Egyptian-American content creator, cognitive science student, and artist Rana Zaky is known for her online presence as a digital older sister. She has inspired thousands to create and view themselves in a more positive light, helping other artists learn from her mistakes as she continues growing and learning. Fostering a community of roughly 60,000 “Nestlings” (as of July 2024), she’s determined to discard the widely spread trend of turning art into an identity, instead encouraging followers to explore all avenues of life.
Art Spotlight: “Atlas”
“Atlas” is a piece that is very special to Rana. It was created when she was 17, as the centerpiece of her AP art portfolio. Even though, at the time, most of the pieces she posted were created spontaneously and didn’t necessarily have deep themes, “Atlas” was definitely much more thoughtful and intentional, and deals with a subject that is often thought of as taboo, even though it is one that affects more than one in five adolescents.
“Atlas” is a deromanticized look at self harm and suicide; it shows the bitter reality of ending one’s own life. Rana feels very strongly that media often depicts suicide as a poetic thing. The reality is very different: for example, “Atlas” shows urine running down its subject’s legs, something that is a real-life consequence, when the bowels release. Rather than a poetic end, the viewer comes face-to-face with the uncomfortable harsh truths of the human body.
Another prominent element within “Atlas” is a cute dog plushie, whose large eyes look at the scene, bearing witness to the character’s last moments. This was actually inspired by a childhood toy that Rana had. She got it when she was two, and spent years with it. The idea for “Atlas” came to her when she was looking at her plushie, and was partly inspired by a thought about inanimate things having souls.
The idea for “Atlas” came to Rana when she was looking at and thinking of everything that her plushie represented. As her only constant companion through every moment of her childhood and adolescence, her plushie dog had been with her through all the difficulties and achievements, as a source of steadiness. And this was the source of the name of the painting as well: Atlas held up the heavens, and this inanimate object held the entire weight of one person’s life.
In today’s world, where many of us – most of us – have corporate jobs, no family members who live nearby, and live alone, loneliness is a constant companion. This was the theme, the storyline that ran through Rana’s AP art portfolio, and the Atlas plushie represents the one object that bore witness to the subject’s entire life, providing mute support through all the ups and the downs. And, in “Atlas”, the plushie witnesses the end of a life, looking mutely at a pair of dangling legs, having seen the whole progression from Day 1, unable to do anything but be there.
“Atlas” was viewed 1.3 million times. Hundreds of people commented saying that it had changed their perspective on self harm and suicide. It was also interesting that many people translated “Atlas” through their own prism of lived experiences, with a lot of comments talking about how they related the piece to their special bond with pets – living animals. Many of the people who engaged with the painting talked about how they couldn’t imagine leaving a pet behind, even in the depths of their despair: it took on the dimension of attaching fondness to an object to avoid self harm.
Even though “Atlas” was created in 2020-21, it set the foundation for what Rana’s art was to become. Even though the subject matter is bleak, it projects a positive image. It pushes back against the overly romanticized notion of the troubled artist. It sets up the stark reality of the moment when it actually happens, as against the romantic depiction of raw pain in many books and movies. Something that really resonated with Rana was when people told her about how they had been on the brink of suicide, and “Atlas” helped change their mind, and that they kept coming back to it when they were at a low point.
At that point, she realized that it wasn’t just art she was creating, that she had the power to foster a positive community. It wasn’t the first or the last piece of hers that went viral on social media – she already had a moderately large following on TikTok at the time she posted “Atlas” – but it was definitely the first that did more than just offer aesthetic appeal. It also reached people at a deep human level, and the ramifications still surprise Rana to this day. For example, she made a friend in Egypt in 2023 who had been following her account for two years before that, and knew of her work before she knew the person behind it.
“Atlas” is special to Rana because it was foundational to what she does now: building a wholesome art community. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Art Spotlight: The Dreamer
“The Dreamer” is close to Rana’s heart, but not necessarily because it went viral, or because it resonated with hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, as “Atlas” did.
