

September recipients: black artists grant!
We’re excited to announce the September recipients for the Creative Debuts Black Artist’s Grant! Scroll down to find out! Ashrah Suudy is a 20-year-old student, freelance photographer and creative living in Cardiff. ‘East in Colour’ is a photo series dedicated to Somali Culture, focusing on the ‘dirac’. It’s a series that signifies Suudy’s identity and showcases a narrative she is proud of. “Receiving the email … Continue reading September recipients: black artists grant!

Somalinimo: Black & Muslim at Cambridge University
‘Somalinimo’ in its loose translation means ‘the essence of being Somali’. In her debut documentary of the same title, Awa Farah, 26, explores what it means to be Somali at the University of Cambridge in collaboration with filmmaker Alice Aedy. Here, Farah shares her motivations behind the project, recalls the journey of embracing her identity and expresses her hopes for the future and what she … Continue reading Somalinimo: Black & Muslim at Cambridge University

Black Artist Grant!✨
✨ANNOUNCEMENT! ✨ We’re excited to reveal that Halcyon is a selector for The Black Artists Grant for the next three months! We’ve teamed up with @creativedebuts for this amazing opportunity! The Black Artists Grant is £2,000 each month which will be split between four different Black creatives in the UK, receiving £500 each. If you would like to flag your work to us and put … Continue reading Black Artist Grant!✨

A Muslim Girl’s Journey to Being Active
by Aleesha Choudhry Growing up I never considered myself to be a sporty person or someone who worked out, I only ever did home workouts just to get “thin” and never to get healthy or make my body stronger. I started taking going to the gym seriously when I saw my mother get ill. Going to the gym regularly was a real eye-opener for me … Continue reading A Muslim Girl’s Journey to Being Active

HALCYON DIGITAL ART EXHIBITION 2019
Firstly, thank you to everyone who shared our call out for artists for this exhibition! We received loads of amazing submissions from Muslim female and non-binary artists from all over the world. Without further ado, here they are… (share your thoughts on Twitter & Instagram @halcyonmaguk ❤️) Remembrance – Farah Soobhan, London. ” ‘Remembrance’ focuses on the importance of turning to worship and remembering God as a … Continue reading HALCYON DIGITAL ART EXHIBITION 2019

CALLING ALL FEMALE MUSLIM ARTISTS!
HALCYON IS CURATING A DIGITAL EXHIBITION OF MUSLIM WOMEN’S ART. WE WANT TO SHOWCASE MUSLIM FEMALE ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN ONE PLACE – WHAT BETTER WAY TO DO IT THAN ONLINE! THERE ARE SO MANY TALENTED FEMALE MUSLIM ARTISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD YET WE ARE STILL SO UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE ARTS SECTOR. THIS EXHIBITION WILL BE A CELEBRATION OF OUR TALENTS AND … Continue reading CALLING ALL FEMALE MUSLIM ARTISTS!

Making a Modest Fashion Brand
by Sonia Azalia, Reluctant to make ‘just another hijab fashion brand’, Raissa Larasati, a 21 year-old fashion business student, decided to make a modest fashion brand for her enterprise project. Along with her group, she created a fashion brand that believes in the value of modesty, upheld by the hijab, and that can and should be promoted to everyone. Raissa’s personal relationship with the hijab … Continue reading Making a Modest Fashion Brand

Biryani’s Love for Jollof
by Samrah Chand Akhtar I looked into Khalid’s warm, kind calm brown eyes and my heart was pounding as we exchanged our sacred vows during our Nikah, I became overwhelmed with a new found rush of respect, love and excitement, “I accept to marry you, according to the book of Allah, the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”, our promises to one another, … Continue reading Biryani’s Love for Jollof

BEAUTY IN BLACKNESS
A candid conversation on race, religion and culture… Continue reading BEAUTY IN BLACKNESS

FAILed by the culture
A sister messaged us to share her story about being a victim of sexual abuse and rape in a Pakistani-Muslim household. This extract explores her story, how she has coped and advice to fellow victims. The writer wishes to remain anonymous. He forced his hands onto me, one hand crawling up my shirt, the other pushing me down onto my bed. God that force felt … Continue reading FAILed by the culture

Why can’t I just have sex?
By Sainabou Hydara Anyone who spends more than two minutes engaging with Muslim Twitter is more than well aware that the main topic of conversation at any given times is relationships. Most often than not the general conversation is revolving marriage, how to find a husband and or/ how to operate within said marriage…of course throw in a couple of hypothetical scenarios about being slapped … Continue reading Why can’t I just have sex?

Binding Identities
‘Binding Identities’, is an ongoing series by Safiyyah Saeed that focuses on the binding nature of the familiar and unique aspects of our identities. At the centre is the hijab, which presents a familiar link between Muslim women from all around the world… Continue reading Binding Identities

Lessons In Art
I recently stumbled across Hawwa’s Instagram page and I instantly fell in love with her photography, illustrations and the messages behind her art. I wanted to learn more about the woman behind the work and get some insight into her techniques. She describes herself as an ‘amateur’, hard to believe when you look at her work, but her self-deprecating humour makes her all the more endearing… Continue reading Lessons In Art

Bluesforthehorn – One to Watch!
Bluesforthehorn is a British R&B artist from East London. She is a singer-songwriter and is also passionate about ending gender-based violence and extremism. Continue reading Bluesforthehorn – One to Watch!

Steps to Self Love With Zakia
Thank you to all who attended Steps to Self-Love with Zakia! The workshop was beautiful, honest and very much needed. At the start of the event, we discussed what self-love meant to everyone. A major recurring theme was that today’s society often forces us to judge ourselves and compare our journeys to that of others, which can impact the way we view ourselves and can determine … Continue reading Steps to Self Love With Zakia