@hennabilge
Can you share a bit about yourself?
I am a Turkish by background, but born and raised in Germany. I've been a henna artist for around 10 years and counting.
Name: Bilge (30)
Country: Germany
Instagram: @hennabilge
Email: Info@hennabilge.
How did your journey began?
During my linguistic studies in university, i decided to do an english teaching job at a school in Indonesia, as I studied the Indonesian language and culture before. There i met a guy doing henna at a mall (who by the way after all these years still remembers me as we have met again many years later) and decided to get a henna design done for the very first time. In Turkish culture we use henna on wedding events or as home remedies for hair & nails but not as designs. So that was very interesting for me as i loved drawing since i was a child. Returning back to Germany I decided to try doing Henna designs aswell! It started out without any guidance as i didnt know that there was a big henna community out there online, so i basically ended up practicing and doodling on my own and learned how to do designs without copying others designs that way
If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you’d be doing?
I was always interested in arts and was never sure what I wanted to do, as a kid i used to think becoming a kindergarten teacher or singer is my dream job. But as a teenager I struggled finding my true passion and just wanted to learn many languages and work in many countries among many cultures. Which I'd say i pretty much ended up doing through henna.
What’s a random fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
Seeing that I have a pakistani husband, many people think I started to do henna because of his culture. But I did henna years before meeting him :D
What’s the best piece of life advice you’ve ever received?
Don't focus on becoming "the best" one day, but try to become better than you were yesterday. Every day.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in your journey, and how did you overcome them?
When I tried to apply henna for the first time, I didn't know what a design has to look like so I tried a very trending design (by hennabydivya) and it took me about 2 hours to do one simple hand. After that I decided not to try to copy anyone's design and just do it myself without any photos. And it was chaotic at first but I slowly learned how to work it out better. Now I rarely use inspiration photos and only recreate designs on demand, but prefer working without any.
What are your dreams or goals?
I wish and hope one day I can have a studio or shop where I can offer henna and introduce different cultures to people.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are just starting out?
Don't compare yourself with others. Compare yourself with your previous self and skills. Practice all basic elements as much as possible on paper or skin and let your creativity flow.
