April 19, 2019 - Full Moon in Libra
My life journey began in the charming, sleepy town of Pune, India, a place that found its way onto the global map thanks to two remarkable spiritual figures: BKS Iyengar, the revered yoga guru, and Bhagwan Rajneesh (Osho), the controversial mystic and rebel. My childhood was a dance through the neighborhood, an exploration of local flora and fauna, hill climbing, learning Kathak dance, and creating art. I painted on everything from fabric to wood, glass to pottery, using whatever I could find—acrylics, watercolors, beads, sand, threads, shells, and even the shards of broken glass bangles. One of my most vivid memories is from when I was six or seven, painting intricate mandalas on paper while the family rested during the siesta.
Growing up in India in the '70s offered few opportunities to pursue art as a profession. Instead, it became a hobby while my academic pursuits and eventual career in software technology took center stage. This journey led me to the heart of innovation in California’s Silicon Valley for a decade, then into the dynamic world of technology consulting across Europe, Asia, and the USA. My professional life is well-documented on LinkedIn, so let's just say it was a chapter that enriched me in countless ways.
Art, however, never fully left me. In 2006, during a sabbatical from work, while living in Freiburg, Germany, I wandered into a local art store, my fingers itching to dance with paints and brushes again. That moment, after a 15-year hiatus, reawakened something in me. Since then, I carried a basic art kit wherever I went, even if I didn’t always find time to use it and made a silent promise to myself that art would always have a place in my life, even amidst the hustle of work.
In 2008, my interest in the esoteric, Tantra, Yoga, and meditation led me to explore painting Yantras and Chakras as a meditation practice. I spent time with Pieter Welteverde, learning the precise geometry of these symbols. After a creative burst, though, consulting contracts took me back into a demanding work rhythm with constant travel. Time flew.
By 2013, while living in Copenhagen, I felt a strong urge to pick up the brush again. I signed up for a life-drawing Croqui class, bought an easel and canvas, and set my tools by the window. Yet, consulting work continued to claim my time. Then, in late 2014, my health took a turn, resulting in a severe health crisis. After six months of inconclusive tests, I finally received an unexpected diagnosis: Hashimoto’s disease. I had a meltdown on the steps outside my doctor’s office in Copenhagen when I was told there was no cure. But in that meltdown, came an inner message: You can’t continue living life on the fast track. It’s time to stop and change directions.
In 2016, I leaped into the unknown, leaving my career for a sabbatical to heal and rediscover art. I studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Arts in London and embraced alternative healing practices. Early in 2016, I moved to Peru’s Sacred Valley, focusing on healing through diet, herbs, and art, enrolling at the Bellas Artes School of Fine Arts in Cusco, Peru. Here, art wasn't just an escape; it was integration, healing, and expression. Writing also entered my life through a weekly writer's group in Cuzco, expanding my creative horizons.
By the end of 2016, my Hashimoto’s had rebalanced, and I had begun to paint with my unique voice. My time in the Amazon studying Neo-Amazonian art in the style of Pablo Amaringo at the Usko Ayar School of Arts, the Osho Art Therapy Training in Spain, and weekly sketching sessions at Pranoto's Art Gallery in Bali in subsequent years further shaped my artistic identity. I absorbed different techniques and styles from artists around the world, shaping my own.
Now, I find myself at the intersection of art and technology, pondering if there's a bridge where these worlds can harmoniously coexist. I continue to learn, play, and create, both on my own and with fellow artists who welcome me into their spaces. They inspire me not just through their art but through their profound connection to what art means in their lives. If I knew where this path would lead, I'd share it, but the beauty of this journey is its uncertainty.
I act on each impulse as it comes, much like when I paint. What I do know is that creative expression feeds my soul. Through art, I aim to share, question, reveal, touch, and be touched, to inspire and be inspired. Ultimately, through art, I hope to offer a glimpse into the great mystery of life.
Life is inherently unpredictable. And Tracy Chapman’s song echoes in my mind, “If not now, then when?”
Comentarios