For one month I facilitated art classes and creative engagement sessions for kids aged three to twelve. The goal was simple: make art feel like something that belongs to everyone. Not a subject. Not a skill reserved for the talented or the privileged. Just a way of seeing and expressing.
Watching kids that age engage with materials without self-consciousness or judgment reminded me why accessibility in art matters. They don't ask if they're doing it right. They just do it. That's the energy I want to bring into every creative space I work in.
Facilitated daily art sessions for ages 3 to 12
Designed activities around creative expression over technical skill
Built an environment where art felt approachable and fun
Hackathons
Hackathons are one of the best tests of how you think under pressure. You're dropped into a problem with a team of people you may have just met and you have a limited amount of time to come up with something worth presenting. It sharpened how I brainstorm ideas and how I listen to people who think differently than I do.
I've competed in two. One focused on Arabic language AI which felt like familiar territory. The other was in healthcare which was entirely foreign to me. No background. No prior knowledge. No obvious reason to have a strong opinion. But I asked the right questions and stayed curious and my team won first place. That experience taught me that a fresh perspective and genuine curiosity can be more valuable than expertise. Something I carry into every new field I step into including the arts.
Competed in two hackathons across healthcare and Arabic language AI
Won first place in the healthcare track with no prior background in the field
Sharpened skills in rapid ideation teamwork and cross-disciplinary thinking
photos on their way
IKEA x Biennale: Blueprints for Living
A three-day course exploring furniture design through the lens of IKEA's design philosophy. It opened my eye to how function and simplicity can coexist and how good design is really just thoughtful problem solving.
Completed a three-day masterclass in furniture and chair design
Explored IKEA's design philosophy and the principles behind accessible everyday design
