As it so happens, one afternoon I was stuck in what you might call an Instagram doom scrolling paralysis when a post appeared on my feed that instantly gained my attention. Upon clicking on the profile, I was introduced to an Emirati illustrator’s profile with the pen name “The Curious Nomad”, and I was floored with awe at the beautiful illustrations, both digital and real life that I saw.
Art by Sana Al Falasi.
Whilst I’m not an artist, I have a deep appreciation for art, and it brings me pure, unadulterated joy. I’m privileged to hold this interview with Sana Al Falasi (SAF), a freelance illustrator in the UAE.
Najla: Your Instagram handle is called ‘The Curious Nomad’, is there a story behind the name?
SAF: Back in 2008, I think, I opened a shop on Etsy to sell my handmade journals and jewelry. I wanted a name for my shop and wrote several ones and had my siblings pick out their favourite, which was ‘The Curious Nomad’. I came up with that name because it is both whimsical and a little indicative of our nomadic history. It also represents my feeling of never truly belonging anywhere, hence ‘Nomad.’
I closed the Etsy shop a few years later, and many years after that opened an online book shop by the same name.
Najla: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and background?
SAF: I am an introverted person who loves quiet, peaceful environments, and enjoys a slower pace of living. I am a mother who also loves kids’ art. We are currently on our sixth year of homeschooling. We have chosen to take this path in education because it allowed us to be flexible with our time and travel plans.
Najla: I wish you all the best on your homeschooling journey, that sounds lovely.
If you can think back to your early beginnings, when did you know that you wanted to become an illustrator?
SAF: My earliest memory of my love of art is of a big tin box of crayons. My
Sana Al Falasi’s Illustrations.
mother noticed my interest in art and invested in an art teacher to help me build on that. I wrote and illustrated my own stories since I was a child, and I’m sad I do not have any of them. As I grew up, I started collecting picture books, something I do to this day. My favourite souvenir to collect from my travels are picture books by native authors and illustrators.
Najla: I have the same habit when it comes to collecting souvenirs in the form of picture books, they are such a joy. I also love how your mother noticed your talent and helped you.
So, when I talk about your art with people in my circle, I describe it as being very distinct and vibrant. How long have you been drawing and illustrating?
SAF: Thank you, that’s very nice of you to think of my art as such. As I said, I’ve been drawing since I was a child, but didn’t know there was a job as an illustrator until later on. It differs in a sense that it does not have to depict certain things as they are, such as in realistic drawings, but rather it conveys the idea of an object, character or environment, and is a visual message. I wish I had my earlier drawings to share with you!
Najla: What were some pivotal moments in your life or in your career that influenced the development of your artistic talents?
SAF: I’ve met a lot of artists and illustrators and have taken online courses as well as in-person workshops. I have learned a great deal from the online course MakeArtThatSells.com, as well as a summer course in Cambridge School of Art. I think it’s important for artists to stay in touch with other artists. I find that I am more inclined to draw and create, and we tend to feel encouraged by each other’s creative energies.
Najla: What is the medium that you usually use as you do your illustrations? Do you use any special software? Pens? Inks? Colors?
SAF: I often use colouring pencils, gouache or watercolours (though I’m not very skilled at either), and a digital software on the iPad called Procreate. I have recently started using ink and I’m really enjoying how unforgiving it is! You’re bound to make a “mistake” and it somehow adds to an illustration rather than takes away from it. That’s my experience anyway, as I tend to enjoy sketchy illustrations as opposed to very neat and clean lines.
As an artist, what usually inspires your art?
SAF: I am greatly inspired by children and their silliness, nature, animals, imagination, folktales, fairytales and mythical creatures, middle grade books, science fiction, time travelling and the concept of time, and culture and travel. Most recently, I am greatly inspired by what’s happening in Palestine, and have been creating work to convey the injustice happening.
Najla: I have come across your art on Palestine, and I admire what you do. What do you aim to evoke through your art?
SAF: Magic and whimsy! I love to create small worlds and imagine a place not too dissimilar to ours.
And I hope with my illustrations for Palestine that I show the world the cruelty that is happening as we go about our day. I am greatly moved by injustice and find that art is a good way for me to express that.
Najla: Do you have any mentor(s) whom you believe to be highly influential in your development as an author and illustrator?
SAF: I do not have any mentors, but I do love to study different artists and how they use certain techniques. I do an artist study in my sketchbook and try to practice. With that, I build a great visual vocab which I can later translate into my illustrations.
Najla: Amongst your work, what illustrated work was your favorite piece to illustrate and why?
SAF: I recently joined Folktale week on Instagram where we had to draw seven illustrations (one per day) around a specific prompt. I really enjoyed planning and illustrating this series as I used different mediums and came to see a story develop along the way. These challenges on Instagram are great for those who want to create but are stuck for ideas.
Najla: I love the community spirit you’re describing, and the challenge sounds interesting.
Your Instagram page gives us a glimpse of your work and some of your interests. How does social media play a role in your work as an illustrator?
SAF: I think that social media, and especially Instagram, is extremely important for artists and illustrators. Not only do you connect with other artists, but it also allows you to connect with those in publishing who can see your work and what you’re creating. It’s great for networking, as it’s quite difficult to get illustration jobs, in my opinion.
