Her journey began in Pakistan, where she noticed a lack of spaces for open, creative expression and a limited focus on arts education. This led her to create Spoken Stage as her undergraduate thesis, a platform rooted in storytelling, art, and performance, committed to creative freedom and play. What started locally has grown into a broader mission to encourage imaginative expression and amplify diverse voices.

Alongside this work, Mariam co-founded Mano Animation Studios, where she worked as Art Director, Associate Producer, and Assistant Director on The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated feature film. The experience deepened her love of visual storytelling and continues to shape her multidisciplinary practice.

Drawing on her background as a Pakistani American artist, Mariam later pursued an MFA in Theater Education from Emerson College, expanding her work as a creative educator, writer, and filmmaker. Based between New York City and Karachi, she explores themes of identity, culture, the body, and self-expression through film, writing, voice, and community-centered workshops, inviting people to reconnect with their imaginative selves and reminding them that play is essential to creativity and connection.