He is young, talented and dedicated to his calling in life: Creativity in the form of Graphic Designing. With a diverse background that pans from Cyber Crime Investigation on one hand to Software Engineering on the other, it was his passion for graphic designing and creativity that led him to his own creative enterprises: BTW speaks to Hamza Al Ghatam from the PicassoHouse and 3D Expértos to understand the designer turned entrepreneur better!
Tell us briefly about yourself: where you were born and brought up, your family, childhood, any memorable event, etc.
Bahrain is my country, and it’s where I born, and spent half of my life. I lived the other half of my life in different countries starting with Saudi, UAE, UK, and a short spell in China. Each had different impact on my life, added valuable experience to me, and left me appreciating each culture and looking to the world in a totally different way.
Give us a brief overview of your educational and professional qualification.
I started my schooling in Khobar in Saudi Arabia, where my father’s main business is. Then moved to Bahrain when I was in the 4th grade and remained there till I graduated from high school. I left Bahrain straight after to United Arab Emirates to join the American University of Sharjah, but I moved again a year later to England where I got my first degree in BEng Software Engineering from Bradford University, and then joined Plymouth University where I did my masters degree in Information Security and Cyber Crime Investigation. And then worked as a researcher for a while before coming back to Bahrain.
Were you inclined towards arts and design right from the beginning?
I always had love for art, and design, but I always treated it as a hobby only, even though that it used to bring me good money from the designs I used to do specially during my university time in UK. But that all changed later on my life when I decided that I can no longer bear being an employee, with my hobby bringing me more fun, and money with the bonus of doing what I really love and enjoy doing.
Do share with us what brought you to found the PicassoHouse.
As I said, it was a way to be creative, have fun, do something I love, and earn extra money. I wasn’t alone. I was part of a small team at the very beginning, where we used to get projects, divide the work between us, and create magic using art. There is a saying, love what you do, till you do what you love. And that’s what I’ve done at my beginning when I was an employee and running PicassoHouse as a side business, till it grew into successful business, with me doing what I love as a full-timer in it.
What are your other areas of interest/businesses?
I love things that can combine art and technology, where my passion meets my education. And my new adventure is a company called 3D Expértos which I established with a group of very talented and smart entrepreneurs. 3D Expértos provide a wide range of solutions in 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, 3D Security, 3D Software, and it brought the well know 3D Pen technology to Bahrain last year, which is available in all hypermarket around the country, and it’s embraced by number of schools, and institutes around the country as a way to inject creativity to education. I’m very excited with this new adventure, with breath-taking technologies that we’ll be brining up to GCC market soon.
Any funny incidents as a businessman?
I normally don’t like to write GM or owner on my business card, so a lot of people don’t know that I’m the owner of the company. So I get a lot of offers to leave PicassoHouse for other companies and mostly from people that I done business with. So I just smile, say thank you for the offer, and decline it.
Tell us about some of your creations that you are proud of.
At PicassoHouse we are known for our Branding, and Design services. We are proud that around 65% of successfully franchised Bahraini food & beverages brands are made by us. Not to mention the 150+ different products available in GCC supermarkets with packaging branding and design created by PicassoHouse.
What according to you are the basic requisite qualities of a successful creative professional?
Love & passion in what she/he is doing, and an absolute believe in own ability, with a never give-up attitude that have to be present at all times specially when things get tough. Remember that dreams will never come true without persistence and hard work. It’s not as easy as it seems, it’s difficult.
What is your message to aspiring creative designers of Bahrain?
Try to take it step by step, and you will learn, get more experience and get wiser with each step you make. Don’t jump steps, and look for easy rides, as quick success never lasts and remember that easy come, easy go.