I have a tendency to dabble in a new art form every chance I get, be it watercolours, papercutting, or digital illustration of some kind. This is a mix of personal projects, commissions and collaborations with people/organisations for different causes. With collaborations and commissions, I think about what style would work best to communicate the artwork's intent/message and proceed accordingly.
Zines are a great way for me to bring together my skills as a writer and designer, and also get creative with the content and material I'm creating. My first zine, Anatomy of a Panic Attack, illustrates the journey my brain takes when it is experiencing a panic spiral. My second zine, Decoding the Pledge, breaks down the Pledge of India to understand what each line of the Pledge means in today's political climate. You can scroll through excerpts of both zines below.
ANATOMY OF A PANIC ATTACK: READ THE FULL ZINE HERE --------
Visually, Anatomy... is meant to be bright, explosive, and slightly jarring. When I experience a panic attack or a panic spiral, I go through a whole range of emotions in a very short period of time, and I wanted to bring that to life through colour. Some pages are somber, some are bright. Some are dark and empty, some are vibrant and full of distracting visual elements. What brings them all together is the poem.
OVERTHOUGHT: GET A DIGITAL COPY HERE --------
Overthought is written as a narration of an internal monologue that I often deal with when I start any new project. As someone with anxiety, overthinking is unfortunately a big part of my creative process and I wanted to find a way to make art from the process. Written and illustrated by me, this pocket-sized zine is a humourous take on something that can feel overwhelming.
Papercutting was a very useful form of stress-relief for me during lockdown, and in an effort to do more with this skill, I decided to create a fundraising project that aided different organisations affected by lockdown. 32 papercuts later, I was able to raise INR 50,000 for Movement for Scavenger Community, Ya_All, Dastkar, Women and Transgender Organisations Joint Action Committee, and Quarantined Student Youth Network.
Lockdown was a great opportunity for me to explore some other art forms, including clay media. I create what I fondly call Blobs out of different clays and paint or glaze with different colours. I'm always looking to create things that are fun and whimsical, and these hit the mark on the whimsical experience for me.
