A True Artist (In My Imagination)

I am not great at sketching. Probably because I rarely draw, and I have very less patience. The enthusiasm with which I start sketching frizzles out in a while, and then I'm in a rush to just get done with it. Oops, sounds like just how it shouldn't be! But sketching is also a lot of fun. 

I sketch once in a while, and it's usually simple things in my memory. For example, you can see my sketch that I've put up with this post. It was just one out of the experiences that I had in Mumbai last year- with a lot of ice golas and desserts in it! The drawing definitely (and obviously) looks unpolished because the artist is a highly unpolished one. But, the main point that I'm trying to make is: it is a lot of fun to just recreate your own sweet memory! 

Do you remember how in The Little Prince the pilot, in his childhood, attempts to draw and is discouraged by adults because they thought he wasn't really good enough at it? Remember: don't let them steal your magnificent career as a painter and an artist, at least in your imagination.

Sometimes, we do things just because they were momentarily fun to do, and not because we are passionate about it, or think that we have a career in it, or because we are good at it. Simply, we like it. If not all the time, we enjoy it at least that one day or one hour that we do it. And, we don't do it often, but that one-off time is still happy enough! One such things is sketching for me. I cannot call it a hobby, I cannot call it a talent, and yet I do it sometimes and it makes me happy!

I drew this on Adobe Sketch. Do you have that one-off activity that you really enjoy? How do you like my (undoubtedly brilliant) sketch? Let me know in the comments below! 

The Buyerarchy Of Needs

Photo credit: Sarah Lazarovic

A couple of years back, a famous illustrative hierarchy on the trends and needs of consumers, and the consumer behaviour, was created by Canadian illustrator Sarah Lazarovic, who is also a creative director and a visual journalist specializing in info-graphics and illustrations. 

Sara Lazarovic's The Buyerarchy of Needs is a creative twist to Abraham Maslow's famous "Hierarchy of Needs". Maslow created a pyramidal classification on the necessities of survival when he found some necessities taking precedence over other necessities.  He laid out five levels of needs:  the physiological needs, the needs for safety and security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem, and the need to actualize the self- and the levels are arranged in the order that pushes the instincts, with psychological needs placed at the base and self-actualization at the top of the pyramid.

Lazarovic's innovative twist in this pyramid gives a similiar structure for consumers buying goods, the ultimate aim being to save money and use it when needed. The 'buyerarchy' moves from using what you have at the base to borrowing, swapping, buying in thrifts, making as levels through the alternate intermediate layers (in that order), and finally buying at the apex of the pyramid. This hierarchy of levels, when kept in mind while buying, not only help save money, but also help save the environment. 

It is important to utilize resources judiciously, and help create a sustainable change. The illustrative Buyerarchy of Needs is a beautiful way to capture the essence of saving both money and natural resources. Its levels reinforce that the panacea to all environment ills is to use the well known principle of 5 R's- refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot! 

It is an inspiring and creative illustration, and so is its illustrator! It is such a pleasure to discover the mind behind creativity, and where such ideas are inspired from. Next time you spot an interesting picture/photograph/illustration/quote/any artistic expression that catches your attention, and makes you pause and think, take that little effort to find out who is behind it! I'm sure we'll all have a lot more to learn and gain that way!

The Muse Mode (And, Mood)

Art: by me :)

The environment you are in plays a big role on what thoughts come to you when you sit down to write a story. Essentially, to write a good story, you slip into what I'd call the 'muse mode' (or, muse mood- whichever way you like it!). 

So, what's the muse mode? The muse mode is when you stare into infinity, irrespective of whether it's an ocean or a wall in front of you, and you are lost in the deep muse of what your protagonist(s) sees and does. You live the experience as you write it. Though we write a novel, we actually see the events playing out as we write it and even when we read it. And, most often than not, you become the protagonist and see it through your eyes when you write the story. 

That has always been my experience. Whatever form of story it is- a novel, a play, a short story, whatever- the best pieces written are the ones where you lived them through while writing. That is why the setting that you are in can influence a lot. What you can write from your heart in a fresh, open space one serene morning, is different from what you can write in a cab stuck in traffic jam. There is no hierarchy in standard with respect to them, as long as they are written from the heart, living that moment. Sometimes, we may carry the feeling from the serene morning, and live through it again to write about it in a cab stuck in traffic. The muse mood is still about the morning! A virtual muse mood, without an actual setting that demands it, is also very much possible, at least for writers who love the story they are writing. But, it is not possible for me to write without creating this mood. 

So, identifying your muse mode and writing genuinely is what can make a story actually reach out to people. Anyone who writes would definitely understand what 'muse mood' that I am talking about. And, if you don't understand what this whole post is about, I have an interesting exercise for you. Write 3-4 pieces, preferably stories of about 500-1000 words each, and write them each in different settings, different times. Then, go back and reflect on where you were and what you wrote!

Note: The drawing is inspired from a scene from the movie Whisper of the Heart, where Shizuku sits looking outside the window - deep in thought! Hope you get the mood I am talking about from the picture!

Ans, happy writing this weekend!

