Ziba Aliyeva

It is a very humbling experience to be writing about myself in the following few paragraphs, it always begs the question where to begin. I was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan also known as “Land of Fire” as a tribute to our cultural heritage and well-acclaimed hospitality. I was always an eager student interested in drawing and painting during my school years. But it was only after one

of my teachers who noticed me on how I was able to accommodate colors with emotions on the paper that I started to believe in my potential. Since then I knew I wanted to be inspired by art, design and painting in my life. Fueled by this desire, I set once and for all that I will continue to learn endless new styles and techniques. In that, lessons that I was fortunate to take up from my instructor were fundamental and foundational in becoming more confident, self-conscious, and learning new skills to begin creating. I continued my education during undergraduate years by taking more classes. University opened yet another paradigm for me in my abilities. Following the university, I decided to land on a new journey and created my own family which became my full-time obsession. Years later, I was reminded by another inspirational instructor Raida Mustafaeva that decision to become painter and a mother does not necessarily need to be mutually exclusive, and once again I was able to see my way through art and design. It felt overwhelmingly refreshing to be able to create again, and liberating at the same time to be able to ‘talk’ or ‘think’ on my canvas rather than saying or explaining my ideas in live. I have been fortunate to meet and find my source of inspiration, and I do hope that my kids will find theirs in their mother’s passion.