A young Maldivian entrepreneur and artist is creating fast art personalized gift items ready in minutes to satisfy fast shoppers. She also demonstrates that her uplifting creations, with a funny twist in her unique black ink style, can conquer a large public.
Fathimath Hima Moh Waheed (Himoo) defines herself as a creative mind. After completing her MBA at INTI International University, Malaysia, and her Master of Arts in Management Studies from the University of Hertfordshire, she realized that creativity is a personal journey and found it impossible “to work under somebody’s brain.”
Her extensive travels through most Asian countries, including India, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Japan, and Sri Lanka, gave her the opportunity to taste local food, experience the culture, and most importantly, appreciate the art.
After she came back to the Maldives, Himoo registered DaBlackDot in 2023. The business and its name had been on her mind since she was a schoolgirl. “I have a small black dot on my chin, and back then, everybody described me as ‘the girl with the black dot’.” DaBlackDot is a marketing company that creates content, business concepts, logos, and anything “that is under the creative hub,” she explained.
Kalhudeli Black Ink Art with a Touch of Humor
During the COVID-19 crisis, Himoo had more time on her hands and started sketching. Describing herself as very impatient, Himoo said she never liked to color her sketches. It had to be fast and readily done. She created digital artworks in black ink depicting everyday situations with a touch of humor. She realized many people enjoyed her style and found her sketches funny and uplifting.
She decided to open a new brand under DaBlackDot, calling it Kalhudeli. The name, she said, embodies her taste for doing things differently and serves as a reminder of her birthmark. In Dhivehi, Kalhudeli means ‘black ink. “I love to see things in different ways, and I want to bring creativity to the world.” “I wanted to provide something personal, something fun.”
Fast Art for Last-Minute Personalized Gifts
Kalhudeli is for busy shoppers with a sense of humor. In minutes, Himoo can sketch a digital artwork and have it printed on a T-shirt, a mug, a keyring, a tote bag, or a phone cover. Delivery time ranges from 15 minutes for a keyring to 45 minutes for a printed T-shirt or mug.
All Himoo needs is some information about the customers’ tastes, habits, and style. She will then sketch “something funny” based on the information provided and produce the chosen item for hurried customers.
Fast art is appealing to people, she said, because “life is busy, everybody has a lot of things on their mind, on their hands, and they are all short of time.” “People tend to be forgetful and miss important dates like birthdays.” “Kalhudeli’s fast art provides last-minute, personalized gifts that carry a message, a memory, and bring laughter and smiles,” she said.
Realism Art depicting Everyday Life
Himoo gets her inspiration from everyday situations. She would sit in a coffee shop, listen to people’s conversations, and observe what makes them laugh. She would note their conversation topics. She would watch people’s behavior while strolling in the streets or marvel at the creativity of kindergarten children. She would listen to Gen Z people, find out how they see their world, and let her attention be drawn to advertisements on trucks and buses.
She characterizes her art as free drawing, impatient, and spontaneous. “My sketches are not perfect,” she said. “My imperfections are something that make me perfect, and in the same way, my drawings are also both imperfect and perfect in their imperfections,” she added.
Her decision to strictly keep to black ink comes from her wish to stand out. Black, she said, is an emblematic color. “It is very bold, very powerful, and it is full of life, despite its reputation.”
Exporting the Concept of Fast Art
Most Kalhudeli customers are women below 45, living in the Maldives. The geography of the country makes it challenging for Himoo to expand her customer base and reach the global market. She underlined the difficulty of monetizing her products.
However, Himoo is set on selling her fast art process and concept outside of the Maldives. “My bags are packed, and I am ready to go and promote humor and fun to the whole world,” she enthusiastically said.
Each of her artworks is protected by default under the Maldives’ Copyright Act, and she hopes to register Kalhudeli’s trademark when trademark registration is available in the country.
Himoo was a beneficiary of branding mentorship sessions recently delivered by a WIPO-commissioned expert. WIPO experts have been interacting with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) to update the legislative and policy framework and implement recommendations for developing the creative economy.
As a result, the copyright law has been revised, and a new trademark bill has been submitted to Parliament. WIPO is helping businesses to recognize and revise their trademarks so that they can register them once the law is in force.
