Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahmed Mohamed.
Hi Ahmed, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a Sudanese artist who was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, where influences of middle eastern/Islamic culture played a huge role in shaping who I am. The UAE combined the culture of many Arab countries, allowing for this harmonious mixture of art styles that influenced my take on an empty canvas.
I grew up in Liwa, Abu Dhabi, located in the heart of the desert, where I found joy in sketching my surroundings, such as the mosque near my house, the dunes surrounding my town, and the camels that roam free when the farmer unlocks the gates.
In kindergarten, I joined my first art competition, the experience was exciting as I could show people what I’m capable of and the sense of ranking added a spice of competition I never knew I needed. After landing 3rd place in the said competition, I began to feel more excited about where this could take me in the future.
A few years later, My family and I moved to Dubai, which was completely different. Living in the city meant more noise, clutter, and people, but it also meant more experiences and inspiration. There was a variety of people from different countries; the buildings had unique shapes and the streets were curated with palm trees.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Pursuing art in the middle east had many challenges, which centered mainly around finding like-minded people who can help keep the dream alive. I had a few art lessons in high school before the program was terminated in the boy’s section and was transferred to the girl’s section. Everything related to boys was focused around business and sciences. This made it difficult to realize art as a career and made me look into more “realistic” options. Nonetheless, I didn’t let it hold me further back and searched for digital art colleges across the world.
The first college to accept me was Vancouver Film School, which was one of the best digital art colleges in the world. I was super excited. It made me feel as though all my doubts about my career choices were wrong, which prompted a great sigh of relief. Unfortunately, as a Sudanese person, getting accepted into countries is hard. Therefore, my visa applications were declined twice, meaning I couldn’t attend the school and had to back out of the onboarding process.
Trying to keep my head up high, I enrolled in a Visual Communication course at American University in Dubai (AUD). As much as the course was educational, it didn’t fit my needs to make it as a digital artist; therefore, I dropped out a year later.
A couple of months later, I anxiously applied to Gnomon School of Visual Effects, one of the top leading schools for digital art. After receiving my acceptance letter, it was time to apply for the visa. I went in with little hope and prepared for the worst. To my surprise, my visa application got accepted. This shocked me and made me break into tears knowing the chance I’ve been given. I wouldn’t have expected to plan for a flight to Hollywood to study what I love and pursue my dreams. It almost felt unreal.
As of now, I’ve spent the last three years in Los Angeles studying what I love whilst exploring this beautiful city. Adapting to the Western culture took a little bit to get used to but getting to meet amazing people here in LA made the learning curve a lot easier.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently work as an associate VFX artist here in California. Before moving to LA, I used to create art on Instagram, which focused mainly on surrealism. I used to try telling stories through vague imagery to depict my perspective of the world around me. It was fun experimenting with ideas before fully dedicating my career to digital art. I believe that the one thing I would be known for is my attention to detail. I strive to replicate subtle realism in whatever I make nowadays. I aim to evoke profound emotions in the viewer, leaving a long-lasting impression.
I’m proud of the progress I made, the lessons I learned, and the people I met throughout my education. I found that comparing myself and work to my past self became a consistent motivator in life; it helped me realize the changes I went through.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The Covid-19 virus made it harder to socialize since most of my day-to-day studies were done through Zoom calls. Fortunately, I had managed to make friends prior to the lockdowns who enjoyed similar video games. This helped us grow a strong bond, which later transitioned to in-person friendships after the lockdowns were lifted. I always wondered if I traveled at a bad time during Covid lockdowns, but had I never taken the risk to apply to Gnomon, I would never have gotten to where I am today. I am very grateful to the opportunities I’ve been given and hope to leave a dent in the entertainment industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivahd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iv_ahd/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-mohamed-17284a19b/
