalities.

We are in a day and age where we are busier thanever. It's time to stop celebrating our busyness andstart embracing our creative interests. Creativeexpression promotes idea generation, stress relief,and a flow state that enhances feelings of happinessand fulfillment.

I've created ARTPlay specifically for you. You'll geta taste of what it's been like to live in and travel todifferent countries of the Middle East. And you alsoget to color, doodle and draw alongside myexperience.

Be creative! There is no wrong way to use ARTPlay,as long as you use it. :) Now get out those coloredpencils, print it out, and enjoy.

Creative Play Suggestions

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Feeling stuck? Here is a listof different ways you canfill the pages of ART Play:

Color in the lines using markers, pencils,crayons, paint, etc.Draw a different texture or pattern in eachoutlined space.Collage different patterns in each outlinedspace; use fabrics or paper.Add fantasy animals like unicorns or faeriesinto the picture.Create thought bubbles that narrate the storybehind the picture.If the drawing fills half the page, add to thedrawing to fill the entire page.Finger paint.Using only value, try to shade in part of/all ofthe image.Color your image using an analogous colorscheme (Google analogous if you don't knowit!). Use crayons to color parts then paint withwatercolor over it; watch how it creates aresist.Fill in each shape with repeating stripes ofdifferent directions.Use complementary colors to outline theimages over and over again.

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Dubai and Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa was under construction for many yearsbut opened up as the tallest building in the world whileI lived in Dubai. Initially called Burj Dubai the namewas changed to honor Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi forhis help and support of Dubai in time of financial need.

My husband and I decided to take a sea plane to tourthe city. If you go to Dubai spend the money to take asea plane tour: it's amazing to observe this everdeveloping city from above. Most buildings in theskyline were still under construction when we tookour tour.

Everyone was very excited when Tom Cruise came totown to film Mission Impossible. He did his ownstunts, of course, and there is some great onlinefootage of him waving to people working in thebuilding from the outside.

Recently the Crown Prince of Dubai was foundclimbing to the top of Burj Khalifa to take video andphotographs from a viewpoint that is nearly a milehigh in the sky.

It's difficult to understand the scale of the structureuntil you are standing directly under it or take the AtThe Top tour, which takes you to the 124th floor for apanoramic view of the city.

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Burj Khalifa is part of new Dubai. Old Dubai ischaracterized by Dubai Creek; Dubai wasoriginally a pearl diving industry. You still findwooden dhow boats for fishing and shippingdoing work along the port.

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Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab is sometimes described as the world's only7 star hotel. Located in Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab haspublic and private beaches nearby that make for greatsunset views. People spend hundreds of dollars to go tothe top of the hotel for drinks or for afternoon tea. Beprepared for the computer board hallway that makesyou feel like you entered an old school Star Trek film.No joke.

I have wonderful memories of going to the nearbypublic beach during the day to relax, get some vitaminD and to draw. It was really fun to people watchbecause people from all walks of life come to the freebeach.

It is acceptable to wear swimsuits at the beach. Whileit is a Muslim country, United Arab Emirates is prettytolerant, and sometimes embracing, of Westernvalues.

A famous race car driver bought the plot of landjutting out across from the Burj al Arab to develop butI only ever saw construction machines driving abouton the sand there.

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Off to The Races

The Dubai World Cup is one of the largest horse racesin the world. The Meydan Hotel and Race Complex inNad al Sheba was built especially for this yearly event. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum (the ruler of Dubai) is said to love horses andmay own the largest number of race horses in theworld.

I went once to this event only to take photos of peopleand wear my own fascinator. Other peoplebrought cameras, but it was clear to me lots of peoplehad a serious desire to drink. Expat culture in Dubai isa party lifestyle. I definitely had my fair share of fun inthis bright lights big city. This was an event where itwas more than clear to me many expats attend to dressup and get inebriated. It's one of thoseinteresting contrasts of this city. Yes it'spredominantly Muslim, but people drink and partyfrom all faiths (even if it's haraam [sinful]) and whileI've never been to Vegas, I'm told the partying issimilar, sans the gambling and strip clubs. :) If youare looking for debauchery in Dubai, you can find it.

If you like horses and racing, this race has one of thelargest purses in the world. (Noticing a theme aboutthis city yet?) If you are looking for a city with money,you're in the right place!

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Sheesha

Sheesha is hugely popular all over the Middle East.Smoking sheesha is the practice of smoking flavoredtobacco from a water pipe, or hookah. Some cafes andcoffee shops cater to the sheesha crowd and if you goout and about at night, pretty much anywhere I'vebeen in the Middle East, you are bound to come acrosssomeone enjoying sheesha. I've read, but can't verify,that smoking an entire hookah by yourself is theequivalent of smoking 100 cigarettes.

