hello, my name is ethar hamid (she/her). I’m a beginning writer/illustrator located in Sterling, Virginia. I graduated from my undergraduate program in 2021 with a degree in liberal studies (i.e., liberal arts and sciences–multidisciplinary studies/general studies). I’m originally from Sudan, where I was born. I immigrated to the States with my family when I was about five years old, back in 1999. But we’ve also moved around a lot; and so we’ve lived in the United Arab Emirates (where I’d spent middle school); and Qatar (where I’d lived from ages 23–27). | My favorite colors are yellow and orange. I’m currently diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia, although I had a former diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder when I was younger. I see a nice psychiatrist here in NoVA/northern Virginia, for treatment and medication management.
I was sorta a volunteer at INMED Partnerships for Children, a community center in Sterling. I helped with office work and donation sorting, a few hours a week, for a month. I had previously tutored after school there, too; I tutored elementary schoolers in math and reading for one hour a week, over a five month period. And I also worked a little bit with NAMI-NoVA—the National Alliance on Mental Illness, northern Virginia. I tabled at different events, I helped with a fundraising drive, and I helped with certain small projects and tasks that needed completion. And I was a food pantry volunteer at Catholic Charities of Sterling Va, for 2.5 months. And I also taught ESL classes with Catholic Charities for a few months; English as a second language, evening classes. | Some other things I did are that I volunteered for Black Connect, an organization with a main chapter in Florida. It aims to close the racial wealth gap through entrepreneurship, small business creation (black-owned businesses), social networking, and other positive engagements. Its emphasis is in working with low and moderate income communities. And I also volunteered with My Sister’s House, an organization in Sacramento, California that provides shelter, job placement, a 24-hr. helpline, and other community services for abused women, domestic abuse survivors. I helped with video production/editing in specific, for both of the aforementioned volunteer roles. And I also volunteered with Friends for a Nonviolent World, an organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I designed a few images, and I helped to illustrate a wall calendar. I.e., I helped with graphic design and illustration, for marketing and visual design use, promotional use. -These three aforementioned roles were done remotely, via email and video conferencing, during ’22 and ’23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUtR85Evnoo ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qczbn-RgJhI&t=225s
I had worked at an academic assistance/academic enrichment company for a little while, when I was 21, grading papers and occasionally helping with homework. And I also worked at a special-needs center for young people with neurodevelopmental conditions for a little while, when I was 29. I almost completed my training session to become a behavior technician, while at the center. But I resigned after a couple of weeks, just because I was kinda confused and unsure of myself at that time. ): And I was also a behavior technician with another company for one month, doing in-home visits.
I’m currently pursuing an MFA, master of fine arts in creative writing, with Lindenwood University, online. My concentration area is poetry. After graduation, I plan to find work as a creative writing//composition writing instructor at the community college level. And I can also find work as a high school English teacher, communications specialist, content writer, social media coordinator, fundraiser, marketer, outreach coordinator, and similar areas.
And one of my main career goals is actually to self-publish my essay collections, poetry collections, graphic novels, and children’s picture books—self-publish them on Kindle, Nook, and other self-publishing platforms. I plan to sell them for like, 99 cents each, or something. Maybe I can also submit to small publishing companies too, for their consideration. And so one of my main career goals is to become an indie author//illustrator.
I actually have several different interests, like literature/creative writing; visual arts/drawing; teaching; disability studies; mental health advocacy; nonprofit organizations; free-size/modest fashion; religious studies; interfaith efforts; immigration studies; and foreign languages, Arabic and Spanish. | I hope everything goes ok for me and for everyone in similar circumstances. And everyone, everywhere. We’re all god’s children, we all deserve every success, health, and happiness. -Jan. 23, 2026.
https://findingapeacefulplace.wordpress.com/2025/05/01/essay-c/
https://findingapeacefulplace.wordpress.com/2024/01/22/10281/
https://findingapeacefulplace.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/thoughts-on-a-book-a-biography/
https://www.origamipoems.com/poets/239-ethar-hamid
| I’ve always been interested in people and youths who are socially excluded for whatever reason–outcasts. I’m interested in loners and people who are socially withdrawn or marginalized. I kinda wanna let them know that even if they don’t have friends or associates, or people are unkind/unaccommodating towards them, it’s ok. It’s not their fault at all. The world is a cruel place sometimes. I barely have friends, either. And I feel that there’s a language barrier between me and most of my family, most of whom are in Sudan. | I know that problems like isolation, disabilities, mental illness, social ostracism, immigration/being in a new country, financial difficulty, inability to get on track with one’s life, lack of a support system, family problems, hatred, bullying, discrimination, and persecution are all serious problems. So is domestic abuse, delinquency, substance addiction, and etc. Many disadvantaged people also struggle with finding meaning in life, or in their particular difficulties. They can’t find a purpose or reason for their struggling, or for their lives. They don’t understand why negative things happen to them, or to others.
