Meet Ameen Beydoun | Artist, Teacher, Surfer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ameen Beydoun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ameen, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Since I’m an artist I’ll be telling you about how my ART is intended to bring social impact:

I am the son of a Lebanese-Americans, the son of an artist, the son of an anthropologist. Storytelling is the tool I use to try and make a difference in the tiny worlds I live in.

I began my most recent project by designing-out something I was excited to write – children’s fiction, visual, socially impactful, educational, Lebanese, African, American, mythological. Habibti Pada was born: a story of a ten-year old African girl who immigrates to the Middle East where she wrestles with a new language, a new culture, and new monsters from Arab mythology.

I wanted to use Pada’s outsider perspective to highlight both the beauty of the Middle Eastern culture, as well as the socio-political problems. The first book is kind of an introduction into Pada’s new home, Book 2 touches on migrant domestic slavery (wikipedia “Kafala system” for more info), Book 3 deals with environmental collapse caused by unregulated capitalism, and Book 4 deals with racism and the explosive consequences of a completely dysfunctional public sector.

Wow, when I write it out it sounds like a lot of criticism! There’s a lot of magic and wonder in those places as well and I do my best to capture that in each story also. There’s also a language learning element – Pada (and the reader) learn a new Arabic word in each book from context clues. This word eventually helps Pada overcome the magical obstacle in each book. The book is meant to spark the (Western) reader’s interest in Middle Eastern culture, language, and mythology. Fortunately, those are all things I love as well

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
All my art comes from my lived-experience: I am the son of Lebanese immigrants, I graduated film school in Connecticut, I taught in Liberia and Comoros, I graduated from business school in California, I started (and folded) my own social-impact start-up in Senegal, I worked in EdTech in Kenya.

I was on my way to a comfortable career in Tech in Kenya when I put the brakes on and did a 180. I was miserable with the work and decided I’d rather be a poor and happy artist than a rich and miserable Product Manager.

I think my time in Liberia and Comoros was very important in that decision to become a poor-but-happy artist because my time in those places taught me how to be happy with my environment, with my relationships, and not with the (materials) things that I own. Of course, we all have our basic needs – I just think mine might be lower than others. It’s a very powerful quality if you want to work on your own terms and be your own boss.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego Trip:

Day 1: Surf session at Sunset Cliffs followed by scallop tacos at Mike’s in OB

Day 2: Spearfishing and snorkeling at Boomer’s Beach in La Jolla followed by grilled fish (hopefully!) and Mezcal in Roy’s backyard

Day 3: Bouldering in Santee followed by home-cooked Lebanese at Al-Foron in El Cajon

Day 4: Street tacos in Tijuana and camping at Salsipuedes, Baja

Day 5: Dinner at Awash Ethiopian and dancing at Whistlestop, South Park

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my mama: the artist

Shoutout to my baba: the traveler

Shoutout to the homelands: Middle East and Africa

Shoutout to Ismael Hernandez: the brilliant illustrator of Habibti Pada Book 1

Website: ameenbeydoun.com

Instagram: ameen_bey

Other: Indiegogo coming soon for Habibti Pada Book 2!

Image Credits
Photographer of Author Picture: Daniela Cassataro Illustrations: Ismael Hernandez