A Story On Stage

A story, on stage.
A large house, with a houseful.
A wide stage, and a wider screen.
A retracting curtain revealing the story.
A beautiful set, and enticing personas.
An enigma expressed, a hurdle crossed.
A weakness overcome, a strength employed.
A conveyed moral, an attempt to better.
A win for the good, and a lesson for the bad.
A mixed opinion- on the shades of grey.
An open question, a thumping finale.
A heartfelt cheer for the glory well-staged-
with unabashed performances, the crowd in a craze.
A warm welcome, a happy hug.
A celebration, with a lively tenor.
A meeting, with closed circuits.
A start, and another story.

A story, on stage.

Parasite (Gisaengchung)

Movie: Parasite (Gisaengchung)

Language: Korean

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

Written by: Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Chang Hyae-jin

Music by: Jung Jae-il

Running time: 132 minutes

Father Ki-taek, mother Chung-sook, son Ki-woo, and daughter Ki-jeong of the Kim family struggle to make ends meet for a regular living, with no jobs for any of them. What seems a boon when an offer comes their way to Ki-woo, to tutor the daughter of the rich Park family on the recommendation of a friend, soon turns into a string of lies. The well-rehearsed lies, and some well staged plans, lead to the whole Kim family being employed with the Park family, without the Parks knowing the connections between them. There develops a symbiotic relationship between the Parks and the Kim family, and the lives of these two families placed in disconnected worlds cross over. But, the parasites discarded by the Kims, as a part of their hatched plans to get employed, return to threaten their newfound lives, making the heart of the story. 

The movie captures the differences in privilege with a honesty that is haunting. The dependence, and the troubles born out of truth and lie is almost parasitic. Privilege till the end remains a dream for the Kims. Their attempts to be employed without lying fail. But when they lie to live, the lies bury them deeper. The details in the film are intricate and well-knit, pushing you to a space of familiarity, and slight discomfort on seeing blank truth, at the same time. 

Parasite is a brilliant film. The Korean drama feels extremely true to its title, and it is so real that it keeps you at the edge till the very end. The story is simple, but the sequences are beautifully placed that it leaves you guessing all the time. You know some things would happen as you watch the movie, and they do- but never at the moment that you think they would happen. The film is bounty with twists and turns, and leaves you high on expectations at some points only to hit you with that unexpected tangent of events.  

Parasite refuses to fit into a pre-decided confinement of a single genre. It is thrilling to the point that your brain spins with the score of possibilities, and it is also with consistent comedy, leaving you at the end with a feeling of a roller-coaster ride I could bet you haven't been on before. 

The Agony And The Ecstasy

The Agony and the Ecstasy (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Agony And The Ecstasy

Author: Irving stone

Main Characters: Michelangelo Buonarotti, Ghirlandaio, Grannasi, Bertoldo, Contessina, Lodovico, Lorenzo, Piero, Lionardo, Duccio, Jacopo, Soderini and Tomao

Michelangelo Buonarotti was one  of the greatest sculptors ever known. He first received training from Ghirlandaio. Ghirlandaio trained Michelangelo in art and painting. After a few years of training in Ghirlandaio’s workshop, Michelangelo realized that he wanted to be a sculptor and not a painter. But Lodovico Buonarotti, Michelangelo’s father, was ashamed of Michelangelo for taking interest in sculpting and painting. The Buonarotti family were proud moneylenders, and felt it below their dignity to be in other professions, especially sculpting.

Sculpting was considered a lowly job. But Michelangelo’s world revolved around sculpting. Michelangelo convinced his father, took leave from Ghirlandaio, and joined the sculpting school of Bertoldo- the only alive master of the art of sculpting. He trained under Bertoldo for a very long time, and soon became a part of the Medici family. Before Bertoldo died, he chose Michelangelo as his heir- the next master of sculpting.

Michelangelo started working under Il Magnifico Lorenzo de’ Medici. He completed his first marble structure- the Madonna and the child. Lorenzo, deeply impressed by Michelangelo’s talent, presented him a lot of money, gifts and prizes. Il Magnifico also invited Michelangelo to stay with the Medici.

Michelangelo went to his father and handed over all the prize money. Crazy old Lodovico, mad about money, sent off Michelangelo to work on his next sculpture and earn more money. Michelangelo stayed with the Medici and earned many more prizes from Il Magnifico, all of which he sent to his family.  

All was well, until the day when Lorenzo died a sudden death. There was total chaos in the palace of the late Il Magnifico. Soon, Piero, Lorenzo’s son, was declared the next Il Magnifico.

Michelangelo and Piero had never been on good terms, and to seek revenge Piero chucked Michelangelo out of the palace, into the streets. Michelangelo was denied even a place in an obscure corner, to sit and sculpt by himself. Michelangelo was too dignified to go and beg Piero for a place to work.

After many months of misery, he found a place to set up his workshop and bought marble. But he couldn’t start sculpting. Michelangelo wanted to study anatomy of human body so that he could bring life into his sculptures.

He cut open dead bodies and studied them carefully. After that, Michelangelo was the master!

He created many wonders for the world. He was the architect of the dome of St. Peter’s. He was the creator of David. He was the painter of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling. He created the tomb of Pope Julius II. He created the Dawn and the Dusk in the Medici Chapel in Florence. He created many other sculptures in Florence and Vatican City. Finally, Michelangelo created his final works in his studio- Porta Pia and Santa Maria delgi Angeli in Rome.

Michelangelo breathed his final in St. Peter’s church. But he had already made his final wish to his faithful apprentice, Tomao- he wanted to be buried in Florence, his home.