Rana loves “The Dreamer” because of the process of its creation. Most of her works of art are very planned. She spends time on the concepts, she looks for references, she thinks deeply and intentionally about the meaning she wishes to attach to the pieces.
“The Dreamer” was spontaneously created in a few hours (May 8, 2023, at 5:16 AM), borne on the tidal wave of a sudden burst of inspiration. There was no reference image, no long-drawn-out planning process: just colored pencils and a sense of pleasant surprise at the outcome.
“The Dreamer” is part of Rana’s Purple People series; the face with closed eyes depicted in the piece has purple undertones. The red lines swirling around the face create a powerful statement: they represent the thoughts of the eponymous dreamer swirling upwards, creating an endless loop above the head.
When Rana looks at “The Dreamer”, she is transported back to the day when her mind birthed that piece of art. It was very early in the morning (5 AM), very dark. She didn’t want to wake up the house so she used a low-light lamp, picking up a sketchbook and starting to draw. Lying on her bed, on her stomach, Rana felt like a little child drawing again, and there was no pressure, no initial intention to create something elaborate that would be “worth posting online”.
The process of creation of “The Dreamer” was also especially enjoyable because of the medium – Rana used colored pencils, which are much less messy than paints. Her little empty lined notebook was her canvas that magical night-morning, and the piece is still very special to her, as a monument to spontaneity and ease of creation.
Art Analysis – by Rana herself
Of the hundreds of pieces Rana has posted online, most speak to her followers in their own ways, and they always come up with interpretations that complement and enrich her own thought process while creating the pieces of art. In this reel, Rana responds to comments about a particularly deep piece about generational trauma, and adds her point of view to the commentary.
STEM and Art
Rana is a Cognitive Science student. Rana is also an artist. She’s always been really good at the humanities, having excelled at writing, arts, and philosophy as a high school student. She picked cognitive science in part because of its interdisciplinary nature; it allows her to study humanities in a systematic manner without being constrained. It also gives her many opportunities for research; she would like to build a career in academia, and one way in which her artistic side and her academic side come together is in their emphasis on collaboration – working on projects, building things that have a positive impact on future generations.
As a student research assistant, Rana has worked with artists, game developers, coders, and AI professionals; she observed how everything came together, convincing her that art without STEM, or STEM without art, were both incomplete. Another point of similarity between her two worlds is their ability to touch lives and forge strong human connections. When she interned with a gynecologist, she saw the human aspect of it all, new lives starting, everyday interactions, and people at their most vulnerable and authentic.
To Rana, there is no formal separation between the things she’s interested in. One of her favorite college courses of all time – Introduction to Logic – really spoke to her soul, and she observed a clear intersection between humanities and logic. She even participated to a much greater extent than she normally would in any other course, and is grateful for the opportunity to learn to better articulate her thoughts with stronger and more compelling lines of reasoning.
Rana has also recently completed an informal interview with NBC News about the intersection between being an artist and a STEM student.
Building an Art Community
Rana started with a small TikTok art account. She was 16 when the global pandemic hit; her artistic skills were definitely not at the level they are now. Stuck at home, she had nothing to do for a few months but draw, and her drawing skills progressed very quickly. As an “art kid” at school, she had spent a lot of time going through YouTube art compilation videos, in a bid to find inspiration. She didn’t know at the time that she would one day look at those videos and find her own art featured there!
So when Rana decided to start an art account on TikTok, she thought initially that she might post and go viral overnight.
When she posted her first drawing, it got 2 likes.
Rana doesn’t give up easily. As the eldest daughter of an immigrant household, she was taught, and has learned, to be resilient. She pursues things she wants with purpose and confidence. So she wasn’t discouraged by the initial slow growth, and kept posting consistently. The likes per post grew slowly – from 2 to 5 and then 10 interactions. Nothing went viral for a few months. But she kept posting art whose quality kept improving until her effort began to pay off.
