When Khani graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Engineering from Solvay, she didn’t expect to become a full-time artist. Yet today, under the name “Madebykhani”, she has built a flourishing creative business from Brussels that spans watercolour workshops and lifestyle content, captivating thousands of budding artists online.
Her journey into art began far from Belgium—during a post-graduate internship in Vietnam. “At first, I just wanted to keep travel journals,” she recalls. That hobby evolved while she lived in Australia for two and a half years, where she began exploring lifestyle and cultural illustration. But it was the Covid-19 pandemic that changed everything.
Forced to return to Belgium urgently, she found herself questioning what she truly wanted to do. “There were no job offers, everyone was stuck at home. So I thought—why not try to watercolour full-time?”
Brussels-based atelier
Khani’s watercolour workshops now take place weekly at Moondust, a creative haberdashery tucked away in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
“It’s a perfect match. People who like to create with their hands often enjoy all kinds of crafts,” she says. Her sessions draw a mix of beginners and regulars, and each class revolves around a different theme—seasonal motifs, trending aesthetics, or popular requests. While no prerequisites are required, many participants like to start with her introduction course to grasp the basics.
Credit: Madebykhani
What makes her approach unique is her focus on the brush rather than the pencil. “A lot of people come in saying they can’t draw—and that’s totally fine. Watercolour is much more forgiving and abstract than drawing, and that’s what makes it satisfying. You don’t need to be precise, and that opens up creativity.”
Khani hosts two-hour-long watercolour sessions, which include take-home materials and a printed guide to allow participants to continue practicing at home. “I love it when people leave the workshop and keep painting. That’s the best part.”
A creative digital community
Like many creatives during the pandemic, Khani turned to digital platforms. She launched a YouTube channel tailored to watercolour tutorials, which gradually evolved into lifestyle vlogs about her daily life as a creative entrepreneur. “At first, it was just to challenge myself with editing and video, but I got hooked.”
Today, she juggles weekly workshops, brand partnerships, content creation, and a growing podcast called Nuances by Khani. On Instagram alone, she counts over 46,000 followers.
Credit: Madebykhani
“The podcast came from a need for longer, more meaningful content—something more memorable than a 60-second reel. I talk about creativity, how it intersects with other aspects of life like sport, or how to rediscover inspiration,” she told The Brussels Times.
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Khani is open about the challenges of being an independent artist. “The hardest part is doing everything alone. I miss having colleagues—someone to ask when I have doubts. Now, I turn to fellow freelancers, but in the end, I have to make every decision solo.”
Financial instability also weighs heavily. “Even though people book my workshops in advance, and I can anticipate income for the following month, it’s never as stable as a fixed salary,” she lamented. “Some months are amazing, others much slower. That’s what could eventually push me to look for a more traditional job.”
July will mark five years since Khani embraced this path. She continues to seek new venues in Brussels to host her workshops, aiming to bring watercolour to more curious hands. Her artistic philosophy remains clear: make creativity accessible, portable, and unintimidating.
