The late afternoon’s sunlight swept in through the window and filled the room with light. Shaf, wearing a mustard yellow shirt, sat comfortably on a chair, ready for this interview when we stepped into her lovely home.

Sitting by a neatly organized desk by the window, with craft supplies and printmaking tools, she warmly welcomed us into her home with a smile as bright as the sunshine.

Aishath Shaffa Shafeeu (Shaf), 21, is a local artist, a mom to a toddler and the owner of The Sunshine Studio — a creative outlet growing by the day.

The Sunshine Studio has helped many local businesses establish their own unique identity through the stamps she creates. In addition to her customized work, she makes generic stamps for any craft lover to purchase, and makes other merchandise inked with her stamps such as notebooks and tote bags.

Her face lit up as she started to talk about her endeavor, and I noticed her effortlessly drawing on a rectangular piece of paper.  Little did I know that this piece of paper will be used to make a stamp.

The first thing I was curious to find out was why she chose the name “The Sunshine Studio”. The answer was very quick and simple.

“I am at my best self in the sunshine and I feel better on sunny days. I can feel rainy days in my bones. My husband calls me Sunshine, and our daughter is named Nura, meaning light. Light is so important in my life.”

The Sunshine Studio conceived over a year ago, when Shaf quit her job as a Graphic Designer and started to further explore her creative abilities.

“I first came across printmaking when I was in school. At the time, I did not have the supplies needed. But when I got pregnant, I left my job at the time and wanted to start something of my own to express my creativity. I’ve been exploring different styles, mediums, and types of art from the beginning of last year, and later was inspired by a lot of printmakers on Instagram and instantly dived into it, and decided to stick to it as a primary path in my creative career.”

Now her efficient hands were busy transferring the drawing she made into a pale pink, soft, printmaking rubber. As soon as she was done transferring, she began to engrave the print using a special tool. Her fingers moved precisely and carved the design perfectly while she turned the rubber over, onto all of it’s sides.

Shaf is disciplined in her work.  She dedicates her time to work every day as she is keen to pursue her passion relentlessly, and is motivated to create art and not give up until she makes a name for herself.

While expertly carving the block in her hands she said “I make sure I sit down every day for a minimum of 2 hours at a time to work. I find working during night time once my baby is down quite effective.”

Moments of silence passed as Shaf was thoroughly engrossed in her work. I was impressed by her skill and to see how much she was enjoying the process, all the while briefing me on how to create a fantastic hand-carved stamp.

“It’s a suspenseful, and hands-on process to the end product.  From drawing that first sketch to the final ones, transferring the sketch onto the block, and finally spending those hours carving the surface to birth the final print with that first roll of fresh paint”

Her fine-tuned skills were still at work as we talked, and the piece of paper on which she first sketched a little drawing was starting to look more like a stamp.

“The process is intimate and deeply personal with such fragility in the way it poses such an abundant scope for a mistake but most of the time you learn to move forward with it, which for me reflects a lot to life experiences as well.”

It truly looked like that to me too, from where I was sitting. According to Shaf, her motivation to work is boosted by the support of her family. She pointed to a pile of wood scraps, soon to be upcycled into stamps, kept neatly beside some re-purposed jars on a shelf next to her workstation.

“The pieces of wood scraps are from my father’s friend. A local carpenter supplied this for me. Alhamdulillah, having support from my family allows me to give my time to my craft every day, that and a willful drive to serve my ambitions and be everything I can be.”

Shaf draws inspiration from various artists, emotions and nature being her main drives.  Every piece of art she makes is truly different, and she spends a lot of energy to make the most out of her skill.

“Creating original pieces of artwork from the same base is what makes it so unique because each piece of artwork so strongly expresses a different character,” says Shaf.

This struck me as I have seen so many unique creations on her Instagram page. Something interesting that caught my eye while scrolling through this page was a series of mini stamps of everything that resembles “Dhivehiraaje”.

Everything from coconut palms, to Dhivehi Libaas (traditional Maldivian dress), to Raabandhi (traditional Maldivian flask used to store toddy) were all hand-drawn and moulded into stamps. In short, the essence of the Maldives, or anything that gave a Dhivehiraaje vibe, was made into a stamp to complete that collection.

By now she was done with the floral stamp she had begun to create at the start of this little chat. She rolled a fresh coat of paint on the stamp and was ready to make a print. I was excited to see how it would come out, and ready for my last two questions for her.

“The process of making the stamp is what I love most! The idea to be completely present in every step of the process is what makes it so special because being someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, often losing myself in aspects of life, printmaking became a creative outlet to ground me and express in a harmonic, repetitive and disciplined way complimenting the rather chaotic yet necessary side of my expressiveness.”

As a self-taught artist who has grown into an entrepreneur, Shaf understands the importance of passing the know-hows she has learned along the way to other crafty souls. Her future goals will include that.

“My goal since conceiving the idea of The Sunshine Studio was to eventually develop a space where art can flourish, not just printmaking, almost like an institution, in sha Allah, to offer a space for artists and enthusiasts alike to practice their craft, to gain knowledge, and have access to resources related to artistic expressions. I intend to have printmaking workshops next year and I am currently working on a series of sessions where I talk and write about art as a whole, encompassing a lot of topics that correlate with art and life. It is a goal for me to open opportunities for people to practice art as a therapy, someday further in the future, if not sooner.”

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for arrived. The floral print came out just as nicely as I had expected. It was beautiful and bright, just like a warm sunny day when everything seems to go the way you want it.