I found my love for art during the lockdown in 2020. I had gone for a few art classes when I was in grade 11 (it was more a way to stay on after college with my friends) and then later on in 2011 when I took a sabbatical from work for a few months. I needed to get out and do something so I chose art. But I left after ten sessions as I found the classes were exorbitantly priced. Art came back to me when I left my job two years’ ago and moved to India. Again, it was a reason to step out for I knew nobody in the new city. I joined classes in October 2018. To be honest it was the first time I enjoyed my classes –  the teacher and the students have to be credited for it. There was a lot of energy in the class. Everybody was trying out something new. I had never been exposed to so many different techniques all at once. People were doing Tanjore art, Acrylics, Pointillism, Oil painting, mixed media – it was all happening under one roof. That’s when I realized there was so much more to art. Everybody in the art class was also a professional. They had a job and they came the first holiday they got. It rubbed off on me.  I did a few paintings during class under the guidance of the teacher which you will find on the blog under the category ‘Art’ in the main menu. I stopped attending class in December and somehow never returned. I will not blame life but just me.

So, art’s always been like the ‘spare tyre’ in my life which I tend to pick up when I have nothing else to do. I somehow have never had the confidence to paint in the absence of a teacher. I’ve also never had the confidence to show my work to anybody. At the classes I was going to the teacher made us do it on our own. If it got messed up, we just had to begin again. There was no hand-holding. It irked me to think of a painting going to waste. When it did happen to one of my watercolor paintings, my teacher told me something that I have always known – ‘Unless you try watercolors on your own you’ll never learn and there are bound to be mistakes which is fine. That’s the only way you’ll learn.’ I knew what she had said was right but I disliked the fact that my time and effort could go to waste so I refused to try anything on my own.

I picked up art again during the lockdown (like I said, its what I go to when I’m left with no option). However, now I’ve begun enjoying it and I hope to continue. I find it challenging for I have not learnt color mixing or the theory of art. I am also not very good at drawing angles and perspectives which kind of makes it difficult at times. But I guess that’s what keeps me going- the learning.

To all those who’ve wondered if I have learnt art, then I suppose I have like I learnt so many things as a child – to play the guitar, to dance, basketball and hockey. But I truly learnt it when I began to love it which is since May 2020.  And now I continue to learn every single day.

I hope reading about my journey makes you want to try too or try something else that you’ve always wanted to but have been scared to for you felt you couldn’t.

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