Artist Mehreen Sofia on the joy of creativity

We’re all about finding joy in the little moments, but we’re also advocates for carving out time for big, intentional moments too. As part of our month-long series The Art of Joy, we encourage you to switch off your phone and immerse yourself in the thing that brings you happiness – whether that’s getting creative with a new hobby, finding serenity in a sound bath, or reconnecting with the natural world. For painter Mehreen Sofia, joy comes from art – created by herself or another – as well as the natural world that inspires her ideas and sparks creativity. We spoke with her about her dreamy paintings, her love of the V&A, and art as a form of notekeeping.

My style is slightly dreamy. I paint things I’ve seen, but as if I’m remembering them in a dream or distant memory. The colours I choose mean a lot and change depending on the season or how I’m feeling that day. Nature and plants are also important influences; if I look back on my work, there has always been a focus on the natural world. I’m inspired by lush leaves on the trees, the sky and beautiful fruit and plants. 

Art has always been a form of notekeeping for me. I’ve found that there are moments that stand out in a day. Life gets busy and time feels scattered, but there are certain points, like when eating a beautiful piece of fruit, where I’ll just find myself naturally pausing. It’s in those pauses that I’ve got better at noticing what inspires me, and I’ll quickly sketch it down. Plants are also a huge inspiration for me and I will always have a plant or a bunch of flowers on my desk. Plants feel like natural notekeepers, that document the passage of time with their growth and bookmark the seasons. I find nature grounding, especially in summer when all the trees are really full and there are beautiful green leaves – when you paint that, you capture that memory of it.

There are two main aspects to being in a creative space. There’s the technical aspect, which is figuring out how I’m going to create something, thinking about what materials I use, and then there is the joy of actually making something. In an ideal world, a good creative space is somewhere where you’re actually having fun making things – you feel excited, there’s some good music playing, or you have your favourite TV show on, maybe you have a friend round. 

I think there can be a lot of pressure when people visit art galleries to understand the technicalities, know who the painters are and the specific paintings, but I’ve noticed in myself that letting go of expectations and seeing what resonates makes the experience more fun. If you approach it as ‘I’m going to see what painting in this room feels like me’, it makes the whole experience much more personal. My favourite gallery has always been the V&A in South Kensington. I’ve had the V&A East bookmarked for a while, I like that it’s not just paintings on a wall but an archive of all these amazing items.

You’ll enjoy it more if you pick a subject that resonates with you. Maybe go for a walk or somewhere that means something to you, with someone you care about, and notice in yourself what stands out. Then make a quick sketch or take a picture on your phone. Practically, start small, so you don’t get overwhelmed, and just have a go and see how it is. The less expectation you have going in, the more likely you are to be pleasantly surprised by it.

Discover more of Mehreen's work on Instagram