How I Found My Passion

Growing up, all art was to me, was filling in blank pages with the crayons provided. I used to love colouring ever since I was a toddler. From the little bits and pieces that I remember from my childhood, in kindergarten, my favourite time of the day used to be when the ‘didis’ used to bring in our little boxes of gigantic wax crayons and we’d get to fill in white pages with our scribbles. 

I was never essentially invested in art, especially as a career choice. It was just a hobby like swimming and wasting time lol. I did go to an art class, just like any other kid whose mom put him/her in some class to work on at least something. I didn't end up actually doing much there, just the basic shapes and colouring. It was actually pretty fun for me—colouring inside the figure with my favourite colours, making it look perfect (in my eyes at least).

Through classes 1-6, I remember not really having a particular style of drawing but some of my other classmates had already found their own way. This messed with me because I wanted to find my personal style of drawing things, but what ended up happening was me hating the way I drew and so, I started mirroring my classmates' style of drawing instead of figuring out my own. 

Art period at school, for everyone else, used to basically be a free period. Not for me though. I used to be one of the few who enjoyed the art period. I used to make weird drawings and go to our art teacher to get his signature on it. Looking at the fact that I used to complete my drawing on time, sir used to almost always give me an A, which used to boost my confidence and kept me going through my not-so-great drawing phase. 

Now, how did I actually get into art? The story is kind of amusing. (Well you can figure out for yourself but for me lol, it's really weird.)

Back in 7th standard, I became friends with two girls, who were into art. I noticed how they used to talk about their artwork a lot. In an attempt to feel more involved, I tried rekindling my love for art. And so, I sat down by myself, took some trendy drawing off of Pinterest and gave it my all. It was my first actual drawing without anyone’s help. It turned out pretty good, not gonna lie, I was proud.

The next day, I took it to school, showed it off to my friends and my art teacher, who were quite impressed. I was taken aback. Wow! I could actually draw! This gave me just the motivation I needed. I wanted to work on it and get more appreciation (Just wanted more attention) and so I continued at it. I was now involved in all the art conversations.  

This was the true beginning of my art journey!

I started spending every free second doodling something or the other. I even started learning from an art teacher who helped me with all the basics and so much more. Although it was pretty great, I still struggled with finding my own style. I used to observe people draw with such finesse. I wanted my art to have more flair but it took me quite some time to develop my skills.

Slowly, I could see my art evolve, and finally the process of drawing became more and more enjoyable. I won’t say it’s a stress buster for me—it’s actually quite the opposite. I only like to draw when I’m happy or at ease. At times, just listening to music and randomly sketching helped lift my mood for the day. It was crazy how I was no longer practicing art for ‘attention,’ but for my own satisfaction. 

Eventually, I joined Aaron Academy to learn more about my passion. Anita ma’am's class was one of the best things that happened to me. The way she helped me grow from an insecure person who was always criticising her art, to someone who was (almost) confident in her work. The way she handles her students and cares for them like her own; I found just the right person I needed to guide me towards my goal. 

I never thought about choosing art as a career path. Because, most people would think, a more practical job would make sense right? So I started thinking about architecture and how it might be a little bit in that direction. But I was really unsure about that, so I took some time off, did my research and decided that architecture was definitely NOT for me. Physics was not my cup of tea and it’s better for me to not drink it. 

I also learnt how art was not just confined to paint on a canvas, but art was everywhere. The diversity of art comprises almost everything around us. Whether it is the clouds, nature, colourful butterfly wings, the chair you are currently sitting on, or even the outfits you put together. 

At the time I had already decided that I was going to work in the field of art, but the question was what category? 

I always found runway models and Instagram influencers dawning bomb-ass outfits really fascinating. And so, it was after pondering a lot about what I could possibly do in my near future, that I went through the various options available and I decided on fashion—fashion designing to be specific.

Putting together outfits is something that always excites me. Being aware of all the new trends, fashion comebacks and what was ‘oh so last season’ seemed like just my thing. It felt like Fashion Design was something I could see myself going the extra mile for.

It's an ongoing debate whether Fashion as a career is promising or not. However, in my opinion, fashion has become more accessible and a bigger part of our lifestyles, with changing times. And so, I know if put in the work and stay updated, I'll get the results I want. Making my own clothes from scratch, introducing new trends and coming up with new outfits (in my sketchbook) is already something I enjoy. The fashion world can be compared to a democracy in some way or another, it is a world of the people, by the people and for the people. People appreciating the new styles I come up with really boosts my confidence and I realised—that's how the fashion world works, on approval from an audience. The audience being; models, actors, influencers, fashionistas, teenagers and also designers themselves.

I was lucky enough to find my passion early in life as well as understand it. Most people don't have that. I'm super excited for the new ventures that life holds for me. Fashionably so.

In conclusion, faSSion is my paSSion.