Most people who have met my family and me say we are not a "typical" Indian family. In a country of 1.2 billion people, more diverse than some continents, I'm not sure what the "typical" prototype entails but I sure am grateful everyday for being born to two of the greatest individuals I know.
From my early days as a toddler in a stroller, going for walks with dad in the University park to my childhood days where I could pursue any extra curricular activity I set my heart on to the age of 23 where I have complete freedom to choose where to live and what to do with my life, I've always been presented with a smorgasbord of choices and options and have always had the liberty to choose what's best for me. My dad, a sports buff and a very wise man always says they are more like wicket keepers - in the background, safeguarding our interests, ready to catch the ball if it goes haywire, rather than being bowlers who hurl their interests, decisions, choices etc on their kids. For that I'm grateful.
One of their investments in our all-rounded development were "art classes" where I tried to get in touch with my creative side. I had excellent teachers who really inspired us to be creative, to be bold, to be expressive and to be perfectionists. Still life, geometry, designs, oil pastels and water paints were a big and important part of my weekends. Like everything else in India, dexterity had to be evaluated by a competitive examination where they could assess, grade and rank you and thousands of others.So I sat the exam and did relatively well but never really went back to the arty side of things after.
Yesterday, as a part of my Newember resolution, I decided to get in touch with my artsy side. It was a bit rusty...haven't used it in a while. The last time I actually attempted to draw something was under time pressure, at a comics expo in Oslo, where I was coaxed to design a comic strip in 3 minutes by a charming Danish cartoon artist. It was crap.
Yesterday, I wanted to see if I could reconnect with the 14 year old Monet wannabe.
I decided to copy a painting I bought just before I left from Prague. A beautiful scenic depiction of my favourite place in Prague - the Charles Bridge and all the majestic buildings around it at sunset. With no paint, no coloured pencils, just a 2B, I tried to capture some of Prague's ethereal beauty in my sketch. It was pretty crap too.
But it sure did feel good. I got to reconnect with my artistic side. I actually did more than just doodling for the first time in over 8 years. It felt right.
Day 1, an artsy start. Challenge accepted and completed. Bring on Day 2!
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