And so I think that community ties between people and between groups and organizations should probably be a lot stronger. I mean I know it’s hard to formulate friendships and support systems in your adult life. It’s not like pre-k, where you probably had a bunch of friends from your pre-k classroom. It often takes time for adults to build trust, understanding, and love. Brotherhood and sisterhood. It’s not easy, actually. And I’m starting to believe that it happens through a stroke of luck…magic, or good luck.
I also think that religious faith and encouraging people to engage in activities that are meaningful to them–journaling, creative writing, music, art, sports, volunteering, etc.–is invaluable. And sometimes the best thing is just to move forward, heal, and keep hoping for a brighter day ahead of you–whether individually or as a group. “I am not what happened to me; I am what I choose to become. I am not what other people do; everyone makes their own decisions in life. I am not a victim. Nothing is against me; nothing is chasing after me. All negative things have an end to them. And there’s nothing to worry about! I’m a good person, I’m not doing anything wrong. Whatever life gives me, I will deal with it, with god’s grace. And I will go to sleep at night with a clear conscience, and I will live out my days with conscientiousness, due diligence. I won’t be sad, and I won’t carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s not worth it.” And the ultimate comfort for me is that Allah s.w.t. is ever-merciful. I believe in a personal god and a divine purpose and plan for humanity. We’re on a spiritual journey back to Allah s.w.t.–back to our creator, and the source of peace. I’ve recently realized that life is never perfect, there’s no perfection to be found anywhere. And it’s a journey and a life-long process; it’s not over ’til it’s over.
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I was kind of confused, after undergrad. And so I considered k-12 teaching; social work; speech-language pathology; librarianship; mental health counseling; program coordination; paralegal work; small business/nonprofit management; pre-school teaching; culinary arts; etc., etc. It’s hard to choose a career path without actually having done it for a long time. You don’t have enough experience with different things yet in order to know what is best for you. And so it’s a risk, a leap of faith, in some ways. But that’s why job-shadowing, internships, part-time work, and volunteer work are so important, I guess. I personally learn by doing, it’s the only way I gain an understanding. *And at the end of the day, it’s always best to just do what you love. It’s always best to follow your heart and parlay that into a viable career… | I hope to find success and happiness in creative writing instruction and communications work.. I’m praying for myself and for everyone…
And maybe one’s line of work just depends on what you happen to get into–the pre-exposures and precursors you’ve had while in your formative years. And so a lot of it depends on the environment you grew up in; the experiences you’ve had; the people you’ve come into contact with; the real-life experiences and volunteer work and internships that you’ve had; and etc. I think people are a product of their environment, their context, and their experiences and influences, to some extent. You choose your life, and life chooses you.. It’s often a mixture of these two components that determines the outcome of your life, the field you go into, and the sort of person you are.. And so I think it’s a mix of environmental effects and individual inclinations, nature and nurture…
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I’m currently working on a poetry collection.. It’ll have both lineated poems and prose poems, and though it won’t feature a specific theme or specific idea, a lot of the individual pieces draw upon nature, spirituality, and redemptive themes–finding peace with life, with god, with oneself, and with humanity. I hope I’ll see a cohesive and interesting pattern and quality in there. I should have a lot of individual pages by now; I’ve been attempting poetry for many years. I plan to self-publish when done.
“May we exist like the lotus, at ease in muddy water.” I turned 32 in January, 2026. I’m looking towards the end of my life now, the end of the road. I guess it’s still a ways away, but I’m no longer 15… Nowhere near it, anymore… | *No one is better than anyone else, but no one is worse than anyone else. The difficult moments will soon be all over. It’s all about faith, patience, joy, and letting go of insecurities. Subhan allah, alhamdulillah. And, I’m not sad or frustrated about anything that might have happened in the past, in my life. I’m learning to let it go, I’m learning to have more trust in God.
