The journey of becoming an artist

It is usually a very brave decision to follow one’s passion especially if it does not fit into the ‘regular mainstream’ job profile.

The Lifestyle Portal caught up with this vivacious artist from Mumbai – Trishna Patnaik, a Bsc (in Life Sciences) and MBA (in Marketing) by qualification who after a stint in the regular corporate job decided to follow her heart and become a full time artist.

How did it all begin?

“Honestly, I cannot pinpoint a date or time or a moment, but I guess it’s the journey of life which made me decide the path I should take, recalls Trishna.

There were many options in front of her but she decided to choose something in which her heart lies.

Trishna says she realized the importance of happiness and of excellence gradually – the very two things in life that money cannot buy and we truly agree. In fact, she’s captured the essence really well when she shares that ‘these are the two things that keep a person’s biggest enemies, fear and greed at a bay.’

She further adds, “I realized to be invincible; to be the best you need to have guts, the passion, the purity and all of this comes naturally to me when I paint. I do not want to be the best for others but for myself.”

For Trishna, no matter how clichéd it may sound, but for her, it is her life that is her source of inspiration.

Trishna shares her life’s philosophy with us – Life teaches you so many things whether you want to learn them or not, it’s very different from academic skills. Life skills are holistic, open ended and non-judgmental. Life does not judge your qualification, family background, country, race etc., nothing at all. It keeps throwing challenges at you and it’s up to you to face the challenges and proceed ahead or turn your back towards them and run away.

So for her, life has taught Trishna that she’s born to paint, she adds, “Life’s taught me not do several other things and be unhappy and frustrated, but that I should just concentrate on one thing and live every moment and cherish it!”

Life as a full time artist 

Trishna’s eyes light up when we ask her about her life as a full time artist as she has just one word for it – ‘superb’!

“The biggest curse or drawback for a creative person is to follow routine. People with a dominant right brain cannot work in a controlled environment! It does not let you evolve but slowly and steadily makes you a robot. That’s when a person should take a call on; is money the only driving force or is it to make a niche for yourself and is your work letting you do that,” explains Trishna.

Trishna strongly feels that if you have a dream and you do not work towards fulfilling it then you are only fooling yourself and it’s a pity; a life of ifs and buts is not a fully lived life – it’s a life without a goal.

She further adds “Education is great because it opens you up and its value compliment life skills. But a job needs to be done for a purpose. If the purpose is missing then you will be always be incomplete even if you’re the richest person on earth.”
Being a painter has complimented the fact that life is not routine for her. She calls it a jukebox of risks, fun, success, failure, sorrow, joy all wrapped in one and not a security gateaway.

She sends out an inspirational message to many by saying that one should work towards and for something that identifies with you as well and not because it’s the ‘in’ thing or it’s a safe thing to do – “I have learnt to celebrate life, respect it and take it seriously as well,” smiles Trishna.

What’s your painting style? 

Trishna draws inspiration from her life and everything around her and she’s more inclined towards three different themes within the Contemporary Art arena – Abstracts, Graphics and Faces.

She further explains, “I like the inflow of colour in various modes, directions, paths etc. to make my abstracts. I also like the amalgamation of shapes, silhouette, forms etc. to make my graphics. I like to work around faces of woman while giving a contemporary touch to it.”

For Trishna, art is a personal journey, where she gets to set the rules, and break them when she wants to; or better still have no rules at all. For her, being a painter is a gift to be cherished not an attribute to compare and waste.

So she only chooses to concentrate on her work and see how she can keep learning, experimenting and improving everyday as a painter.

In fact she also adds, “Art is subjective, so everyone and anyone will have a different take on it. Trying to be competitive in a creative space is not doing justice to the arena. Since art is a life skill. There is no end to getting better at it; and till date I am learning and will always continue to do so.”

Evolution as an artist and a person

A journey to becoming a full time artist teaches us a lot, and for Trishna she has become more focused, more compassionate, and more driven towards her life goals.

“I guess if you love what you do then you are positive towards everything in life; and your take is that of a go getter. You grow from within; how and when is personal, there’s no list of do’s and don’ts or some tricks. It’s a personal journey that you take and you do not realize you have changed for the better,” explains Trishna.

Favourite themes, topics and medium

When we ask her about her favourite themes, topics and medium, Trishna honestly tells us that it is difficult to choose and that it actually depends on the painting.

“I never paint directly on paper or canvas. I always paint in my mind first and then I only manually pursue my artwork with my hands. I believe the whole point of being a painter is to express rather than impress. So why restrict yourself to one medium, one style, one form etc.,” adds Trishna.

So there are days she needs Charcoal to complete her rendition, and sometimes it’s watercolours or even even Acrylics, “I love the fact how a small Charcoal stick or crayon can create fire on paper, I love the ease with which water colours leave their base transparent and are so intriguing and for Acrylics, well what can I say, it’s the fastest and the least messy of all the mediums. A masterpiece can be created in no time.”

Your workshops

And did you know that apart from her romance with colours as an artist, Trishna also conducts fine art workshops across Mumbai that she also plans on taking to other cities as well.

She explains, “I want people to understand and appreciate that art is a life skill not something where you just paint or draw. So the agenda of my workshops is to give the participants a unique platform to express themselves on canvas and make original compositions and paintings.”

Trishna’s workshops are a small starting step towards enabling people to shed their inhibitions that ‘I am not an artist’ or ‘this is not my thing’ and to allow them to explore and express themselves to the fullest.

People from all walks of life, of all age groups are always welcome to participate, to learn, to explore and to believe in their artworks.

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