Izzy Mo’s Blog

Hijabi Apprentice box

Originally uploaded by Izzy Mo.

Subhan’Allah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar!!!!

Insha’Allah, hijabi apprentice, I hope you will like this.

blue shahada

Originally uploaded by Izzy Mo.

Salaam alaikum,

Does this mean I’m looking forward to the winter or maybe JD’s bright colorful painting made me want to tone it down with some icy hues?

Allahu ‘Alim

Yep, this is the month for cleaning out the attics of our hearts and minds.  I take this as a time to look back and determine how I have grown and how I have fallen short of my duties.  And since this month has started, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands and I’ve been using it to think.  Subhan’Allah, these days have made me a thinking machine. 

The reason for all this time is my job.  I work for a new department store and it’s like we opened and then suddenly, people forgot we exist.  If we have a sale, people turn out but lately things have been slow.  So naturally, that means less hours. For some weeks I go from part time to almost no time.  But what was really bringing me down was the job search.  I hadn’t realized just how obsessive it became there was all this self afflicted pressure to find something better–something more in line with my talents and field of study.  So this dunya matter began to seep into everything else.  But as always, God made a way.  As we inch closer to Christmas, I get more hours and by November, I’ll be wishing for those three or four days off. 

So I’ve been using this time to read more Qur’an (of course) and remind myself not to get caught up in the job game.  The ISNA convention and some art buddies reminded me of my future projects for dawah and arts based initiatives in the community–things I had almost forgotten in this push to find the “perfect job.”  But what I have rediscovered is that joy I used to get from creating artwork for people–especially for my friends and family.  The perfect job for is really the perfect business of making beautiful work for you guys.   I make a reliable employee but self-employment is the goal.  There is so much happiness in creating art for people–especially if it’s something that lifts their spirits or reminds them of the Creator.  While I was painting yesterday (yep, on a another day off), I was having a blast making boxes and trying out some new color themes for a piece of calligraphy.  Subhan’Allah, I was getting ideas from the Qur’an for a series of paintings based on metaphors about Jennah.  Could you imagine a palace made of amethyst and ruby bricks or a garden with colors, sounds and scents so intense that you can’t stop yourself from experiencing them?  Insha’Allah, I can pursue something like this in the future.  There’s also the possibility of fusing English and Arabic calligraphy together so that Islamic art can be introduced to non-Muslims while also providing some subtle dawah. 

But I’m gettin’ off subject. 

For Ramadan, I am forcing myself to not look for work so I can let the dunya take care of itself.  It’s scary how easy to get caught up and not realize that there’s only so much time to pray or give charity or to get in enough good deeds before “the debts fall due.”  So I hope that this month, we are all pushing ourselves to do more of what God requires.  It’s hard but the shayanteen are locked up and we have to get ourselves in shape to prepare for the rest of year–and for the rest of eternity.   

Here’s hoping that your Ramadan is filled with renewal and hope.

DSCF1302

Originally uploaded by Izzy Mo.

Hee-hee. I got all girly and started wrapping the boxes. So it’s kinda like a surprise for a loved one. But the surprise is a decorated box filled with….CANDY. You know it’s sunnah to eat something sweet on the Eid.

Maghrib Moon

Originally uploaded by Izzy Mo.

My feeble attempt to photograph the moon. It was raining and cloudy the first few days of Ramadan. I finally caught the crescent moon on Monday and it setting in the West along with the sun. Well, it was good to see it anyway.

When you get a chance, please check out Eteraz’s plea for the Pakistan’s Women’s Protection Bill. 

Okay, let’s see if it will save this time.  :-) 

WRITERS, PAINTERS, ARTISANS, POETS, MUSICIANS, AND ALL ARTISTIC MUSLIMEEEN!

THERE IS A CONTEST JUST FOR YOU.  AND DON’T WORRY, RESIDENTS OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA ARE URGED TO PARTICIPATE!

CULTURE CONTEST, RAMADAN 1427 

JaaaaaaayDeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Okay, so I finally did it. Here’s the proof. Your babe is resting comfortably in bubble wrap, insha’Allah, on it’s way to Singapore.

“And there is no Might or Power except with God, the Exalted, the Great one.”

A Multi-Media Project by Y. Misdaq

Ruh al ‘Alam of Visual Dhikr fame, and it is tres stylish.  Check it out!