| Organized religion is really interesting, I guess. But I think it’s more important to have a personal relationship with god. I was raised Muslim, but I kinda left the idea of religious dogmatism. I am a strong believer in god and in the hereafter. I like to read the noble Qur’an, as well as the sacred scriptures of all religious faiths. I believe that everyone will eventually be reconciled with god in heaven. (Universalism.) Allah s.w.t. created us, and we are on a journey back to him. He’s a personal and loving being, the one who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. We’re created with reason and purpose, there is a strong reason and purpose for our existence. We’re not drifting aimlessly on earth, and we didn’t come from nothing. Nothing comes from nothing. And so I’m very spiritual and purposeful, I like to believe in an ultimate cause and reason for our existence. A lot of people think we came into existence from nowhere, and that there’s no creator or hereafter. “There’s no real reason why we’re here; we just have to make the best of it. But there’s nothing after death; and there’s no higher purpose or plan; and we’re basically here on earth by accident, cosmic accident.” I happen to not be of that persuasion. I prefer to believe in a higher power and in a merciful being. And this belief guides everything I do.
I’ve left the idea of strict adherence to religious doctrine, but I believe in many of the core concepts found in the various religious faiths. Maybe an accurate way to describe it is that I’ve embraced modernity and free-spiritedness, free thought; while keeping true to my core religious beliefs and my piety. It’s not a contradiction.
I like religious belief, religious convictions. I think the main place it belongs is in one’s own heart. And so I don’t think personal beliefs should be imposed on others. And regardless of how difficult this life can get, there is a hereafter, a heaven. Sometimes life is really bad for certain people. They live miserable lives and then they just die, eventually. There seems to be no happy ending or redeeming grace for them, for certain sufferers, during this life. There’s no redemption for them.
And so I’m a lapsed Muslim. (But I perform the ritual prayers as often as I can; and I read a lot, I read the Qur’an and the books of Hadith; and I fast whenever I can and observe the month of Ramadan as best I can; and etc., etc. I’m not strictly observing, though. I’m semi-lapsed; I’m semi-practicing.) And I’m trying my best to live a healthy life, an altruistic life. I don’t judge anyone for anything, because I think god loves us all equally. I’m honestly just counting down the days until I kick the bucket and pass away; I don’t care about hardly anything anymore. I’ve overcome a lot, but I can’t wait until I just cross over to the other side. I’m honestly ‘so done’ with this life, I think. I did what I came here to do.. And I’m not a huge fan of life on earth. It’s filled with ups and downs, and I’d rather just have 24/7 peace and tranquility, love and happiness..
I believe in logical, rational thought; I believe in supreme empathy and humaneness, and not hurting anyone in word or deed; and I believe in doing and being the best you can—individual effort and responsibility. (Which then spills over into community effort and responsibility…). | That’s about it. I mean I’m not really that political in any way; and I’m not exceptionally interested in anything, that much. This has been a slow and somewhat painful realization for me; that I’m not extremely interested in anything in particular. I mean I like reading, literature, art, music, nature, and a few other things. But I often feel that I don’t really care about anything that much, and this in itself is sad. Well I think this has to do with my existential crisis and worries; there’s a vacuum and an underlying worry about life. “Why are we here? Is there a god? It feels weird being here.” And etc. It’s an emptiness and a sort of dark hole. I mean I’m also a diagnosed schizophrenic, and I take meds for it. I guess I also deal with clinical depression and anxiety. I’m on Abilify and Zoloft, my daily meds. :3
Lastly, in terms of religion, I might be religiously unaffiliated. And I’m a universalist Muslim. I believe in God, and I pray as often as I can, in various forms—the Muslim ritual prayer routine; supplication; journaling; walking in nature; altruistic work, community service work; meditation; etc. But I’m not a literalist or a legalist, and so I don’t believe in having to follow religious doctrine, religious prescriptions. I believe in the spirit of all religious faiths, and not necessarily the letter of the law(s). We’re all children of god, and we’re all important and good. We’re all gonna enter heaven eventually, all of us.💛 -e.
-June 21, 2025.
ethar1994@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/yellowy7
–https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethar-hamid-b5386092
https://www.instagram.com/etharhamid7/
red bubble account. will add more stuff soon. c:
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here are some books I like, which have all helped me in some way: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_Soul?ac=1&from_search=true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67384.The_Glance https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32334099-neon-soul?ac=1&from_search=true 🍂
© Ethar Hamid. The writing and images on this site are my own unless noted otherwise. The images on this blog are free to share, with citation. ty*.🥺🙏🏽🐣 💟🏵 –this blog was started in December, 2015. 🍂 🥺✨🐣
a portfolio 
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