art to inspiration : healing yoga with arti smita jacob

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I am so thrilled to feature Smita of Hogger & Co. She has been a big supporter of c&é from day one and has provided lots of help in my recent interests dabbling in photography. 

This particular photograph is so powerful. I had such a hard time to come up with what I wanted to extract from this photograph to formulate my inspiration. I had come up with something where I talked about and depicted the use of warm and cold colors, but that's not me. Not my personality at all. This photograph is powerful, depicting a woman taking a chance. I was so inspired by the lines, beauty, strength. Thus, I present to you my inspiration. 

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Meet Kamila Sidiqi, an instructor for the Mercy Corp, but her story of how she got there is noteworthy. Afghanistan used to be a country filled with opportunities and growth. Women wore beautiful dresses and skirts and walked the streets to attend school. They held ranks of doctors and professors. Equal opportunities was a common theme of society. In September 1996, the Taliban, a tribal movement, took over Kabul and established Afghanistan into an Islamic state. The country took a 360 turn for the worse. Societal restrictions were implemented that greatly discouraged women from pursuing an education and capitalizing on their skills, which greatly affected Kamila's family of five sisters.

Kamila's brother and father had to flee from Afghanistan in pursuit of safety, which left Kamila and her sisters alone. The livelihood, with five women who are unable to work, became difficult in this country in the midst of civil war and repression. To earn money to feed the family, Kamila took it upon herself to do something. She asked her elder sister to teach her how to sew, and after selling her work, she was inspired to do more. By the end, she developed a sewing class and business, empowering women in this state of conflict and eventually employed over 100 women from her neighborhood.

I urge you to read Kamila's story and listen to her experience. It is one of great strength and inspiring for us women in a world where there are no limits. You can find Kamila's full story here.

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You can find more information on Art to Inspiration here and if you would like to participate in the next Art to Inspiration, just fill out this form! You will hear from me in about 2 weeks. Happy Art to Inspiration Day!