The festival where Indian women fast for the entire day and pray for the longevity and wellbeing of their husbands usually includes adorning their hands with intricate henna designs.
And that art is what Alisa excels in.
“I have been a henna artist since I was nine years old. I would help out at my mom’s henna shop in Singapore,” she tells SBS Hindi.
Alisa Parveen at a local market in Melbourne on Karwa Chauth. Source: Supplied
The 27-year-old learnt the art from her mother and continued it as a side gig when she came to Australia to pursue higher education.
She is a qualified architect and designs apartments and large houses as her day job.
“Henna is my second full-time job,” she quips.
Thanks to social media, her popularity has soared in recent years and her calendar is booked for months in advance.
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“Instagram and Facebook have helped a lot. Especially Instagram as it a visual medium. Henna is visual. And it has helped in reaching out to new people. People, I don’t know,” she says.
Over 63,400 people follow her on Instagram.
“Over a decade ago, it was mostly a small local community which helped you reach more people. Social media has opened up the world and allows me to reach out to new people,” she says.
Bridal appointments, Karwa Chauth celebrations, baby showers and pop-up stalls at local markets keep her calendar full. She sells hand-made henna cones and has also penned a henna design book.
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“I love creating my own designs. While bridal henna could take up to 10 hours, small patterns at the pop-stalls take about 5 minutes and enjoy doing both,” she says.
With a day job as an architect and the side-gig which is almost a full-time job, it is a busy life for Alisa who often travels to Singapore and other countries as a henna artist.
“It is the freedom the art offers that keeps me going. As an architect, I can be creative but there are rules and policies to follow when you are designing. As a henna artist, it is a free reign.
“I love the traditional motifs but my designs are more contemporary.
“Sometimes, instead of filling up the whole hand, leaving empty spaces, look far nicer,” she says who makes her own henna cones.
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Source: Supplied
