Why Art?

Why Art?

By: Mrinmayee Sama 

Art from the beginning of time has been my source of peace and relaxation as I would simply pick up a pencil, tear a piece of paper from one of my notebooks, and start drawing. Art is creativity on paper in the form of basic line strokes and that is what I love about it. It can be whatever you want it to be, nothing specific has to be said about it. The beauty of this topic is that this has just been about a category in fine arts. Other than fine arts, there are different types of arts including dance, music, theatre, architecture, etc. Fine arts has not only motivated me to pursue other types of art like dancing and singing, but it also helped me gain confidence in what I can do and try to do. More than a structured activity to show people, I use art as a hobby so that I can avoid the path of perfection and create something beyond it. When I try and make something perfect, it doesn’t turn out to be like it, so I try to avoid it. 

There is always something in need of change in artwork and this shouldn’t be called incomplete, but just a deviation from the “original”. This was the motto that I stood on throughout my journey of completing the artwork. I used to love to paint when I was young. I mean who doesn’t? But then as I got older, I realized how powerful a pencil is. One piece of wood with graphite in it can create wonders on the paper and this allows me to really take pride in my artwork and the idea itself. 

Art is always around us, whether it be graffiti, monuments, sculptures, the man singing on the side of the street, etc. Art in my life especially has been very prevalent in many ways like dancing, singing, drawing, painting, and pottery. It is harder to avoid art than to be immersed in it and in that way, it has given me more than what I could ask for. I see art in my future as a way to express myself and without it, I would be incomplete, that is how much it means to me. 

I mentioned how art is very prevalent in my life and this is due to my passion for dance as well. I learn Kuchipudi which is an Indian classical dance at Sanskaar School of Dance and I am very passionate about it as I have been doing it since I was 8. Due to my passion for the dance form, I took inspiration from the beautiful mudras that I make with my hands and drew them. The inspiration pictures are mine and were taken on my Bangalore photoshoot. I use these pictures and create artwork at my art class, Lakshmis Art Workshop with my teacher, Lakshmi Shankarreddy. 

    When I was young, art class was the one class I would enjoy going to. While walking to class I would appreciate the nature around me and try to get inspiration for my next piece. The entire 1 ½ class consisted of pin-drop silence unless the teacher would correct us to draw lighter and with fewer colors. My teacher tries her best to explain what she means without doing the artwork for us and it is the best way to learn. Every time I go to art class nowadays, I try and improve with each piece, stroke by stroke.