Najla: Do you usually have any set rituals for your work when you illustrate? Can you describe your workspace?
SAF: I do not have a set ritual, but I do enjoy working late afternoon the most. I often like to play a video from one of the artists I subscribe to on Patreon or Youtube, and have it either as background noise or I follow along with whatever they’re painting or drawing. I also love to draw very late at night.
My workspace is a mess and I love it that way! I’m more inclined to draw if I see my art material in front of me.
Najla: What are the last five books that you read and loved?
SAF: ‘The Eyes And The Impossible’ by Dave Eggers.
‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar.
‘The Book Of Boy’ by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
‘Lenny’s Book Of Everything’ by Karen Foxlee.
‘Before The Coffee Gets Cold’ by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
And if there’s a book series I would recommend, it’s ‘Inkheart’ by Cornelia Funke.
Najla: Can you describe an ideal or dream project that you would like to be part of?
SAF: I would absolutely love to write and illustrate my own picture books one day! That would be a dream come true. Nothing would give me more joy than to have children enjoy my work, and especially if they were Palestinian children who have my books on their shelves in their safe and warm homes in Palestine, inshAllah.
Najla: In the end, I would like to ask about any future projects that you are currently working on?
SAF: I am currently working on a personal project derived from a childhood memory which I would like to pitch to a publisher. I hope I find one who would take it on!
Najla: I wish you all the best, and I hope your project comes through, as I know there will be many eager followers who would love to see it come to light. I’m always inspired when I come across your work and art, and it has such a distinct feel to it. I wish you nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you again for sharing your insights with me.
Sana AlFalasi is a freelance illustrator and bookseller from the UAE. Much like many artists, her love for art started at a young age. She grew up in the UAE which kindled her love for travel and learning about indigenous people and folktales worldwide. She has always aspired to be a storyteller and hopes to write and illustrate her own picture books in the near future.
About the Guest Contributor:
Najla Al Owais is a PhD candidate studying Math Education at UAEU. She has previously worked as a middle school mathematics teacher, and a freelance translator and interpreter. She is passionate about teaching mathematics, and is an avid reader, and loves finding the intersection between both mathematics and reading. She has a Bachelor’s of Science from Zayed University in Math Education and Masters of Arts from the American University of Sharjah in English-Arabic-English Translating and Interpreting. Wherever she goes, books find her. She hopes to one day publish her own book.
About the Guest Editor/Curator for March 2024 [#UAEReads]:
Myra Garces-Bacsal has served as a teacher educator for 15 years and has led several research projects on reading and social emotional learning, diverse picturebooks and teacher practices, psychology of high creatives and exceptional people, culturally responsive and inclusive education. She is a quintessential lover and creator of booklists (see her Social and Emotional Learning bookshelf here and other publications below). Myra serves as the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies with the College of Education, UAE University. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who lives and breathes books and enjoys organizing events and festivals where fellow nerds converge and attempt to joyfully change the world.
Publications on booklists:
Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Tupas, R. (2023). A diverse social and emotional learning booklist for gifted learners and advanced readers. Roeper Review,45(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2022.2145397
Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Al Ghufli, H. T., AlOwais, N. M., Baja, E. S., & Tupas, R. (2022). Using diverse picturebooks for inclusive practices and transformative pedagogies. In M. Efstratopoulou (Ed.), Rethinking Inclusion and Transformation in Special Education (pp. 72-92). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4680-5.ch005
Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2021). Of grit and gumption, sass and verve: What gifted students can learn from multicultural picture book biographies. In S. R. Smith’s Handbook of giftedness and talent development in Australasian Pacific (pp. 431-453). Singapore: Springer International Handbooks of Education. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-13-3041-4_18
Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2020). Diverse books for diverse children: Building an early childhood diverse booklist for social and emotional learning. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22(1), 66-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420901856
Najla: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and background?
Sana AlFalasi is a freelance illustrator and bookseller from the UAE. Much like many artists, her love for art started at a young age. She grew up in the UAE which kindled her love for travel and learning about indigenous people and folktales worldwide. She has always aspired to be a storyteller and hopes to write and illustrate her own picture books in the near future.
Najla Al Owais is a PhD candidate studying Math Education at UAEU. She has previously worked as a middle school mathematics teacher, and a freelance translator and interpreter. She is passionate about teaching mathematics, and is an avid reader, and loves finding the intersection between both mathematics and reading. She has a Bachelor’s of Science from Zayed University in Math Education and Masters of Arts from the American University of Sharjah in English-Arabic-English Translating and Interpreting. Wherever she goes, books find her. She hopes to one day publish her own book.
Myra Garces-Bacsal has served as a teacher educator for 15 years and has led several research projects on reading and social emotional learning, diverse picturebooks and teacher practices, psychology of high creatives and exceptional people, culturally responsive and inclusive education. She is a quintessential lover and creator of booklists (see her Social and Emotional Learning bookshelf here and other publications below). Myra serves as the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies with the College of Education, UAE University. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who lives and breathes books and enjoys organizing events and festivals where fellow nerds converge and attempt to joyfully change the world.
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 
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