Rana is grateful for the early setbacks, and perseverance is something she tries to instill in her younger followers. Anything worth having will be hard to attain. As her account slowly started gaining traction, it grew to 10,000 followers later in 2020. Multiple fans of her work asked if they could buy prints, and Rana decided to monetize her art. She built her own website, and started selling and distributing prints. It was definitely financially successful; it served as a good side income stream, and everyone loved their prints. But after a while, something strange happened.
Rana found that she didn’t want to draw any more. Painting, one of her favorite activities, felt like it was something she did for other people.
And when she decided to take AP Art and Design independently as a 17 year old, she thought that it might solve her art block, but she still wasn’t happy. Commissions had started coming in – her first was from a successful content creator whom she is now friends with. Rana undersold herself that first time, in an attempt not to scare her very first client away. But after that, she gained more confidence and learned how to price her work. She had two art revenue streams working for her, but she felt drained. She learned that she didn’t enjoy creating art for other people. And, as her account grew in reach, so did the demands on her artistic bandwidth.
Things came to a head when she was 18, in 2022. She had just graduated high school, and was going through a difficult time. Hit by art block, she stopped posting for a while, and the algorithm did what it does to accounts that don’t post regularly; she lost followers. Discouraged by this and by the relatively low number of likes on her newest posts, Rana’s art account stagnated for a while.
When she was 19, she realized that she still had goals as an artist, that she had things that were important to her that she wanted to work towards. Most importantly, Rana came to understand that her art wasn’t a separate talent, that it was a reflection of herself. She held herself accountable to posting consistently every single day. Her platform presence diversified as well: she created an Instagram account and experimented with different kinds of art-related reels. Soon she came to understand that anything related to connection and creating safe spaces did better. This worked well for her – from when she was young, she had always been told that she was empathetic, and that she could effortlessly spark connections and conversations. Since she naturally loves talking and listening and interacting with people, that shines through in her reels and videos; you feel like she’s speaking to you.
And this became the focus of Rana’s second big foray into social media: implementing conversation and community into her art pages. Looking back, she can see what she did wrong on TikTok; posting many disconnected individual art pieces meant that they often went viral on their own, but there was no overarching community, and her own brand didn’t shine through.
Rana picked up on questions she’d been asked in the comments on her social media pages, and created videos that addressed those specific artist concerns. She also did her research online and picked up certain topics that she had strong opinions on – for example, the “troubled artist” stereotype.
This shift in approach meant that she was able to make her page feel more personal; she has always been outspoken, and enjoys discussions and sharing her own opinions. On her page, she can be vocal about sometimes unpopular takes on art topics. This also made her social media presence much more sustainable; she cannot create new art everyday, and she is sure that she wants to nurture her art as a side hobby, as a passion that feeds her soul and that doesn’t consume her. It’s much easier to create short, thoughtful, ten second videos that help her post consistently.
Today, Rana enjoys being an artist again.
She has built a supportive social media community of artists and art enthusiasts, one that is 60,000 strong across two platforms and growing. Observing her follower count stopped feeling like a source of pressure, a curse; it became a privilege. And, in the early days after the paradigm shift, she noticed many artists commenting and interacting as they never had before. This really highlighted a lacuna in the kind of content out there for art enthusiasts: a lack of positive uplifting content, no community for small artists who felt dissatisfied with the Instagram algorithm and felt underrepresented.
The kind of content Rana started posting helped tens of thousands of people deal with common issues, like feeling discouraged with slow growth and potentially giving up on posting. She was able to show them that the quality of their art was not a function of their marketing skills, and put up several tips for small artists looking to grow their art accounts. Overall, many of her followers told her about how they appreciated the positive mentality for artists to follow, especially since they were mixed with her own thoughts, all within a fun relatable space.
Becoming the Big Art Sister
Over time, Rana came to understand that her online persona was reflective of who she is in real life: she has two younger siblings, and is also a nurturing friend in most of her personal friendships. And so she became the Big Art Sister on Instagram and TikTok. She inspires people to be creative even if they have never picked up a brush, she shares her thoughts on life as someone who loves art. And there was a gradual shift from quantity to quality; she is now more excited about connection and community than watching follower count numbers go up on a screen.
