While some of us may have known our career choice from infancy, Shosha Kamal took the unorthodox path in choosing hers. Originally a marketer, Kamal switched gears later on in her adult life to pursue her true calling: art. She is a product designer and artist who’s distinguished herself through unique pieces and designs embracing Ancient Egyptian culture. We got to interview Kamal at Entreprenelle’s SHE CAN event in March, know how her artwork took her to new heights, and which values led her there.
An Unusual Change of Paths
Career-shift stories are usually of an extreme nature and Kamal’s story is quite radical in that sense. Formerly the assistant brand manager at Unilever, Kamal was actually happy at her previous job; unlike most people prior to shifting careers.
“Usually people who make career shifts are unhappy with their jobs but I loved my job. I was very happy with what I was doing.” – Sosha Kamal, Founder and Design Director of Shosha Kamal Design House.
In 2011, a series of events happened that would lead Kamal to the turning point of her career. Kamal came across an advertisement announcing that British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, was designing a shopping center in one of Italy’s largest shopping districts; CityLife. Unfamiliar with Hadid’s legacy, Kamal searched everything there was to know. While observing Hadid’s passion for architecture, Kamal was struck by an unprecedented but very vivid epiphany: the art world was summoning her.
The center of Milano by Zaha Hadid. Via Architecture Daily.
Led by her gut instinct, Kamal went on to live in Italy to study art and design at the Florence Design Academy in 2012. And a new road was paved ahead of Kamal after that.
New Shoes To Fill
After returning from Italy, Kamal was rumbling with passion and excitement to dive into her first project. But the road ahead wasn’t easy. Much to her surprise, Kamal faced all kinds of discrimination. Whether it was gender or age-based, Kamal had to pull double duty to make a name for herself. Despite exhibiting great effort and dedication, Kamal was closely inspected in her first few projects due to being inexperienced. “I had no architectural background and that created resistance towards me from everyone else. They don’t accept you right away”, she notes. And that was evident in her male colleagues who didn’t take an immediate liking to her.
Shosha Kamal next to her renovated sign at the UNESCO heritage site in Egypt. Via Love & Lobby.
“My field is mostly male-dominated so as a woman, you have to work twice as hard to prove you’re as competent.”- Shosha Kamal, Founder and Design Director of Shosha Kamal Design House.
Reflecting back on that, Kamal says that in time, she learned to deal with these intolerances in a way that doesn’t oppose her success. And that is something we can learn to apply to any career.
After a year of tirelessly learning all she can in the world of design, Kamal launched Shosha Kamal Design House in 2013 and began building her portfolio of success. And with that success, came 3 valuable lessons that Kamal learned along the way:
1. Your Biggest Success May Start off as a Failure
After a 2017 terrorist act in Al Rawda mosque in North Sinai, all artists from the Middle East were summoned to commemorate the unfortunate event through their designs by an undisclosed foundation.
Through her design ‘Reviving Humanity’, Kamal commemorated all attacks on humanity; not just physical ones. Her memorial piece aimed to unite the world and revive their long-lost humanity. Unfortunately, not everyone saw it that way. Kamal’s designs were declined given how they didn’t conventionally honor the attacked mosque. While this may have discouraged her, Kamal was strong-willed enough to know that better opportunities are to come.
“Reviving Humanity” memorial design in Sinai by Shosha Kamal. Via Shosha Kamal.
Living proof of that statement, Kamal’s memorial piece was awarded the Arte Laguna Prize in March 2021 among the top 5 international urban artworks to be exhibited later in October. The Arte Laguna Exhibition is an international art competition seeking to publicize the work of emerging artists worldwide. Among a 95% majority of Italian artists, Kamal was the only Egyptian to be awarded this prize.
“Between those two events, lies a string of failures and successes. People need to be aware of this to know that what they’re currently experiencing is normal. Some people have succeeded more at first and ended up in worse places now.”
– Shosha Kamal, Founder and Design Director of Shosha Kamal Design House.
2. Cultural Achievements Aren’t Just Limited to Your Hometown
Now that we’ve seen one of her memorable debut pieces, let’s see how her other designs successfully followed suit. After curating many global awards for her humanitarian initiatives and designs, there was still more in store for the budding designer. In October 2018, Kamal received a call from Egypt’s presidential office about former US first lady, Melania Trump‘s visit to Egypt. She was to be gifted the Scarab chair; a timeless creation of Kamal’s. The Egyptian scarab beetle is a famed symbol of revival and transformation; which Kamal evidently conveys in her design. Trump was very pleased when receiving the chair and commented saying it resembled jewelry; not furniture.
The Scarab Beatle Chair by Shosha Kamal Designs. Via Shosha Kamal.
In that visit, both Donald and Melania Trump had received at least 8000 gifts, Kamal recalls. The Scarab chair was listed among the 5 most valuable gifts received during their trip in global newspapers in China, Europe, and the US.
3. Your Success Can Live on in Different Scenarios
In November 2018, Kamal’s designs were once again in the global spotlight. Her Reviving Humanity memorial piece was showcased at the World Youth Forum (WYF) opening ceremony in Sharm El Sheikh. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi commenced the conference with an outdoor reveal of her design, which is to be permanently placed there as a symbol of Egyptian unity. Kamal’s installation embodied the literal meaning of unity; seeing as how 120 global artists contributed to the making of its one-of-a-kind design.
Shosha Kamal & Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the 2018 World Youth Forum. Via Shosha Kamal.
After 8 years in the market, Kamal has not only left her memorable mark in the art world, but has bestowed valuable wisdom upon those who intend to follow in her footsteps.
