Tag: artist

Categories
Musings

The mason is also an artist


“A friend of mine married her driver… Hey! What’s wrong with that? Drivers are humans too!”

Indians, in general seem to segregate people into two categories. Those in desk and white collar jobs are considered elite. Labour and blue collar is somehow substandard. And people are given very low wages for performing these tasks.

Professionals and consultants bill their clients by the thousands for every hour. Why can’t skilled workers also be called professionals?

The other day, a mason who was fixing a crack on our wall said, “I believe in doing a good job. If you are satisfied with the quality of my work, you are likely to recommend my services to others.”

This mason took pride in his job. He didn’t go to a business school to learn about customer satisfaction and the difference between good marketing and cold selling. His charges were slightly higher than ‘normal’. We didn’t negotiate – much. After all, why shouldn’t he be allowed to?

I am certain that there is scope for individuals to charge a premium for a job well done. In other countries, a construction worker can lead a decent life — and by decent, I mean socially, not just financially. Isn’t it time we start imbibing those values in our society?

nanopoblano2015lightThis is post #15 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano

NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month = Thirty straight days of blogging

Categories
Poetry

The storm


Lightning and thunder play a tug of war
With the most delicate of fibres

Even as torrential rain is contained
Within a tiny vessel

Waves of salty water threaten to flood
The ploughed landscape

Unable to comprehend
Yet desperate to shed the burden

The hand begins to move of its own accord
Meaning manifests through the most unexpected means

The storm recedes
The vessel attains momentary peace

Creative people are often considered temperamental and restless. A lot has been said and written about this. I recently read the phrase “the creative’s curse” somewhere and this poem is my little contribution towards the stereotype.

Categories
Musings

Self Evaluation Time


Past couple of days I’ve really been busy trying to evaluate the assignments I’ve done over the past couple of years. I thought I would collect all my work for a portfolio. Most of my stuff was scattered and I’ve been meaning to get a little organised for quite some time now. But for some reason or the other, I’ve not been able to. Well, this time, I somehow managed to do it!

Since setting up the blog, I’ve been meaning to post my stuff online. So here it is! I’ve added two more galleries with some of my best stuff. Apologies for the low resolution. I realise most of the work is amateurish, but its been a roller coaster ride doing most of the stuff. Most of the vector illustrations are really old. And frankly, I’m kind of disappointed that I’ve not been able to create decent works over the past few months.

Going through the files, I realised a gradual drop in enthusiasm, as well as originality over a period of time. And I’ve realised that creativity cannot be forced. One has to have a free mind, and most importantly, the ability to live up to expectations. As long as there is no expectation, there is no pressure. But as soon as someone expects something out of you, it shows. I can now appreciate those people who have to shoulder the responsibility of managing clients, employees and peers in the work environment.

To face tremendous pressure, and still deliver great results, is the mark of a great commercial artist. And this holds good for every field.

Well, that’s all for now.

Since I’ve posted my sketches, it’s only fair that I say thanks to our sketching faculty. Thank you sir! Please visit his Blog Here