nfa imprimatur(a)

writing, art stuffs, photos, weird things Imprimatur: “let it be printed” Imprimatura: “first paint layer”

[nadiaalamah]

tell you a bit ‘bout the beach back home

In and down the coast away from Beirut, the beaches have places for dancing. At least the women’s beaches do, we rarely if ever went to the mixed beaches, our moms were always worried about us, but also they wanted to be able to go to the beach too like normal. So these beaches had a fee to get in, the ones where everything was kept up. had pools and a closed off cut of coast for privacy. And…

View On WordPress

[nadiaalamah]

hey! i want to try something new! what do you think?

sooo this is my experimental notebook! in which i am supposed to be silly and have fun with things!

but what if it were more interactive?

i could try writing two-three story starts or character/setting sketches a week. if you like where it’s going, let me know! i’ll pick it up the following week and see where it goes.

that way it’s kind of a choose your own story thing! so what do you…

View On WordPress

[nadiaalamah]

STORY TIME//🎨🎙 So much has happened over the last few weeks and I'll get there eventually but I couldn't wait to talk about being in #antwerp.The last few days, I stayed at @antwerpcityhostel and basically fell in love because 1) it felt like being at home and 2) they were open to having me paint a mural on their wall!! • My home of homes is #flint #michigan because contrary to popular belief, there's a diehard community of creatives and people who want to make this place habitable for their children and future, and the people I've met in Flint have inspired me to heaven and hell and back. The people I met in this hostel had the same vibe as my art fam back home and were super chill and fun to hang with. • The first night, I painted with my hands. The next, with brushes. The design is inspired by some motifs in the windows of Antwerp Centraal Station, but abstractified to reflect my impression of the city's vibrant atmosphere. True to resourcefulness, we worked with what was in a spare closet. • At the hostel I met another Nadia, and we shared a funny did-you-double-book situation because our names looked a tad bit similar in spelling. Nadia is AMAZING. She is energetic, frank and hilarious, and she stayed up with me both nights while I painted even though she didn't have to and made sure I stuck to time. I'm incredibly thankful to have experienced that kind of friendship from her over a few days! • Wherever you go, the people make the place and this is why I had fun. Every city where I connect with people is brightened by that aspect. • As I go to other places on my route like #prague, #munich, #krakow, #budapest and more, I'd like to do some more painting. For community centers, hostels, restaurants opened up by refugees... I just want to do more. So if you'll have me, I'll be there! #centraal #belgium #mural #travelingartist #backpacking #paint #workexchange #artistforhire #solotravel #connect #art #spacetime #friends

[nadiaalamah]

These are seversl moments that deserve their space, but maybe connected there is more meaning: •The final night in London, a friend invited me to practice whirling dervish turning with a group in London. It was intense and emotional and I can't fully wrap my head around it. There's something in it that feels like trying to understand an elusive corner of home blurred in the picture. And when it does get clear the longer you stare at it you become so enraptured. But when it's over, you can't fully quite remember. Turning a lot when you've never done it before starts out really basic, but I still felt nauseated afterward and found some calm in the courtyard of the house before sharing a meal with some of the turners and learning about their stories. • I saw this sign on the way and I agree 100%. Maybe one may not like the way they draw, but all art is expressive and can impact someone in a beautiful way. Ignore the voices of doubt and follow what calls to you. Thanks @notestostrangers for the reminder. • And earlier that day, it rained, hard, finally, after a long while of seemingly endless heat and exhaustion. At first my umbrella shielded me but then I thought, why hide from this when it's the exact gateway to a release from the heat endured? • Early am Alizee sent me off as I grabbed the train to Holyhead. In one day, I took the train, a ferry to Dublin and a bus to Galway. The waters murky on this beast of a boat, the isle in the distance mysterious and brooding. I caught up on some sleep from the drift in waves, and ended up in Galway in time to see evening parties liven up the old town. I'm slow in sharing how this story unfolds, but it's going up all the same! Thanks for keeping up, or welcome if you're just jumping in. 😊 #backpacking #travel #mystory #ireland #galway #muslim #sufi #learning #solotravel #travelmoments #london

[nadiaalamah]

Last bits of London for now: Some quiet/ respite in St. Dunstan's Green, bits of the London Open 2018 exhibition in Whitechapel Gallery, and the downstairs bar of the Royal Court Theater, where I saw "One for Sorrow" on accident. They had two plays going on and to see this one you had to take a life to an attic with 7 or 8 rows of leather-upholstered, bleacher-like seating directly in front of the stage. The stage design was minimal and incredibly subtle, immaculate as much as the stagecraft was precise and composed of several frozen moments practically out of a Renaissance painting. The story itself is incredibly tense, anxious and relevant dealing with white fragility in internalized racism. Worth a visit. Now next up, Ireland! #london #whitechapel #stdunstansgreen @royalcourttheater #roomforsorrow #play #green #quiet #backpacking #solofemaletravel

[nadiaalamah]