For her, new followers are still a blessing, but now that’s because it’s one more person she gets to help, and not as a reflection of real or imagined clout. She knew that the only difference between a “successful” social media account and one with fewer followers is that one of them posted more consistently. Social media reach is not a reflection of art quality or personal worth.
At first, posting consistently was hard, especially because Rana was putting herself out there. She wasn’t completely confident; she worried about embarrassing herself on an account that her friends and relatives followed. But she realized that, at the end of the day, she would regret not posting, and she didn’t want to live with the “what if” of always wondering. Regardless of what strangers said, she knew that the right people would always support her, and that she was the only person whose opinion mattered.
As it happened, the community that coalesced around Rana’s videos was a reflection of her own approach to life – positive, supportive, and motivated. She is very happy that she created her art community on social media; it was also reflective of how she had taken steps to change her life for the better. She spent more time on cherishing the people and places around her, and other good things fell into place. Art became a form of connection for her; it enriched her friendships and conversations. She realized that real fulfillment came from within, and started loving art again.
And the numbers followed. Even though she wasn’t chasing follower counts or engagement rates any more, her posts kept going viral, and her IG and TikTok followers kept increasing. As of July 2024, she has more than 60,000 followers across platforms, most of whom engage extensively with her posts and stories.
Art and Connection
As someone who has experienced living in both an individualistic culture and a collectivist culture, Rana finds that applying collectivism to other aspects of her life can have positive benefits. Even though growing one’s art brand online is linked closely to hustle culture and is seen as competitive, art is about sharing and connection by its very essence, and cannot be completely individualistic. Of course, individualism also allows artists to develop their own unique styles and confidence in their work. However, when art becomes about just one person, it strips away the core of art, and takes away its power to connect with people across the world, to connect with people from other times in other cultures. Art has been the one consistent form of human expression, and linking it solely to monetary fulfillment can be detrimental in the long run.
As someone who is an artist, but not only an artist, Rana has many other opinions that are deeply thought out, and that are not always in line with mainstream thinking in the art world. For example, there is consternation among most artists about the role of AI, and about AI art potentially taking work away from artists. Rana recognizes that this is definitely a valid concern for anyone who is pursuing art as a career, but she thinks that there is one major point that many people miss. AI may replicate art, but it can never replicate the process of its creation. It can never replace the portion of the artist’s soul and the time which went into making something personal and special. She does believe that if more people who create art as a hobby valued the process as much as they valued the end result, they would feel better about their art. The journey is very important.
Similarly, Rana does not believe in a singular “art kid” stereotype. There is a growing perception that all artists must be troubled and mysterious, and it’s not necessarily how all artists are. She has never felt like confining all her talents in one box; she contains multitudes – as a STEM student and an artist, as someone with multiple interests and passions, even if they aren’t all aligned with each other.
This overall message of well-being is a central theme of the Daily Challenges that Rana puts up on her Instagram stories. These are healthy practices that encourage people to do something different every day – usually something simple that helps them better themselves, to improve the quality of their lives by a small but significant amount, and they have proven very popular with her followers. It has become a truly community-driven initiative over time: Rana allows her community members to send suggestions, and she incorporates the best ones into the final list.
Between August 2023 and July 2024, Rana has posted approximately 300 Daily Challenges. She also has a broadcast channel with 563 members, where she shares life wisdom, art thoughts, wholesome updates, and informative links. There’s also a collaborative curation opportunity through her Instagram hashtag, #tartsaviary, with 100+ posts by her followers.
Awareness
For the longest time, Rana’s social media accounts were only about art, and she didn’t talk about politics, religion, or belief systems. But late last year (2023), as the civilian death toll in Gaza kept mounting, she found that it was impossible to stay silent. Even though she had initially envisioned her account merely as a safe space for artists, it was still her platform, and she wanted to use it to speak out for those who couldn’t, those whose voices were stifled by the lack of access to electricity and the internet.
So she spoke out, highlighting the atrocities that were committed in the Gaza Strip, and urged her followers to educate themselves and use their voices as well. A few unfollowed, and she was happy to see them go. For how could she claim to be supportive and want good, if she couldn’t post about the devastation that was happening a few countries away from her ethnic origins?
