No limit

Previous System Test Engineer in the Aviation industry, Abstract Fluid Artist in Fine and Functional Art, Self-entrepreneur, and Founder of ArtsyByM - Marlis Dsouza.

"There is no limit! No limit to what you can do! No limit to what you are capable of doing! No Limit to what you are going to do!" - Marlis Dsouza.

From inspiration to realization!

Inspiring interview with Marlis Dsouza!

I think of a creative economy as an independent movement of each individual that contributes to the economy and to the community by inspiring others with their work.

By talking about creativity let me introduce to you Creative Abstract Fluid Artist in Fine and Functional Art, Founder of ArtsyByM - Marlis Dsouza. She has an interesting background, and her work and collections are astonishing. Marlis' art is a way of expressing herself and her journey through authentic pieces of art, which are made with sincere love and joy.

Let's learn more about Marlis and her career as an Artist from her itself.

Marlis, before we start to talk about your work and art as your full-time business, tell us a little bit about yourself. You have an interesting background.

You lived in Florida, worked as the System Test Engineer in the Aviation industry, and how did you end up starting your own business in Fine and Functional Art in Dubai? Because for most people, it might seem like 2 unrelated industries.

I always had art as a part of my life. I moved to Florida when I was 16 years old to become a pilot. I lived there for about 10 years. I started doing flight training, and I thought I wanted to be a commercial aviation pilot. I made it halfway through my private pilot's license and then I backed out because of how expensive it was. I got a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautics and a Master's degree in Systems Engineering. After all of that, I got a job as a System Test Engineer for WiFi and Connectivity on airplanes. I did that for 3 years. While I was doing that I used to do henna tattoos when I was in school, organize fundraising events, and sometimes create art in my dorm when I was in college.

As you already mentioned you always used to do art on the side. I guess it was kind of your hobby, and now your hobby is your full-time job. Tell us about this transition, how you came to this decision, or what made you choose it.

While I was on my journey I always was doing art in different shapes and forms. While I was doing engineering, pursuing art full-time was somewhere in the future. Eventually, I decided to drop everything and start my art journey. I think the creative aspect of things has endless opportunities and possibilities. That is what inspired me and I decided to jump in and just start to create. My decision feels like the right decision because I didn't think that as a pilot I would enjoy doing the same thing every day and it would become monotonous. What felt important for me is embracing my creative part and that was actually what made me feel like I am flying. And here I am in Dubai having started my business.

Share with us where the name of your art collection "Mystical Beachscapes" came from? I saw your works and most of your collections are made similar to ocean waves and they have some meaning. Through your work, you express a part of yourself, your journey, and your life experiences. How have you been able to express all that in your art? I know it might be a difficult question.

Honestly, my most recent collection is "One for the Pages". This is probably my most personal collection. I wanted to share my story through my art, but I was waiting for the moment when it came naturally.

My first collection started in January with the name "Mystical Beachscapes", each piece has a name. That time I was trying not to jump in immediately and reveal everything, but each piece was connected to my story. The art itself was like a beachscape and a slice of the ocean waves.

After that I decided to keep going and here "Enigmatic Love" showed up. The "Enigmatic Love" collection which launched in February had 9 pieces and each piece was inspired by my own stories and they were the excerpts from my personal journals. With that one, I was expressing different aspects of love through my pieces. All of them were so well received by my audience. They were able to connect to the stories and even to the art, and that is what inspired me to keep continuing on this path.

"This journey of love can be so mysterious and I’m here to share and uncover some of that mystery through this collection. I unlock a piece of my inner thoughts and vulnerability and felt very unsure if I should release this body of work. I’m happy to say that I took that step and now here we are.

Let’s share the love"! - Marlis Dsouza.

Love

Just recently I released another collection of 4 pieces inspired by my personal journals. They were different stages of my journey and I was able to read them and express them through my art so that people can feel related to my stories. For me, it was like getting inspired by my own stories and past and pulling inspiration from my own emotions that I was feeling at that time. It was a way of expressing my creativity through my art and having inspiration from the words which I wrote in my journal.

Dear readers, I want you now to go through the links below and read soul-touching and beautiful descriptions of each piece of the above-mentioned art. You won't understand without reading them.

1. Humans feel

2. Not all too well

3. Still so many unknowns

4. No limit

Would you mind sharing the difference between Fine and Functional art, or what you call Contemporary Art?

Fine Art is any painting or canvas. Fine art for me are paintings that I create with resin, alcohol inks, and other mixed media.

Functional Art are items you can actually use like cheese boards, coasters, home decor items, trays, and so much more.

Let's talk about the technical parts of creating these beautiful frames and designs. What materials do you use and what gives different effects and different looks?

You mentioned you use alcohol ink, resin and etc.

My process is very much mixed media. I use a lot of different things, and most predominantly I use resin. Alcohol inks give a fantastic effect and it is phenomenal. The base of most of the paintings is alcohol inks. I use liquid gold leaf, and I work with different layers and then I let it cure. But resin is the most versatile one. I am experimenting with different things and constantly trying new things. For example, in my recent collection, I added recycled coffee grounds.

My art is also a combination of different skills, like calligraphy. It is so fun being creative with different skills and combining all of them. It is not always Fluid art or Abstract art, it is actually a mix of media, like engraving, wood burning, etc.

How long does it take to do one piece of art?

It takes a few days for the technical parts. But for the collections, it takes longer, considering the conceptualization and figuring out what I am going to actually create. Sometimes it can take a few weeks or even months.

As I know you do workshops as well. Did you start it in Florida and continue doing it here in Dubai, if am I right? Maybe someone that's interested can join some of your workshops.

Yes, I had my first workshop when I was in Florida in my home studio. I was testing it out and invited my friends to the workshop, and that is how everything started. We had an acrylic paint pour workshop and everybody had a nice time. The majority of them were not artists, who were not into painting and creating, but in the end, they ended up creating something that they thought was not possible. So after that, I wanted to organize more workshops and teach. Since I moved to Dubai and started my own full-time business, I host workshops at my home studio and in other places as well. Right now I offer 3 different types of workshops:

The first is an Acrylic Paint Pour workshop. The second one is a Resin Coaster Workshop. You can learn without any prior experience or knowledge and can learn how to do it. Lastly, I host Masterclasses about the basics of Alcohol Ink and Resin and how to create a painting with them. I walk you through from start to finish. I share tips and tricks that I've learned from 5-6 years of experience with fluid art, which you can learn in just a few hours.

Now, the final one. Share with us something useful that others can learn from you and know from now. Maybe some realization, or some lesson from your life journey, or you wish you could have done it differently?

Jump in and just do it! I think a lot of people just choke up and end up overthinking, saying that "I am not ready". Just start doing it and learn it on the way. I am also still learning. Take one small step at a time.

"I am not ready", and "I am not good enough" are the words of imposter syndrome. Just throw yourself into a fire and then figure it out.

Just remember that our true potential is limitless!

This was so inspiring and interesting. I hope that someone who is reading Marlis' story can take something useful and her sharings can serve some aspiration and encouragement in your life journey. Feel free also to learn new hobbies or new skills.

These Episodes are to encourage others, spark their curiosity, inspire and build a thriving community. No matter what you do, we are here to exchange knowledge and experience through the "Stories of others".

Visit Marlis' pages for more information about her work, workshops, and paintings.

Web: www.arstybym.com

For inquiries: ArtsyByM

Instagram: @artsybym

To see some of her paintings, visit this link to go to the Gallery.