Blissful Brushes
Jan 244 min
Art is something that we are taught and related to as a child. From learning to hold crayons before pencil, to drawing on walls and getting scolded, we all grew up. Each and every one of us have been in those Art classes in schools where teachers taught us how to paint that house with mountain background, river flowing from the mountain and a sun hiding behind the mountains. We all enjoyed creativity in some way or another but being busy with life takes a setback on the creativity and imagination and forces us to focus on "What really matters" and art takes a back seat.
My Artistic Journey
I was connected to art for most parts of my life but when school, college, examinations, assignments and tuition schedules started piling up, I put the art on hold to focus on my studies. From class 10th to the final year of my college, I solely focused on my studies and didn't pick up my brush. It was until later during Covid-19 pandemic when I finally got the time and the motivation to start my artistic journey. Although it was a pandemic and there was nothing good about the situation, it did give us our creativity back. From making that Dalgona coffee and awakening the chefs within us to working out and being a better versions of ourselves, we all learned a thing or two during that time frame. I got the opportunity to start creating for fun again and when my family appreciated my sketches, i started making portraits and painting canvases for fun. The love increased and a point came where everyone was in awe of my works and few people suggested I start an Instagram account where I can put all my works and have a little art gallery for myself. It was never meant for fame or followers just simple adoration for what I loved. Then started the search for a good name for my page and i loved the way brushes make strokes when in contact with paper. The process of art gave me joy and filled me with pure Bliss. So, after much thought, I decided on the name BLISSFUL BRUSHES.
The love was spreading and what I heard from my friends and families is what i heard from so many new artists and other people on Instagram. It gave me courage to grow. I started making commissions, tutorials and even created my website from Scratch. There are no easy steps. When someone asks me how did you do this and how can we reach there, my answer is Experiment. Just start with a dot, keep experimenting. You will achieve what you desire and even if you don't, you'll learn something new. This is all trial and error and criticism, success and failure are all part of this experiment.
How to start on Instagram
Being on Instagram is overwhelming because you take suppose 3 hours out of your day to sit and paint something. You put your heart into it, click the perfect pictures, set the lighting, edit it, think of a caption, choose the right hashtags and a post it only to see it reach 100 likes. It makes you demotivated. It feels wrong somehow that after so much efforts and dedication it didn't perform well. But, let me ask you something. If those 100 people were in you room appreciating what you painted, will you still feel bad? Will it still feel like it was not an achievement? No. Because Socia Media is an illusion. We all are blinded by the likes and followers and people have just become numbers. Only suggestion that I give is to not care about all of that pomp and show and just focus on what you love to do i.e. your art. Your creativity. Your imagination that nobody can ever snatch away from you. I started out with 0 followers but then people started joining me on my journey eventually because they loved what I do. Apart from this, their is a bright side to instagram. I do not focus on followers but I do focus on the Criticism. I read the comments, make friends, talk to people and i take constructive criticism from the experience because your loved ones won't tell you what you did wrong. They can't see you sad or disappointed. Other people speak their mind. They can tell you if your art looks good or bad or what they feel . I know it feels weird sometimes to always hear the comments but that can help you see how you can improve. This criticism, whether good or bad, will shape you and carve the way to an artistic path. It's overwhelming as I said earlier but you learn it on the path itself.
As the great artist Leonardo Da Vinci once said -
Learning is the only thing that mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.
If you're someone who wants to start your artistic journey again, I suggest you pick that brush and your paints and start painting whatever inspires you. Be it Nature or things around you or your food or your loved ones or that flower lying in the vase, JUST. START. There will always be judgement. There will always be people telling you to focus on life and other things. Don't listen to them and follow only what's in your heart. We have only one life and if we spend it thinking what others think, then what will others think. Haha, a lame joke but you get the gist.
If you want to start your journey but feel the heat or a creative block, there are some tips you can follow to get you started. Check out the below link -
https://www.blissfulbrushes.com/post/how-to-deal-with-an-art-block
If you relate to what I wrote or got some inspiration, please drop a heart and a comment. Love is all we can spread!