How do you know you are not practicing slow
henna?
Slow henna is a phenomena that requires the artist
to slow down and re-enjoy the art of henna.
With the pressure of getting through people at a festival, or getting
done with all the aunties at the wedding party, henna artists forget to
appreciate the actual art of henna.
While it may be difficult at the beginning to slow down your henna, it
is well worth the results.
However, you may not even know that you are not
practicing slow henna. Here are a few
symptoms of too fast henna.
When you
feel tired all the time after doing henna instead of feeling positive and
refreshed. It’s like you are working
like a machine to produce as many pieces as you can, but you cannot do this
with henna. The art of henna takes a lot
out of person, not only physically, but mentally as well. As a practicing henna artist, you have to
deal with not only maintaining your professionalism, but also keeping an eye on
your lineup, supplies, line clarity, instructions, and aftercare, just to name
a few. This sub-conscious multitasking can take a lot out of a person.
Another symptom of too fast henna is not
engaging with each person fully.
With a long line up, or with people hanging over your shoulders waiting
for their turn, it can be stressful and can take away from the artist. So instead of slowing down your art, you feel
the need to speed it up to get through as many people as you can. So instead of
bothering to ask the person’s name, you may just go through the gestures and
your standard script instead of spending a few moments to recognize that a
human is sitting in front of you to give them a piece of art on their body,
which they will wear for several days or weeks.
Fast henna all the time will also lead to you not
enjoying the art form as much as you did before. With a constant fast pace
in henna, you will begin to lose your artistic touch and will start piping out
the same product from the production line, instead of individually, thought
out, and positively intended designs.
And if you start to become a henna factory, you start to get tired and
bored. Instead, focus on slowing your
henna down just a little bit and go back to enjoying the art form. You are not a machine, you cannot produce the
same thing over and over again. That
makes the art of henna mundane and still.
Instead of getting tired, not engaging and not
enjoying the art of henna, it is important as an artist to go back to the roots
of henna and slow down. So the next time
you are in a high stress, long line, “need to hurry up” situation, take a
minute to remember the following:
The art of henna should be enjoyed.
You are an artist and will create unique pieces for
each person
You intend to enjoy this art form to the fullest
You will work as best as you can to accomplish what
is needed, without sacrificing your physical or mental health, and without
making henna lose its value and appreciation.
Practice slow henna!