An artist’s struggle
However, she feared that her parents might not accept her decision. “I have a very typical desi family,” she says. Her father is an economics professor, while her mother is a homemaker.
Being good at studies, and pursuing law, she had set out to be a lawyer and to leave it to start an unconventional profession was tricky.
“My mother was my biggest supporter. I remember telling her and then even rehearsing with her on how to tell my father that I will quit my job,” she says with a giggle.
Even after her first gig in 2022, it took her more than a year to establish her business and the time in between was rough. “This was a time of self-doubts. My stress triggers my psoriasis. But even during that time, my family, and my friends were supportive of me,” she says. Noor now is a full-time wedding painter with many viral reels; the most popular one has over 35k views.
Best part of the job
So how does live wedding painting work? “A painting takes around four to six hours to complete. Don’t worry, I do not make couples pose for long hours,” she says.
Noor reaches the venue an hour or two before the guests arrive and paints the venue on her canvas. Then, as the couple arrive, she photographs their most precious moments. For some couples, it is their varmala ceremony, for others it is the pheras.
Using that photo, she paints, making the big reveal at the end of the wedding. “I take a lot of pictures, sometimes, I also add elements as I paint the background,” she says. For her, the best part of her job is to see the couples’ reaction when they get to see the painting.
“The emotional reactions I get from the couples makes me the happiest. Hearing their love stories and then bringing them on a canvas gives me joy. And who would mind dancing to a DJ while painting,” she tells TMS, as she rides a cab at 12.30am from a wedding at ITC Grand Bharat to her home in Janakpuri.
