I Decided to Quit My 9-5 Corporate Job Forever

In an ever-changing world and scenarios none can tell you 'how to do things' and none has got any clue. It's always better if you figure it out yourself and just be 'you'.

1. Tell us more about your background and journey.

I am a visual artist and photographer from Kerala and currently working in Bangalore. I have been painting from my childhood days. I did B.Tech in IT and worked as a software engineer for MNC's like Philips and Honeywell around 8 years ago and then I quit my corporate job and moved completely into Visual art.

2. When did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

Art has always been a part of my life from childhood days and I have been painting from 3 and half or 4 years but never really thought I would completely move into this field. I studied in technical school where we had computers
and electronics from high school onwards.

My natural progression was into engineering and eventually I started working as a software professional. Life got really monotonous in the corporate world as I was just following the same routine every day and the future never excited me at that time.

That was the moment I started concentrating more on Art and started displaying them on social media. My Facebook page got around 3 lacs followers that time and I started getting a lot of work. There was one point where I couldn't concentrate on both the jobs and I decided to quit my 9-6 corporate job forever. That's how I became a full time Artist.

3. Is it a financially stable career?

For me it is. Since I worked in both the IT field and Art field respectively, I find Art is far better financially and its really fulfilling.

4. Who is your favorite artist and why?

My list is endless. Banksy for the bold political statements, David Shrigley for his witty and humorous executions without bothering much about the traditional crafts.

Bill waterson for showing how can create intelligent and impactful simple art and also widely popular. James Turrel for rejecting all the burden of being political in art but rather making art as a basic human experience using lights and shape .

5. Where do you get inspired to create art?

I get inspired from everything around me. People I meet and random conversations with them, music I listen, movies I watch, books I read, places I visit or political situations around the world.

In Fact, everything around me is a source of inspiration. I usually mix things from taking inputs from all these things and creating art, it's a fun process.

6. What does your typical day look like?

Currently I am at my native place in Kerala because of this Covid situation and my typical day is slow paced, watching the monsoon, drawing and doing my work and eating home cooked food.

7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring artists?

The only advice I have to give to anybody is, just don't get into the trap of what others say, or what the system says to you about making art. There are more ways to reach a destination than the usual path and the destination is not important but the journey is.

In an ever changing world and scenarios none can tell you 'how to do things' and none has got any clue. It's always better if you figure it out yourself and being 'you'.

8. Which is your favorite book and why?

Currently reading all the Murakami works, I really like his books.