A colourful vocation

They all said she was not headed in the right direction. Though she was a proven artist, who had an engineering degree to her credit, Harsha’s decision to be an artist and creative writer still raised many eyebrows.

“During school days, I was a regular winner in painting competitions at art fests but I never thought of taking it forward to a bigger level,” says Harsha.

Pencils usually seem to be useless as soon as they have withered down into tiny, broken stubs. However, Harsha, thought of making life-size wedding clothing using the wood and other wastes from used pencils. Once you catch a glimpse of her work, you’ll never see pencils the same way.

“After completing my graduation, I did this craft work using the wood of pencils. I worked on it from sunrise to sunset, for three days. Soon, I got my name in the India Book of Records. That’s when things started to change and I decided to take painting and crafts seriously.

“I knew this is what I wanted more than anything. I was determined to make it work. A few more months passed and things got a bit rough. By that time I got posted in a company as a creative content writer but I kept painting during my free time,” she says.  

Harsha loves to share the knowledge she has with young artists. “I am not a professionally trained artist. But I do take useful tips and information and keep myself updated all the time. So I am very happy to share what I know. With that goal, I conduct workshops for children and adults who have just stepped into the world of art.

“I even had to take a break from my job for one year for these workshops,” says the artist who has taken part in solo and group exhibitions.

Harsha is now focused on finishing some of her work with the goal of having a solo exhibition in October. She is also a volunteer with i-Lab, an innovation laboratory which aims to empower youth and children as drivers of next-level innovation through advancing knowledge, ideas and experience.

Though she would love to pursue art full time, she says there are monetary constraints. But forthcoming artists in every part of the world face this problem and nobody defends a ‘starving’ artist, she feels. “But I am hoping for good things only. Let’s see. Our society’s viewpoint on artists needs to change though,” she concludes.