By Chow Zhi Hui
Hailing from Bintulu, henna artist and muralist Fauzianna Ismail is a graduate of the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
“I studied in the fine arts course at the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts (FACA), which was really my first choice in the UPU application because of my interest in art. I feel like the course would help me a lot in terms of skills, and it actually did,” she said.
Fauzianna graduated from UNIMAS in 2021. Before graduating, she faced difficulties while studying at the time, as she was only able to attend online classes as the country was under multiple Movement Control Order (MCO) from March 2020. According to her, she had to buy a lot of internet quotas and study hard alone.
As for her venture in business, according to Fauzianna, she started her henna business in 2016, while her life as a mural artist began after graduating in 2021. All in all, the young lass has already acquired six years of experience in the henna business and almost two years of experience working with murals.
“I don’t have specific working hours. I work every day because in my line of work, the client decides the time and place, and I’ve been all around Sarawak,” said Fauzianna.
Henna has been known as a cosmetic tool since time immemorial. In Malaysia, most cultures, especially the Malays and Indians, have their own style of henna. The henna plant is scientifically known as “Lawsonia Inermis” pronounced by the Arabs as Hinna (Henna).
The exact origin of henna in cosmetics is difficult to pinpoint because the art itself is almost 5000 years old. This demonstrates how henna has been integrated and has become important in the daily lives of communities from the past to the present, regardless of race or religion.
Explaining her work process, Fauzianna said that it would take her between two minutes and one hour to complete a henna according to the design. “An intricate design will take a little longer,” she said, adding that the most popular henna design request is floral because it is beautiful and suitable for any occasion.
“Personally, I consider creativity and quality as the strong points of my henna service business, as I can fulfil any requests from customers, including Chinese characters. However, I only know basic Chinese, but I can still look at pictures and copy them. This way, the designs can look more fashionable and up-to-date, because nowadays, people love to follow trends.
“Modern henna also has several types of colours, such as red, white, black, nude, and others. Besides, we can do henna that can last according to the customer’s preferences,” she added. Fauzianna’s customers are often brides, grooms, and also henna lovers between the ages of 15 and 40. A RM100 set of henna equipment from Shopee can last her for a month.
Asked about her mural business, Fauzianna explained that schools and institutions frequently request murals of popular children’s-themed designs and also 3D designs, which are currently gaining popularity. “Painting a mural usually takes me a month to complete.” she added.
As for equipment, Fauzianna revealed that the cost of materials for making a mural ranges from RM500-RM1000. The prices for her murals also vary, ranging from hundreds up to RM5,000 per mural.
Fauzianna seemed unsure which was better when comparing the two, as both businesses were based on the number of current customers. “I can’t say which one is more profitable. Doing murals can get me some RM5000 per month, while doing henna can get me around RM500-RM1000 per week, so I can’t say for sure,” said Fauzianna.
As for the challenges she faced, Fauzianna explained that they were purely logistical, as she doesn’t have her own car. “Sometimes, I take the bus from Kota Samarahan to Kuching, and then proceed to use e-hailing services to get to my client’s house.
UNIMAS recently held a variety of activities around the campus in December 2022, with many taking advantage of the opportunity to run their respective businesses on campus and also promote homegrown products and brands.”It’s not the first time I’ve participated in UNIMAS events; it’s been more than 10 times. The PeTARY Open Day, which was held from December 5 to 9 at the Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’kub was very lively. I managed to get RM200-RM350 per day through my henna services,” she said.
As for now, Fauziaana does not have a physical store, but she uses social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to run her business and promote her brand, Nana Henna Sarawak. In order to attract more customers, she regularly uploads photos of her art, which is helpful for customers to get an idea of the designs.
“I have a Facebook page called Nana Henna Sarawak and an Instagram page called fiziana97nanahennasarawak,” she added. Anyone interested in henna services can visit the social media sites to get more information or contact her via WhatsApp at 013-8793767 for enquiries.
Fauzianna’s future plans include establishing her business in Dubai, where there is currently little to no competition in the henna and mural markets.”Hopefully I will make it in the future. For now, I will just focus on my business here. My motto is work in silence, be humble,” she said.
This article was written by a student from the Strategic Communication Programme at the Faculty of Language and Communication, UNIMAS.