Rana believes very strongly that it is no longer possible, in good conscience, to act like nothing is happening; there is no excuse to look away. In the pinned video on her TikTok page, she talks about the implication of the normalization and censorship of a human rights issue, and in a separate video about the hypocrisy of the Ballerina Farm article in relation to the women of Gaza. The first reaction of most people in a privileged position when they see fresh images of headless children in Palestine is to look away. But what of the millions in Gaza who do not have that option?
Rana believes that many of us have reached a point where we do not have a reaction to atrocities committed on a daily basis against innocent civilians, against genocide in the 21st century. This is symptomatic of a deeper underlying societal issue. People who go about their own privileged lives without feeling the urge to help don’t realize that it could just as easily be them; the stark Before and After images of Gazans whose lives crumbled in an instant tell a universal tale. If we have reached a point where we dehumanize these flesh and blood people to an extent where we do not care any more, we are all culpable.
She is also conscious of, and disgusted by, the censorship of the issue, and talks to her followers about the frightening implications. A restriction of free speech, even if it does seem to people in the West like it only applies to events on the other side of the globe, could easily spread and affect everyone, everywhere. In an individualistic society, people are often self-centered, and stay complacent until their own rights are threatened. And this is a paradox; human beings are inherently social, and were meant to thrive in communities. And Rana talks about this at length; if the people in another country can have their right to free speech – to speech at all – taken away, why would those who ignore it not become casualties of the same fate in the future?
Rana helps her followers educate themselves by posting facts, videos, and resources, so that nobody can wilfully look away from gross human rights violations. Project Olive Branch is a movement that Rana recommends to anyone who looks to help support Gaza. She also uses her platform to spread awareness about other issues like the Sudanese Civil War, and she recommends these resources for those who want to learn more.
Future Plans
Rana believes that she is firmly on the road she wishes to follow as an artist; she has found that her artistic calling is to create a supportive community and spread good. In addition to providing fun content, she wants to focus also on providing positive relatable content with more value, with a strong message. She looks forward to posting her own art and sharing art tips.
Fans of Rana’s work can also look forward to aggregated tips in a format like a digital e-book, where she addresses concerns that many people have spoken to her about. She has also started a digital newsletter, and she’s excited about the possibility of interacting with her wholesome art community through her art pages, through her writing, and through her videos.
Rana now knows that her true talent is using art to make others feel seen, to experience the joy of watching her support inspire their growth, both as an artist and an individual.
Gratitude
Here’s a direct quote from Rana: a list of people to whom she is indebted for the success of her artistic endeavors.
“Aside from thanking the beautiful community of nestlings who have supported me like siblings, and who’ve been just as excited to see me grow as I’ve been to see them grow, I’d also like to thank the people who’ve seen my life progress regardless of social media. I’m grateful to have parents who’ve supported every strange hobby I’ve picked up over the years, and brothers who laugh with me in the kitchen at 3 AM. My dad helped me a lot when I was selling prints or needed supplies for a deadline. He’s my backbone in so many ways, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I have now if it weren’t for his sacrifices. I’m also eternally grateful for my friends and family in general, the people who’ve taught me what genuine support and connection (and by extension art) looks like. If I listed every person I was grateful for, the list would be never-ending. List or no list, they know who they are. The person I am today wouldn’t have existed without all the beautiful individuals who’ve entered my life and left an imprint in some way. Thank you to Artists Are Cool for the opportunity to share what I do. I’d also like to thank any mentors or teachers I’ve had over the years, who saw something in me and nurtured it, who were openly passionate about their jobs and students. Lastly, I’d like to thank my cousin, best friend, and sister, Roquayyaih, for growing together from weird children into weird adults, and for being a lighthouse during darker times.”
Links
Rana’s Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/birdtart01/.
Rana’s TikTok Page: https://www.tiktok.com/@birdtart01?lang=en.
Substack: https://substack.com/@birdtart.