Author: Samarra Khaja

nounâsuhâ¢MAHRâ¢rah KAHâ¢jah First name: Emphasis on âmarâ syllable. Last name: The âhâ is silent. Silent, but deadly. Never ignore a silent âh.âLeft-handed, half-Indian, half-Australian. Has no quick answer to, âSo where are you from?â Lived and traveled globally, including magical childhood stints in Australia, Dubai, and Singapore. Feels most at home in cultural melting pots like New York City.Schooled in fine arts, with a focus on drawing, printmaking, and photography. Also came away with a beautifully esoteric minor in medieval studies, which means she can recite the first eighteen lines of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English at any given moment and knows way too much about apse mosaic iconography.Has worked across disciplines as a designer, photographer, art director, and illustrator for the likes of The New York Times, The Guggenheim, Bliss (spa and skin care), Time magazine, Victoria”s Secret, and Cirque du Soleilâall in her signature whimsical style.Is constantly making things or thinking about making things, because of a genetically hardwired thirst to be creative. Similar to involuntary bodily functions like heart beating and breathing.Aside from bolts of scrumptious fabric, other places to spot her creations in the wild include a giant 24-by-120-foot outdoor illustrated mural in Brooklyn and foolishly anthropomorphized (and oh-so-very-cheesy) food illustrations on permanent display at Kraft Foods headquarters in Chicago. And now, this book of awesomesauceness.Adores animals, her family, bold patterns, thrift store scores, copious amounts of chocolate, a good glass of red wine, and the color green.Can be followed globally at samarrakhaja.com.