Can career and passion go hand in hand?

Not everyone ends up pursuing what they love as a career. Some have to work hard to manage a well-paid day job alongside their passion. Such dedication often results in getting the best of both worlds. These Riyadhis have learned the art of living a double life on the edge of sword.

Dr. Graffiti

After achieving his passion and lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, Mohammed Al Otaibi was looking for a way to de-stress. The stressfully long shift hours, multiple surgeries and delivering babies came with Ob-Gyn residency. That’s when art came into picture. “Art was a beautiful mistake.”

The idea first came to him when a friend challenged him to paint a face in three hours, while his friend would paint the same thing in 3D. Al Otaibi was impressed and inspired by his friend’s work that he decided to become an artist, too. He thought of it as a way to express himself. He also found it calming and a way to unwind after a rough day. He started with street art and trained himself via YouTube videos. After getting the hang of it, he upgraded his style by mixing street art with portraits.

“I’m all about ego. My art reflects that. It’s all about power for me.”

Most of his artwork is of wild animals. He incorporates a different technique to each artwork. Now, he is a dedicated doc by day and an artist by night.

Instagram: slickdesigns

Engineered Jeans

Louay Helaby (software engineer) and his brother Maher Helaby (a marketing manager), were driven by the aim to be more in life. Despite the large age gap, both brothers shared the same love for fashion, especially jeans, as they owned about 150 pairs of jeans. They were picky and concentrated on the tiniest detail before buying a pair. Their shared fondness got them exploring the streets of Italy for advice and inspiration from one of the biggest denim brand: Diesel. It wasn’t long before the Helaby brothers started their own brand of jeans.

“Don’t wait for inspiration. Be the inspiration.”

With a motive to promote positive living through innovative jeans, they started JeanZee. They integrated multiple positive messages in the pockets of their jeans. Whenever you plan to wear your JeanZee, you can pick a positive message to keep you in good spirits through the day.

They wish to build a better tomorrow by contributing to the empowerment of youth through positivity, and also by helping the needy.

“We work hard to run our business because our day job has limited days. After retirement, I want to continue doing what I love. And there’s nothing more that I love than fashion.”

Instagram: _jeanzee