My journey from a designer to an artist entrepreneur

I always had an inherent interest and talent for art. Initially it was not easy to make art my profession . When I approached galleries , the first question would be “which art school are you from?” I did not have an answer as I am a trained designer and a self taught artist and had never taken a single art class. But I did not give up and worked very hard. I wanted my art to speak for itself. I let my imagination guide me and be reflected on the canvas. For me art has always been soul satisfying.

I have always painted as far as I remember. Right from my school days, I had an inclination towards art. I used to represent my school in inter-school competitions. I then went on to submit my artworks for state level competitions. Then there was a hiatus in my art journey as I needed more time to focus on academics. Though I had to keep my focus on studies , art always remained a hobby while I was growing up.

My life took a different turn as I completed my course in designing from the prestigious NIFT, New Delhi. I specialised in leather designing. I entered a career in export and buying houses. It did not excite me and after a few months, one day, I just picked up a brush and started painting.

My fascination for Sufism found a way into my art and led to a Sufi series on canvas. It took around six months to modify and finalise my theme. During this journey, I practiced on more than a hundred canvases, I painted landscapes, mastered effects such as water reflections, did colour mixing and improvised on my brush.

I used to work for around 8-10 hours a day. It was then I realised my passion and the fact that I wanted to be a full time artist. YouTube became my teacher as I spent hours to perfect my strokes. My first break was in Art Mall, New Delhi where I participated in a group show for Women’s Day.

In my case, since I started small, I did not have any problems pertaining to funds. All I needed was some space for my art studio and some art equipment. I started off with a small room in my house, and made it my studio where I would do my painting. The art materials came out of the savings I had made over a few years. My family has been very supportive of my work and have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I set up Shruti Arts to spread the word about the kind of work I do and I am glad to say that I have been very lucky to have such a great response to my platform which curates my artworks and I use it to sell it all over the world.

It is not essential to take a formal training to become an artist. I am a self taught artist and for me it’s not a fine art degree that is needed to become an artist but a creative mind that constantly ideates and innovates. The painting skills can be acquired with a lot of hard work and practice.

Since the journey is long, it is important to have courage and belief in your work. Don’t get dejected by criticism. Some times, the response may come very slowly, but if you have faith in what you are doing, you will get there.

– SHRUTI VIJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Shruti is a NIFT, Delhi graduate and an art enthusiast, She is a painter with an individual style and has always been an avid follower of art but acknowledged it as her true calling only recently, when she plunged, “head down into the world of painting….never to emerge.”  She says, “Painting is not a mere vocation for me , it’s a passion.From depicting my innermost feelings to creating a colourful world as I see it to recreating pieces that catch my fancy, painting gives me an outlet to express what is beyond words.”