“Giving up is neither an option nor a solution” – how these artists show their commitment to creativity

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly column of Your story, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the previous 550 posts, we presented a Art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecoms fair, millets fair, climate change exhibition, wildlife conference, boot festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

18th Annual Chitra Santhe Art Festival Held Virtually Due to Pandemic (see our long series of photo essays here). Organized by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bengaluru, the festival presented more than 1,000 Indian and foreign artists.

See also Your story cover of six previous editions of Chitra Santhe: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, as well as compilations of Best quotes of 2020 on art in the age of the pandemic, Indian art, the appreciation and practice of art, and the beauty and trade of art.

Kirti Sarvesh Ranade

“Art is an exploration of the soul. Art is meditative and therapeutic. The way I look at it, if that doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you, ”explains the stained glass artist Kirti Sarvesh Ranade, in a conversation with Your story.

Former software architect, she is now a full-time artist. “My art consists of stained glass mosaics. With each new work, I watch improvise from what I did last, in terms of skill, technique and finesse, ”she adds.

As an artist, she defines success as satisfaction from the point of view of herself, viewers and clients. “Success is improvising and learning from one work to another. Business success is just a side effect, ”says Kirti.

It calls for a greater appreciation of art in society. “The public must be able to understand the creative process and effort that goes into making any work of art, rather than just seeing the end product as something to buy, ”Kirti describes.

Some of his works exhibited at Chitra Santhe feature animal portraits. His works are priced at Rs 500 to more than a lakh, depending on size and complexity.

“I show how beautiful, intricate, and elegant hand-cut colored glass can be, even if it’s broken,” says Kirti.

Although the pandemic has been tough on the art world, she has continued to explore and experiment during the shutdowns. “Corona or not, I have handcrafted stained glass mosaics throughout the year. I never focused solely on ads, and that made me happy to create, ”she says proudly.

While Kirti appreciates the international exposure of an online exhibit, she prefers the closeness and privacy of physical exhibits. “My work is such that you have to see it up close (physically) to understand what it takes to beautifully shatter glass the way it’s used, and put all the pieces together to create the end product, ”she describes.

“I like to explain the process to people who see it in person and appreciation when they understand the effort put into creating each piece of art, ”Kirti adds.

“Challenge yourself to do better with each work. Be your own competition, improvise with each new piece of art, ”she urges, as advice for budding artists.

Jagdish Mohanty

“Art is for me the most interesting journey of love, life and light. It is a perfect medium of expression which connects me in the most tangible form to the subtle realms of manifestation ”, explains the artist based in Pondicherry. Jagdish Mohanty.

He sees art as a link between inspiration and expression. “I feel the need to portray the deeper beauty, harmony and joy of my canvas. Art takes me beyond borders and confronts me with the freedom of the unknown. My paintings are bridges between these two realities of life and creation, ”he enthuses.

“I feel successful when I am able to adequately express subtle truth, beauty and joy in my art work,” Jagdish adds. The process challenges skills internally and externally, but can ultimately lead to a masterpiece.

For a greater appreciation of art in society, he calls for a deeper understanding of beauty beyond utilitarianism. “The mass production of things has almost destroyed the artistic appreciation of things. Not everyone has to be an artist, but a minimum sense of beauty should be present, ”he suggests.

Jagdish’s paintings in Chitra Santhe are a bridge between worlds. “Human life is a mysterious journey through these realities,” he explains. His works are sold from Rs 15,000 and more.

He drew on his inner strengths to overcome the difficulties of the pandemic era. “Initially, I was touched by the negative impact of the pain, despair and emptiness of humanity. But soon I pulled myself together and tried to fix it in the best possible way, ”he recalls.

“It is art that has the power of God to fight against any attack and to save mankind. I have used the time to explore the depth of my soul and the result has been very rewarding, ”Jagdish says proudly.

He acknowledges that online exhibitions were the only alternative during the closings and also helped reach a wider audience. “But the best soul and body experience of works of art can only be felt in physical exhibitions – the atmosphere, the aura, the joy of interacting directly with visitors, ”adds Jagdish.

He also offers advice to aspiring artists. “Feel happy and proud to be an artist. It has the power to give you the most precious joy and satisfaction in life. Follow your deepest and highest quest, ”he advises.

“Work hard, try to be original. Don’t let yourself be dominated by money or success, but follow your own deeper journey, ”Jagdish adds.

“There are many things in the higher subtle realms, and true artists must go to these inspiration levels and knock down many new beauties. The world expects a lot from artists, ”he says.

Neha pradhan

“Art helps me sketch my imagination and express things I can’t with words. It also helps me release my stress. I’m someone who gets easily sidetracked, but when I work on art, I get 100 percent involved in it, ”explains Neha Pradhan.

She defines success in terms of improvements in her artistic work. “I usually rely on people who motivate me and give me an honest answer,” she adds. She calls for a greater appreciation of art in society through a deeper inculcation of art in the education system.

Some of Neha’s works focus on the extinction of animals and the cruelty they face at the hands of man. “Each work has its own history and its own importance, which some may find attractive and others not, ”she adds.

The restrictions related to the pandemic have been difficult for the artist community. “As an artist, if you can’t go out, it gets a little hard to explore new artistic horizons. I took care of practicing my old artwork and did a few more sketches, ”Neha recalls.

She appreciates the benefits of online exhibits, such as unlimited space. “However, the major downside is that we can’t explain our work to the person who buys or is interested in our work. It is more difficult to show our zeal and our enthusiasm in a chat or a call than face to face ”, laments Neha.

“You might not notice how far you’ve come and you might want to give up, but the only solution to that is – you must continue “, she advises budding artists.

“Giving up is neither an option nor a solution,” concludes Neha.

Now what have you done today to take a break from your busy schedule and find new ways to harness your inner creativity?

See also the YourStory portfolio “Proverbs and quotes for entrepreneurs: a world of inspiration for startups” accessible as apps for Apple and Android devices.