By Mouza Al Hamrani
DUBAI – During my time in the Middle Eastern Film and Comic Con, I had the chance to interview one of Zayed University’s very own students who had participated in the event as a part of the artist alley. The interview took place on Friday, April 10, 2015. Here’s what she had to say.
Interview
Mouza AlHamrani: Please introduce yourself.
Aisha Essa: My name is Aisha Essa and I am a freelance illustrator, I am 19 years old and I study at Zayed University.
MH: And what are you exhibiting at your table?
AE: Today I’m exhibiting A4 and A5 prints, and I’m selling bookmarks, key chains, and stickers.
MH: I know that you wrote a novel, or an introduction to it, so can you talk about the novel?
AE: I wrote a novel, actually it’s not yet finished; it’s a prologue. It’s called “Allergy,” and it’s science fiction. It has many aspects to it, in the prologue you see a lot of scenes, and each character is suffering from a different allergy.
MH: And what do you think about the event so far?
AE: The event is quite stressful. I’m already tired, but it’s fun. I do enjoy it actually.
MH: Did you face any difficulties signing up or having a table at the event?
AE: No, actually me and my friends, my group, reserved a table from the very beginning when they said we could reserve tables for comic-con, so I don’t think I had any struggles.
MH: And why did you participate?
AE: I participated because I thought the event would make me more popular, help me to share my art with people, and enjoy the whole experience at the same time.
MH: Do you think such events are important for local artists?
AE: Yes, they are very important because here in the UAE it’s not easy to hold a job as an artist because people here are not so into art. That’s what I’ve found at least, and this event makes it much better for us as artists to share our art and show it to other people.
MH: I see that a lot of Zayed University students are participating so what do you feel about that?
AE: Actually it’s interesting, at the beginning I thought that Zayed University had a great part in this event. So, I thought that it’s better so I can actually join them as a Zayed University student.
MH: And what do you think about the Zayed University booth over there?
AE: The girls are really talented, I went and bought a lot from them, and I think I will go back and buy more stuff.
MH: Any word of encouragement to fellow Zayed University students who are thinking of participating?
AE: Actually I never thought I would be here in this moment, I’m so happy that I am. That’s why there’s no need for you to worry about payment about anything. Just have fun and try to produce art and products with love. And have fun doing art, that’s all.
About the Author
Mouza AlHamrani is a second-year student studying at Zayed University majoring in Multimedia Design. She enjoys all forms of art and often posts her own works online.
This story was originally published on April 14, 2015. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 24, 2020.
