Meet Madiha Javed of Panache Art Studio in North Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madiha Javed.

Madiha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I believe everyone and everything has a story, just like photographs. I was born and raised in Pakistan. In the household of five siblings, I was the youngest and the most spoiled one, according to my parents. Unfortunately, Arts is considered an under-rated profession back home. So, like many Asian parents, my parents also wanted me to become a doctor or Central Superior Services (CSS) officer. I won’t blame them for that because half of my father’s family were bureaucrats or doctors by profession.

However, my parents soon realized that I have no interest in books. Luckily, they let me choose what I wanted to do in my life. I owe them big time! Another reason was, I had always been my own kind of person, stubborn, opinionated, care-free and go-getter. I was not a blind-follower and never learned to compromise my desires and dreams. That’s why I was not able to keep up with my parents’ expectations.

I always wanted to learn through my experiences and observations, and not to live a life by book. Therefore, I started creating my own world around me. I had always been a good observer of my surroundings, people, behaviors and was interested in knowing reason of being, universe and nature etc. I used to sit down for hours and write poetry and do sketching. I started writing at the age of 11. Whatever I used to see and feel, I started jotting down in form of words. As a kid, I was also very much inspired from Glamour and the Fashion Industry, used to take lot of pictures, cut images and i had a collage book of makeup, beauty, skin-related tips, latest-trends and landscapes.

When I was growing up, I got interested in fashion designing and started helping my brother in establishing a fashion brand. Before getting into Fine Arts college, I enrolled myself in an Interior Decoration Certification Program. After college, I acquired a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Designing. During my university years, I got many offers for Modeling. I gave it a try but that didn’t inspire me much. After trying different mediums, I found out that I have a desire for creativity. So, these things stayed with me… Photography, Sketching/Painting, Poetry and Designing.

Photography has always been something that makes me feel alive. When I have camera in my hand, I simply forget everything else. It has become a source of happiness for me. I love capturing emotions and soul of everything or anything around me. I try to capture the feel of four elements into my photography; air, water, energy & earth along with the subject. Also, my images help me to write poetry and paint. I take inspiration from my own work and create another piece of art.

After completing my bachelor’s degree, I got married and came to USA. I got busy with family and daily chores. But being independent and pursuing my passion was still in my mind. It was a whole new world for me, full of opportunities but lack of support and knowledge about the culture. I had no idea what to do or who to connect with since my husband was from a different educational background. At some point in life, I start feeling rusted, stopped painting and writing poems, forgot all about Graphic Designing softwares and tools. Sometimes, I used to take pictures of landscapes or my kids. I have always been a believer that there is more to a human than just having kids and family. They have a purpose to serve and I strived to find that out.

Meanwhile, I made some amazing friends here. Many of them wanted to achieve something in life but had no idea about how and where to start. I discovered many talented people around me but they all had only one common excuse that they don’t have the support or a platform.

One thing that I learned in my early life was not to depend on anyone or look for help, create your way by yourself. I had a very independent childhood and teenage life (emotionally) so asking for help or for support was out of question for me. However, I have the urge to help others. Therefore, I decided to start a Facebook Group “Soul Sisters Of DFW” in 2018 with support of my two close friends Samia Yamin and Zunaira Ali. This group is for housewives or women who have dreams, want to showcase their skills and grow. We support & empower each other through different means. I have recently formed a group of volunteers from the Soul Sisters of DFW members. Here, we volunteer in hospitals & nursing homes to help and serve the community. We also organize “Lunch and Learn Events” for the community in collaboration with “Radio Azad.”

There is saying, “do good to others; it will come back to you.” I have experienced this firsthand. Just after few months of creating Facebook group, I became part of Radio Azad team and met with amazing people like Ayesha Shafi and Azad Khan, my two favorites. They are not only my mentors but also an inspiration for so many. This radio station has a different kind of vision and discusses the taboo topics that nobody wants to hear or talk about. Every Tuesday, I air a talk show “Soul Talk”, where i discuss different topics related to everyday life.