Later on after seeing Crossbones I headed to Borough Market since it was right there! So many smells hit you at the same time: ripened, savory cheeses and cured sausage and fresh fish and food stalls cooking up dishes and fresh fruit in the market. I grabbed a smallish wedge of cheese ( 🇬🇧+🧀=❤), some sausage and the LAST basket of strawberries as they were closing up, which the guy flat out gave me anyway and had a light, snackish lunch. I love browsing markets and seeing the character of each, how they're shaped by the location and the people. In Ireland now and super behind, but that's almost up next! #london #solotravel #backpacking #cheese #strawberries #boroughmarket #southwark #market #yum

[nadiaalamah]

Crossbones, a garden and graveyard for "the outcast dead": largely prostitutes, also the impoverished, the incriminated and children. Unmarked graves, burials denied rites from the church, from the 1500s to the 1800s. They say 15,000 people are here. Some people might be able to trace their geneaology back to a gravestone on a grassy hill in a cemetery. All the people treated like they were meant to be forgotten about or not considered worth remembering. It's an emotional visit, trying to imagine the lives of people struggling and suffering, then essentially discarded by the city. They deserve to be remembered because they weren't given the basic decency every person deserves. The site has, in its history, attempts to redevelop it, but in the past the idea had received numerous complaints from family of loved ones. Ran into these guys (last picture) who told me that most recently, there are now plans to tear this down and build flats on top while leaving some area for memorial. I looked it up and an article mentioned that flats will be built near the site, not on it. I hope London doesn't lose this because even if it doesn't generate a lot of money for the city like flats would, it's still an important part of #history. As a non-resident that's easy to say though, because it's also arguable that more living spaces are needed around the city. Thanks @rachel_mahreee for recommending I go here last time I was in London. Only now did I visit, and with the weather it was a good day to go out and appreciate it. #london #southwark #crossbones #sexwork #respectwomxn #neverforget #inmemoriam #respectthedead #andtheliving #becausethelivingstillfeel #forthedead #solotravel #backpacking #learning

[nadiaalamah]

On a trek to a few spots in #Southwark this relaxed coffee spot caught my nose with its wonderful espresso smells, and this map my curiosity. At @thegentlemenbaristas they let me pin my origins! I had to put on stickers for three places: #Beirut for my family history, #Michigan for my life and #SoCal for where I've lived since. #london #solofemaletravel #map #coffeeshop #identity #backpacking #europe

[nadiaalamah]

There were only small pockets of time to walk around Soho when I was studying here in January, so it's nice to be back without worrying about school. @hachealizee showed me her favorite Moroccan food place and it was AMAZING. It's fun enough just walking around here. #oxfordcircus #soho #carnabystreet #chinatown #london #city #solofemaletravel

[nadiaalamah]

The first night out in #brixton, I got pizza with Jo and then we decided to wander. We stumbled into Pop Brixton! An engaging maze constructed of shipping containers, particle board, and lots of lights and plants, this temporary space houses several pop-up food and drink spots, among other community initiatives. So there was a patch of land near the station, barren and open, and then there was this, packed with people enjoying a night out. On a Tuesday. This is only Tuesday! I love what creative minds make when they put heads together and take things into their own hands. If I were around here a bit longer I'd ask about teaching an art workshop. @popbrixton #lovely #popupspaces #popup #popbrixton #london #backpacking #travelwriting #solofemaletravel

[nadiaalamah]

#denmarkhill is my favorite station, and this is some of the lovely green I saw when we arrived. Back in January, one of the first things I did was take a picture of the view out of my room. Six months later, and somehow it's even greener!! Here's also me being comfortable in Jo's amazing home. ❤ #brixton #london #ilovelondon #selfie

[nadiaalamah]

It might be that the reason why I've wanted to see the world from a young age has to do with when my family visited our extended family overseas. Or it could be the travel-themed books we had at home. But one way or another, that love has been there. Since I was in high school, I wanted to backpack Europe and have that be the start of a series of travels around the world, to learn more about it and its cultures firsthand. That was at 16/17. Eight or nine years later, I'm finally setting out for it! Waited long enough but here goes. I'm starting in London, the familiar and working my way from there. My truth is that I'm a traveler at heart, I'm in love with the world and its stories are my calling. #backpacking #solotravel #solofemaletravel #seetheworld #europe #travelwriting #adventure

[nadiaalamah]

From Ally to Prey

You have come to a standstill. There you are, on the edge, surveying everything before you, but you realize that the shapes are arbitrary, wavering, out of focus, and you touch your fingertips to y…

[nadiaalamah]

Progress on the Arachne piece! Slow but steady. #art #painting #greekmythology #oilpainting

[nadiaalamah]

The Open Mic

Nerves and excitement. I haven’t been to this kind of open mic. When you step in, for a minute it feels like you stepped back into the 20s and 30s: a dimly lit bar with a stage, on which a th…

A narrative of my experience at the Green Mill, home of the poetry slam

[nadiaalamah]

Ahhh I miss Chicago so much already :\ Here are some glimpses into the trip from this weekend. Thinking about writing up my travels.

[nadiaalamah]

Finished editing DMedia’s book intro! Check out his site at dmediadesigner.com. For more on my editing services, check out nadiaalamah.com.