by Carmen Alvarez

Alexandra Van Cortlandt Brough studied Art in Belgium. Then she specialised into Marketing. She left Belgium right after her Bachelor degree for a marketing project so now she has a 3 year Art Degree and is Bachelor in Marketing.

She was very young, 21, when she went to Dubai and fell in love with the city. 

The weather, the life style, the mix of cultures were what impressed her the most. Learning by the differences with others, one also learns so much about one self and about life.

I am among the lucky ones who has been more than once to Dubai and I can tell you that is one of the most fascinating cities in the world and the mix of cultures is precisely what it gives Dubai its  distinctive flavour. So I agree completely with Alexandra when she expresses her love, her well being and her wish to make that impressive city a part of her personal and familiar life.

– Why did you become an Art Teacher and why do you work mainly with children ?

13 years ago, I was an employee for companies in Dubai but I was missing terribly my creativity side. It was after having my 3 children that I decided to go for a life change. I dropped my marketing career to go towards teaching. Thanks to my Art Degree I started as an Art Teacher for adults. It was a great opportunity of meeting new people and exchanging. But it s a fact that adults in Art are quite reserved while Art should be the opposite.

Then I started working with children. I was blewn away by their creativity and skills !! How quick they were able to learn and also to listen to my advices. Also it is so rewarding teaching to the little ones. They send you smiles, they show their happiness due to their accomplishments and they are always up for more challenges. 

– How is creativity developed in children and what do they feel about learning art when they are so young ?

In general, it takes a few classes to see the child to develop properly his creativity. Most of the time, they start by saying “I can’t do that…” and then a few moments later, they finsih their drawing with their own interpretation from the picture given. Most of the time they manage to do way better than what I could have expected from them. Sometime they draw things on the picture that I even didn’t see myself (a little house hidden by a tree, for instance). Their innocence and their eager to learn became my passion. 

– What is the meaning of mindfulness in your work ?

The mindfulness is Art in General. When you draw or paint, you are traveling within your painting. Not so long ago I started to launch myself as an Artist. I love including architecture in natural landscapes. I guess being in Dubai for so long, it’s not much of a surprise. But after painting I feel like I almost designed the building or the landscape myself and somehow it becomes mine. It’s the same when I draw Animals, my favourite. After having done a portrait of them, I know every single details about the Animal that I wasn’t aware of before. Suddenly I look at them differently.

Also when you focus on your drawing or painting, you don’t think at all of your problems nor the present… You are disappearing inside your painting until you make it alive ! 

The mindfulness I see here, is being able to travel somewhere peacefully while you haven’t left the room.

– Imagine our readers have never been in Dubai. Tell us something very distinctive, appealing or very typical from its culture. Why would you recommend foreigners to visit the Emirates?

Dubai is very much like my home today. I have spent a third of my life here… It s a very family orientated place. I never felt having my 3 children would be a problem anywhere I go. I think in Dubai I rediscovered the word “Family”. We can do all our activities together, we never do things apart. And of course the weather helps a lot. 

Talking about activities… there are so many things to do and that we want to do that sometime we don’t know where to start ! Apart from the luxurious life that Dubai can offer, we are very nature loving people by spending a lot of time sailing, kayaking, going to the beach or the desert and also camping. The positive is we can also go and eat in a fancy restaurant at anytime !

What I love the most here, anyone you’d meet has a different story. So I have nearly been here for 13 years, my husband 15 and we still hope to stay for a long time to come !!

– What is the role of women in present Dubai ?

The governement is very supportive of women in a work place and taking on senior roles. 

More and more Dubai is adapting his law and rules to integrate women but also young single people to its lifestyle. 

Today we could live here pretty much as you would in the Western World.