Miila Bijou
At just ten years of age, budding Byron Bay-based artist Miila Bijou uses her creativity for giving by sketching portraits to donate to the Northern Rivers flood relief.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
Byron Bay-based budding artist Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
‘Putting all the money in the flood relief jar at the end of the day and knowing that I can make a small difference with my art made me very proud,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
Like many of us, Miila Bijou felt a little helpless and desperately wanting to give in any way she could for those affected by the recent floods in the Northern Rivers.
‘I’ve been wanting to sell my art for a while now but I hadn’t really found a good reason or time to do it. When these horrible floods happened I really wanted to do something to help our community,’ says Miila.
‘Our schools were closed all week so a friend suggested doing a stall to raise money. And that’s how it started. Since then so many people have messaged me on Instagram from all over the world to buy portraits and support the flood victims, which is really amazing.’
You would think this level of maturity and compassion was coming from a person in their twenties or thirties. Miila is ten years old. And a true inspiration.
Miila has been drawing for as long as she can remember, encouraged by her equally creative mother Jazuli Henderson-Smart, who is a talented photographer and creative.
‘My mum always plays a game with me called Mr. Squiggle where she would do 3 or 4 random lines on a piece of paper and I had to try to make it into something and I think my style has come from that,’ says Miila.
Drawing inspiration from artists she admires, such as Matisse and Picasso, Miila creates portraits using line drawing, a talent she picked up when she was creating an art project last year at school.
‘My first attempt was to draw a portrait with only one line - the first time was really terrible! But I soon started practicing and slowly developed my own style.’
Drawing portraits is Miila’s favourite subject, ‘I love drawing people because I love the smiles it brings to peoples faces when they see it, it really makes me so happy.’
During lockdown, Miila visited local restaurants such as Rae’s on Wategos, offering to draw staff to pass the time, ‘I often just go and sit in a cafe or restaurant and ask if the staff mind I draw them. I noticed how much they loved receiving a portrait and the happiness it brought them. I really love that feeling - it’s so special to me that people like my art.’
Miila is now taking requests for her work on Instagram, with all proceeds going to flood relief, ‘Putting all the money in the flood relief jar at the end of the day and knowing that I can make a small difference with my art makes me very proud.’
‘Sometimes I just put on some music and let the pen take me. Often I don’t know what I’m drawing until it’s done – it’s such a beautiful surprise to see a person mysteriously appear on the page,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
‘I noticed how much they loved receiving a portrait and the happiness it brought them. I really love that feeling. It’s also very special to me that people like my art,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
“I’m very lucky because I not only have a chance to help those affected by floods in our area but I also have a chance to spread happiness through my portraits even further in the world.”
‘I usually use the same blue pen because I find that the specific colour is somehow simple and beautiful,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
‘Putting all the money in the flood relief jar at the end of the day and knowing that I can make a small difference with my art made me very proud,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
‘Sometimes I just put on some music and let the pen take me. Often I don’t know what I’m drawing until it’s done – it’s such a beautiful surprise to see a person mysteriously appear on the page,’ says Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
Coasters created for Rae’s on Wategos by Miila Bijou. Photo: Jazuli Henderson-Smart