I have learned a lot by creating Soul Sisters of DFW Group and working in Radio Azad. These endeavors helped me in my journey, gave me confidence when I was feeling rusted. With their support, I was able to start Creative Designing. I explored my strengths, my weaknesses, my creative side one more time and my true passion. It was like connecting to myself again after so long. When I started talk shows, my father for the first time texted me that “he is proud of me”. The only thing a kid desires to hear at least once in his/her lifetime. This is the true reason why Radio Azad has a significance in my life.

Therefore, after seeing my passion and dedication, I decided to create Panache Art Studio with the support of my Husband. I started taking projects for graphic designing and made a team. Then, my love for art urged me to teach kids to develop and explore their creative eye. Therefore, I opened After School Art Classes. Currently, besides personal one-on-one art classes, we have After School Art Club in Radiant Stem Academy in Irving.

I have recently got the opportunity to become a member of the Raw Art Organization and I am going to exhibit my work in Dallas Premiere Showcase on the 13th of February. I have always been told by my friends and family that I am a very lucky person. Whatever I want to do in my life, I get it easily. Maybe I make it look easy for them. I believe It’s just the time, space and good intentions that you attract the opportunities. Establishing the Soul Sisters DFW group, being part of Radio Azad and forming Panache Art Studio was surely my good luck! God paves a way for you if you truly have the desire for it.

“Where there is a will, there is away.” Indeed!

I don’t believe in bad luck. I think everything teaches you a lesson. So if something didn’t work out, it wasn’t for me and right now, I am exactly where I meant to be. All experiences made me a person who I am today and truly grateful to God for that. Hence no complaints & no room for regrets at all. Whatever good I have gained in my life, I wish to give it to others and become a support for so many of us. That’s the vision I have now.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to the USA from an Asian culture, my first challenge, as a housewife, was especially taking care of the household chores alone because I was from an environment where I used to have several housemaids. Therefore, I had to learn to manage between family life and my goals. Adjusting to a whole new world, with people from diversified cultures, was a challenge in itself.

As mentioned earlier, when I came here, I didn’t know anyone in Dallas. I had no support or idea from where to begin. Some people who I thought would be my support, they started creating all kinds of hurdles, but that didn’t stop me!

Once you know your-self and your priorities in life everything else become easy. Trust me, you need only “YOU” to bring out the best. Moreover, I had no corporate world experience. Therefore, starting an entrepreneur career was quite challenging for me.

“We, humans, usually have the tendency to make excuses by putting blames on others or the environment for our failures.”

However, I realized it later that the only challenge a human face is getting out of his/her comfort zone and realizing one’s own abilities. Obstacles are all in our mind & thoughts. Basically, we get so comfortable in our own shell that we don’t want to step out.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Panache Art Studio is mainly formed for Photography projects but as mentioned before, I have a background of Fine Arts and I believe Art helps us connect with nature, our own-self, create empathy and world needs more of it. Therefore, Arts need to be introduced in our life from very beginning. So I decided to teach Fine Arts not only to grown-ups but to young kids as well. We offer Fine Art classes, sketching, painting and crafts during our sessions. We also offer Creative Design services.

Since Photography is something I am most passionate about and been told so many times that I capture moments and emotions so well. My regular pictures have some soul in it and people are able to resonate with my work. I believe that makes my work different from others. Besides that I try to mix four or five elements in my images to get the feel of surroundings and the subject. What I am working on these days is, mixing my three creations; poetry, painting and photography together to make an exceptional piece of art.

In photography we do; Fashion Photography, Product Photography, Travel Photography, Family & Portrait Photography, Events and Wedding Photography. Currently, i am focusing on commercial photography more and working with some brands.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Most important characteristics that I have concluded through my journey is;

1. Knowing yourself and your true passion
2. Self Reliance and patience
3. Consistency and Integrity
4. Routine & time management.
5. And most importantly instead of complaining, make an environment where wonders can happen.

Image Credit:
Panache Art Studio by Madiha Javed

Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.