Most of the souks, or market places, I've traveled to(for example, Istanbul and across the UAE and Oman)sell hookah pipes and tobacco. The image above comesfrom one my trips to the souk, a place filled with allkinds of interesting imagery for an artist.

Many people go to the souks to buy spices, rugs,pashminas, or to get tourist trinkets for loved ones.My personal scarf/pashmina collection has grown toan inappropriate size over here but I'll admit it'shandy for covering your shoulders or your hair on yourtrip to visit a mosque. Also, I'm always cold here! Youheard me. When the heat can reach 50 degreesCentigrade/ 120 degrees Fahrenheit you spend all yourtime in A/C. It is actually common to get vitamin Ddeficiency over here.

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Dubai Fountain

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The Dubai Fountain is a series of fountains over a 30acre lake just outside of Burj Khalifa. It was createdby the makers of the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas.Every night there is a "show" where the fountains gooff in a choreographed manner to music. Accordingto the Fountain's website the special lights used tohelp showcase the water spouts are so bright that itmay now be the brightest spot in the Middle Eastfrom space.

If you haven't noticed, Dubai likes the whole biggeris better business. It truly is a playground for peoplewho like toys and fancy things. But there is anotherside to Dubai. For example, a burgeoning arts sceneexists. An expat couple raised funds in theequivalent of a Kickstarter campaign to create thefirst community theatre in Dubai. You have peoplewho love watersports who are out surfing at Sunsetbeach or kitesurfing over by Jebel Ali. You alsohave people who raise funds and support laborerswho help to build this city.

People often complain about Dubai being surfaceand "without culture," but I would argue those peoplearen't looking around hard enough. We are watchinga city define itself, and that's a serious first.

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The Hand of Fatima

I had a group of girlfriends that loved food. (Whodoesn't?!) We'd take turns hosting a supper club,sharing recipes and some laughs. But I think all of usreally enjoyed when we would go out to eat. Theabove image, a version of the Hand of Fatima, was ina lantern in one of the hotels we visited. It had alovely glow, as it was a cut out design with a litcandle behind it.

The Hand of Fatima is a symbol also called thehamsa. It actually predates Islam, Christianity andJudaism and seems to originate from Mesopotamia,or modern day Iraq. In Islam it's referred to as theHand of Fatima; Fatima was one of the daughters ofthe prophet Muhammed. It's a symbol of protectionthat some people keep in their homes and is oftenused in fashion as well in jewelry and textiles. Youcan easily find it all over the Middle East and NorthAfrica.

Photo by Peter Corbett viaFlickr; Creative Commons

Attribution License

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Graffiti in Istanbul

My niece recently completed a study abroad in Italyas part of her US college experience. We aren't surehow much actual studying happened. She did havethe experience of a lifetime traveling to cities allover Europe. We talked about her visiting Dubai butthe timing was bad, I was in the middle of my moveto Oman. So we did the next best thing: inviteourselves to stay with a friend of mine in Istanbul.

Istanbul is a very busy, noisy city. It is part of thecharm of that place to be walking about or haveyour windows open to the cacophony of the calls toprayer from assorted mosques around town. It is amodern city where East really does meet West andis absolutely chock full of history.

One more modern part of the city I really enjoyedwas its graffiti. The drawing above is a replica ofone of the many pieces of graffiti I found on wallsall over town. Another common image is a pandabear with a spray can that you can find hiddenalong back alleys of Istikal street. Graffiti is areflection of its city. It became a game to find allthe panda bears I could in between my trips to theBlue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Cisternsand graffiti? Yes please.

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Traditional Middle East

While I was in Istanbul I was fortunate to go toTopkapi Palace. The drawing above is from one of thethe tiles installed on its architecture.

Tiles, architecture, relics of the past, all help us to seethe"authentic" Middle East some people find missingin Dubai. Oman, despite it's geography adjacent tothe United Arab Emirates, seems to have a little ofeverything.

The last two drawings are images from Oman. Thefirst one is of a goat I found milling about a bunch ofgarbage in Seeb, a town just outside of Muscat. I tooka friend to the corniche because it has just the kind ofstuff we like to take photos of: old fishing boats,weathered homes and for my friend, lots of hanginglaundry. There was a posse of goats hanging outthere that day and several were using peeling paintfrom a cement wall to scratch their backs. I seem tocome across goats in all of my Middle East travels.

The last image is of a run down, empty building Ipassed on the start of a hike through Wadi Tiwi.Wadis are dry river beds. They can be quitedangerous when it rains and floods. For the most partthey are a source of hiking and mountain climbinginterest.

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