When you look at the colourful feed of Sanya Jain’s adorable illustrations, you can immediately spot a warm, lovely essence emanating from them. While the technicalities of her pieces are owed to her skills, this warmth in her work is most certainly drawn out of her persona. It was perhaps because of this quality of her that our conversation happened so effortlessly, as we went on from talking about one thing to another, covering her life, art, hobbies, and profession in an easy flow.
Art and Architecture
Born and raised in Jaipur, Sanya had always been inclined towards creative things, always known to love drawing and dancing. She fondly remembers the days of summer vacations, when she used to take up art classes as a kid. She recollects them for the freedom they offered, where she would get to draw and paint just for the fun of it, without any worry of being marked or corrected. It was there that she picked up the value of consistency to follow for life. I wouldn’t be too off the mark if I say this value is what has driven her growth as an artist. Especially when she has had to balance her art along with her professional priorities.
As things kept moving ahead, Sanya decided to take up architecture for her further studies, and now has a full-time job to manage. When I ask her what made her choose this field, she reveals that it was because of how she found it a perfect blend of art, drawing and the technical aspects of it. And it is true, where Sanya is now with her skills of art is owed a lot to what she learned during the initial course of the architectural field. From understanding the basic concepts of art, about colours and materials, to photoshop- she reveals she had a lot of access to the art side of things in college.
Imagine Pot and Projects
It was only in October 2020 that Sanya set up her page, ‘the imagine pot‘. It only happened after the insistence of her family and friends who had seen and admired her doodles and comics. She expanded her skill set and began doing digital illustrations for her page, as she learnt it along the way. Sanya admits how she didn’t ever imagine it to be financially viable, but just as her page picked up with her cute valentine series, she started getting inquiries for freelance work. So, she ended up doing a number of wedding invites in the beginning, and later some collaborations with brands.
It hasn’t been a full year yet, and Sanya has had a go with a number of wonderful projects. One of her earlier projects was for a gynaecologist who wanted illustrations that were relatable to people, while another project with an NGO revolved around vaccine hesitancy. You can tell she is happy that she was a part of these projects, precisely because they allowed her to use her art and creativity as a meaningful means of serving others.
Some Rest and Some Inspiration
While we talked about this, I asked her if she gets any time to make art for herself. She relates that she likes to take some time off after finishing each project to rejuvenate and relax. Like she says, “Creativity comes from a rested mind, you can’t have that creative side if you’re continuously working to come up with new ideas”. And it is only fair, since art for her has always been about the joy of creating.
On days when she isn’t able to make that connection with a drawing, she decides to drop it and carry on with the rest of her routine. She explains how this process alone is enough to strike her with some inspiration. Sanya would be moved by something, from a song or her favourite ice-cream parlor or a person’s touch, and would end up capturing it in her illustrations. She says it herself, how in an artist all the five senses should always be open. It’s how she put it, “Everything that connects to you, relates to you, and means to you, motivates you” and her art clearly strives on that.
Of Perceptive Advices
Creative fields too, however, require pragmatism. It is not as easy to turn your passion into a profession without going over tons of realistic questions. Sanya is waiting to answer these questions first before taking the plunge into the artistic field completely. And one thing that she stresses more than ever is to have a backup plan if things go south. This realistic perspective is what she offers as a message to those looking up to follow their passion too.
She also adds how there is no time limit to learning or creativity. It is very important to start somewhere. Begin a page, post your work, and if platforms like Instagram are too anxiety-ridden for you, then utilise other social media platforms to put out your portfolios.
Sanya very aptly describes how any craft is not ‘two plus two equals four’, it is very subjective with no one answer. This is why no one should judge their artwork by numbers of social media alone. Everyone receives your work differently. Like a new movie releasing, she says, some pieces would be a hit and some not so much. We agree on how sometimes these aspects of social media do end up confining talent. And this is why she remarks that the most important thing then is to focus on the creative part of your work, the very thing that you are good at. As she says, (and you’d want to note it down)–– “Try to figure out things for yourself on your own, don’t go by numbers or other people’s work, and definitely don’t judge yourself based on that”.
