Living in a country like Egypt, it's almost natural to grow up having an affinity for all types of arts, with a variety of techniques, media, materials, and schools of art. You step into Khan el Khalili and see how copper can be transformed into beautiful table tops and lanterns, or into Moez Street and see all the ways handmade bags can top any high-end fashion designer abroad. It's important to remember that Egyptian women have contributed to art for centuries, whether it's through eloquent poetry, graceful on-screen appearances, soulful singing, or making gorgeous rugs, embroidering beautiful shawls, painting delicate plates, and more recently coming out on top as talented graffiti artists, painters, sculptresses, and photographers. These women all come from different classes and background, and their art – whether for mass production or exhibition – cannot go unnoticed as a reflection of their place, condition, emotions, and lives. Amira El Badry is one of these women, an Egyptian whose art emerged from a childhood desire to draw or colour, which then developed into using different media, and culminated in her recently completed Seclusion project on the beauty behind solitude.Her art uses mixed media, with photography, objects, paper, and pencils involved. "It's called Seclusion, a self-portrait project that embodies solitude," El Badry says, walking us through her vision. "I wanted to capture the emotions created during that phase. Each piece is an expression of how it can be felt; whether it is in reaching out for yourself, feeling like an abstract figure, or being conscious of the grand space you allow for your feelings to travel. The visuals can differ in perception and interpretation from one person to another."

The GUC Media Design alumnus tells us that sometimes her art is for self-entertainment, and sometimes it's for releasing negative sentiments and energy. "I guess art is my way out of or into anything that I feel or go through – it doesn't have to be good art, it just has to express how I feel," she elaborates. As for inspiration, she says that we are all inspired by anything everything; "Sometimes it just hits you so randomly – out of nowhere – and very rarely do you actually seek it."

The act of inspiration and its overall value comes from allowing it to come to you. El Badry is very much into self-portraits, which is the best way to exhibit one's emotions and develop their identity. The way she does it, though, is through photography. "It's mostly just my tripod, my camera, and I. Then, the visual experiments start – using coloured backgrounds, objects, and paint, you can't really stop yourself from using anything in front of you once you start," she passionately concluded.

El Badry's experience of solitude looks a little something like this...