As a parent I know my intention for my kids. I am passionate, driven and borderline obsessive about their position in society and the use of our family name. The repeated morning mantra to my children was, "Know your name and who you are. I am a reflection of my family's upbringing and a child of God." The intent was to build up their self-esteem and make them respect themselves by making them accountable for their behavior and their actions.
A parent's greatest fear is to watch their child fail in any area of life whether it be socially or academically. The failure is not necessarily measured by financial wealth nor fame or even the material possessions they accumulate. It is the ability to provide for themselves and being respected by society as a contributor.
From the child's point of view I am sure this seems like a dictatorship. And it probably is. But a parent will go to any length to impose what they feel is best.
At some point a parent has to let go and hope for the best... So when the best does happen, it results in the most indescribable feeling of joy in the world.
I met some of the most amazing women while visiting Dubai. These two women that you are about to hear from are examples of what happens when we parents allow our children to go out into the world and be themselves.
Victoria L. Wilson is a trained dental hygienist therapist but, in her heart, she is an artist with talent coursing through her veins. As a young girl she wanted to be an actress but decided to find a career that she could rely on. I find it interesting that the two don't seem to match. Working in dentistry, though a necessary profession, seems a bit a dull. How on earth could the two ever remotely share the same space in our world?
Victoria has definitely taken on a role to change the imagery of what we know dentistry to be. I am assuming that wanting to be the good daughter, she heeded her parents' advice to pursue a career that would enable her a quality of life that would not only keep her financially sound but useful in the professional world. But Victoria responded like an artist and never gave up on her passion for the arts. She found a way to keep both as part of her life and is looking for a way to meld the two worlds.
I am anxious to see how that would work in the world of the arts.
And then here comes Zeina Al Nasser, a woman who lives life like an episode of Law & Order that you've never seen before.
She has totally made me rethink what the life and love of an attorney truly is when it comes to the arts. She is a mixed-race baby who totally breaks all the stereotypes of what we perceive the Middle Eastern women should look like.
The curly, dirty-blonde locks that curve the frame of her oval face definitely don't reflect the image of what we have come to accept that Middle Eastern women portray. But this Emirate beauty embraces her European and Irish heritage as well as her Jordanian and Palestinian roots.
Educated in the Emirates, where she now lives, Zeina went to Ireland to study law and trained to become a barrister, a lawyer who argues a case before the high courts. Wow!!! I was floored.
Being the true artist that she is, the craving for the arts came calling and she answered the hunger calls. She has always been involved in the arts on the side through singing, acting, playing instruments and even writing a children's book. A mere four months ago, she actually left her demanding day job to focus on her creativity full-time. She is now involved in theatre and the arts in the UAE and passionate about her newest projects.
The desire to be creative, to be proactive in the arts and as she puts it, "make people happy" is what fuels this woman's fire. Within the simplicity of her words lies the power she holds.