Teens aren’t lazing around and hanging out any more. With more opportunities around the corner, these youngsters are multi-tasking; managing studies with another creative pursuit, keeping both options open for a career in the future.
Varsha Chella is a 16-year-old, studying in standard 11. But on the side, she is a painter. The young artist recently held her first exhibition called ‘First Impressions’, which had a series of sketches in cross-hatching form.
“I began to paint about seven years ago and was always interested in art. Cross-hatching was an interesting format to paint in, drawing close parallel lines to form shapes and patterns. I wanted to paint about things that have affected me. I will continue to paint and study my area of interest too,” she says.
Rebecca Taylor, who studies at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, is a national-award winning cartoonist, a fine-arts student, a set designer and a recording secretary.
“Fine arts were always a part of my life, even before I studied them. I took up set design to showcase my creativity when I was just 14 and was handling clients and managing sets, till I finished school. When I graduated, it was only natural that I joined fine arts to pursue my passion,” she says.
How does she manage all of this and studies? “When you like what you’re doing, it doesn't really seem like work. Of course, time management is something I learnt along the way and I’ve started a company now and plan weddings too. Art is like my religion. Every stroke is like a breath of air,” she smiles. Shruthi Vishwajit, a student of fashion design, who also designs bags, has a different story to tell.
“When I finished school, I wanted to apply for fashion designing and realised that my friend Divya Bhava, too, was applying for the same course. We wanted to build a portfolio together and do something creative and different. So, we designed bags for a while,” she says.
What about designing bags as a career? “Well, I haven’t really thought about that,” she laughs, adding, “I’m interested in designing clothes, which is why I’m studying fashion design. But perhaps I’d go back to it in the future.”