Yellow Mushmellow draws from hardships to create art

Growing up with two special needs sisters has placed Nur Aida Sa’ad and her family in a couple of unexpected situations.

During their unexpected tantrums, her family had to deal with broken mirrors at home. Aida also had her computer thrown onto the floor once.

“Growing up with special needs sisters is unpredictable, but it is where you find gems and pleasant surprises that really catch you off guard,” said 27-year-old Aida, who is better known as Yellow Mushmellow on Instagram.

Last August, Aida worked on a series of comics that depicted the mayhem that ensued at home when their parents left for a religious pilgrimage to Mecca.

Over a month, Aida shared several short stories about coping with the challenges she faced at home on Instagram.

Her comics were so well-received that Aida is now compiling all 70 comics into a book, which she plans to release by the end of May.

“Drawing forces me to process the events [that happened at home], and publishing it forces me to make light of the situation.

Her love for her sisters is evident not only from the artwork she shares with over 4,800 followers on Instagram, but also from the décor of her studio.

“Her obsession with rainbows shows that there are many ways to express what rainbows are,” added Aida, who is currently working on a rainbow-inspired installation for The Artground, a public play area for kids opening in late August.

“When I was in JC, I drew about how I ‘died’ after every exam…People started to look forward to the drawings, and even the teachers would ask me [about them],” she shared with a laugh.

She said: “I feel like humour is a good way to talk about things that people might be uncomfortable talking about.”

“I want to bring to light the way I see my sisters. People commonly associate [people with] special needs with being burdensome or less capable, but they are inspiring and brilliant to me.”