My parents have always supported what I do as a hobby but even little hints that I dropped saying that I would like to be an artist were heavily discouraged in a really weird way... but I didnāt realize it until I grew up. Growing up and thinking on me as a twelve year old saying āHey, Iād really like to take some classes on some 3D modelingā...I was like, 'how do I go to these places and get these classes?' But my parents were like āYeah, letās not do that. Letās focus on different things, that we likeā. When people reach that critical moment of āI think I know what Iām ready to be passionate about and just give me some resourcesā you canāt neglect that, right?
So the same kids who grow up to become Einsteins or Pasteurs in math or science, have the potential to be Monets or you know...Pixars - any of the animators at Pixar - in art or in animation. And I think a lot of Muslim parents are neglecting these moments of artistic inspiration from their kids in order to direct the energy towards, what I would consider to be, mundane and useless academic achievement.
I think my parents have ultimately accepted what Iām doing and theyāve accepted from very early that it makes me happy. I take the money that I make, which might actually be in excess of what I would make at a desk job, but I spend that money on art, business, teaching and learning.
Itās difficult for parents who see the opportunity for a comfortable life - and an artist is apt to go and take those resources and put them into a joyful or creative life - and that doesnāt always make sense to people...and I am not sure if my parents fully understand those motivations yet.
4. What advice would you give for those who are starting out or even just considering pursuing their artistic dreams? What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
I see the world of art, technology and business colliding in a big way. So I think thereāre a lot of people to whom the art of the pen and the art of the brush is really crucial and they actually donāt want to be doing business. Thatās fine and I respect that - thereās a lot of people who are purists in that way.
But for most people, they donāt shun business and they donāt shun technology. And for those people I would definitely say getting a grounding and getting out there; experimenting with selling your art, experimenting with social media, or exposure with galleries, friends, press, etc. - Ā all these things are crucial. Just to get your feet wet in business, think about doing your own taxes and doing legal aspects. Get yourself out there and research with Google, and connect to the people who are going to take you to the next level; online, offline or at networking events or what have you.
But for specific advice, you canāt go wrong, at a young age, picking up a little bit of Computer Science. Learn some Python, HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and see the ways in which you are able to navigate on the web or process visualizations, for example.
The best advice I received was, to be myself. I had a couple of art mentors, but I didnāt have a lot of art mentors - I wish I did. The main thing was being myself, do art, donāt be ashamed of doing art, and merge that with Engineering. And it was great! The more I worked with it, the more I networked within those fields, and the more I did work and business in it, the more I realized it is really resonant with what I want to be.
5. What inspires you - and do you use that inspiration directly to create a piece of art or do you channel towards something you are already working on?
I tend to be inspired by what I see around me. I find just the vastness of the number of people on the planet and the cosmos overwhelming and I just constantly--I canāt spend 5 or 10 minutes before I realize that I am a tiny spec in a huge ocean. I think about it really really constantly. And what that means for me is that I am always surrounded by a huge amount of amazing work - no matter where I go! No matter where I am, whether in Cambridge, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, DC or the other places I may have a chance to visit: just amazing amazing people, projects, art and social ventures everywhere. And as far as Iām concerned, these projects and communities actually seem pretty disconnected. So Iām inspired both by the high quality of the work I see and the feeling of complete immersion. But also, at the very same time, feeling very disconnected from it. That somehow I have to travel to Chicago, despite the internet, I have to travel to Chicago to really know what Chicago is about; know what social ventures are there even though I should be connected to them because they are doing similar work to me. So, I am inspired by that dichotomy - that I am completely surrounded by the world yet at the same time, I am completely separated from it and it will take me a lifetime to feel fully connected.
6. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I am a pretty upfront guy. I think they wouldnāt be super surprised to learn that I am pretty hyper, self-critical. And I can be at times very forgiving, I think of collaborators and employees. And when itās time for review I can be very critical - hopefully in a good way. But when it comes to myself, I am hyper-critical and I donāt talk out loud about it, but itās constantly this little, kind of nagging voice of what I need to improve and where Iām falling short or who I am letting down. I mean, I will sit there in a middle of a project or a grant and Iāll just start daydreaming of some way I might have let down my parents when I was young, or in a collaboration that went unfinished during high school, Iām like 'how come I didnāt do 5 or 10 minutes extra of email writing to get that project out the door?" I donāt have a great amount of guilt, but I do kind of lament my shortcomings.
7. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever imagine being an artist?
So I think if youād asked my friends growing up, I think most would have said, as a kid, was that I wanted to be a doctor. Basically I got great social feedback from bragging about something I hadnāt even achieved. I just had this idea that I could say like, āWhat do you wanna be when you grow up? You are a determined, young, bright, energetic little kid, what do you want to be?ā and when I said āDoctorā, people would just get so excited by that response and of course youāre going to keep saying that. As a young kid, who didnāt even know what it meant to be a doctor and the long hours, huge amount of schooling and residency, it was so easy to say and not think about. I really fault the education system for leaving a kid to form their own opinions about vocation completely independent of information at such a young age. I think by the age of 10 or 12, you should have really good grasp on what trades, what passions and what opportunities the people around you are undertaking.
8. Do you admire any artists? (Famous or not!)
I am not sure if Banksy is real or if he is real, I am not sure if Banksy is an artist or a social justice activist?! But I look at someone like that and I think, āWow, if he is a social justice activist, or just a businessman, that sure is one intense marketer of ideas.ā And the ideas are so simple and resonant. Another one is...letās go for a moment to Wes Anderson, not as an artist but as a storyteller. I really love the levity and the depth, at the same time itās all of the gravity of everything from puppy love to suicide and everything in between. I admire how he can still capture all of that in stories and in film the way he does. I still enjoy every one of his movies!
9. In the spirit of being random, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?
I really like ice cream flavors that have Peanut Butter in them and I donāt know why! Ice cream is my favorite food and I find myself lifting and working out extra just so I can eat more ice cream. But definitely, I would say it has to have Peanut Butter.
You can find more of Nadeem's artwork at
flickr.com/nadeemtron ,which includes random photos through time.
In addition, his movie, Silicon Prairie: America's New Internet Economy, which just launched a trailer on www.siliconprairiefilm.com. It will be available for digital download on the site in February.
