101101 WOMANKIND’S ART CHALLENGEDay three: If I were completely
honest with myself, I usually decide
not to paint because I don’t have big
enough spaces of time. Whenever
I’m painting the world slips away
and I fall into a meditative state as
hours slip by. I woke up this morning
in a self-imposed art stupor, exhaust-
ed because I stayed up well past my
bedtime. Sometimes I feel like it’s
exhausting holding the ideas for my
art at bay until I can pay full atten-
tion to them. But then I wonder, “Is
the exhaustion of waiting different
than the exhaustion of cutting into
much needed rest?” Which one is
more sustainable? How do I find bal-
ance? This time, as I’m sitting down
at my kitchen table, I set a timer.
Thirty minutes, that’s all I get. It
feels wrong.
Day four: Today as I’m painting,
I look up and notice how the setting
sun reflects off of one of my broth-
er’s stained-glass pieces. He makes a
living as a stained-glass artist. Some-
times he has to pick up odd jobs to
make ends meet, but for the most
part he’s living his life on his terms
as an artist. Sometimes I’m a little
jealous, but I also realise the grass is
always greener. My thoughts wan-
der to a conversation we had over
a year ago. We were comparing the
different career paths we took and
how we view art in our lives. He was
wondering how I find time for art
with my busy work schedule. I was
wondering how he pushes through
when his paycheck can be sporadic
at best. “Well, kiddo,” he said, “You
do what you can, until you can’t any
more.” I wonder why that has stuck
in my mind and how I can apply that
to finding balance.
Day Five: It’s late Sunday evening
and I’m lying on my living room floor
staring up at the shadows of the pine
trees though the window. I’m tryinga dear friend who is also an artist.
He said to me, “Simeen, just make
it a practice to go and sit in your
studio space every single day. You
don’t even have to paint. Just be in
the space and do what comes natu-
rally. Read art books, write a letter,
clear up the mess, anything, but just
be there every day for some time.”
Valuable advice indeed, for in the
last month I have finished a paint-
ing I began six years ago. Things
are moving, and the Womankind
challenge is giving me that extra
little nudge. This morning I started
some sketches towards finalising the
painting I am about to start.
Day two: I’m back in my studio
earlier than usual, completing a bit
of detailing on a painting. The chal-
lenge pushes me into this wonderful
routine. But does this mean one only
performs when faced with a chal-
lenge? This question has concerned
me for a while. My drive to work
was strong and focused every time I
was offered a show. The slump hap-
pened when my paintings weren’t
accepted by my gallerist (whose
opinion mattered a lot). Instead
she advised me to keep working and
to visit her when I had some more
paintings. This was a massive blow
to my ego, which I always thought
was not inflated! The brakes came
on and I didn’t enter the workplace
for months on end. During that
time, I began to observe my reac-
tion and I started to question why
I chose to do what I do. Did I paint
for validation and praise alone? Was
this truly what I wished to do? Why
do I paint? Can one have more than
one passion?
Day three: I’m sitting at the desk
in my studio. The heat and humidity
make it difficult to get up and paint.
The whole country is waiting for the
monsoon. Today I decided to workto muster up the energy to go to
bed before I fall asleep on the floor.
Why am I so tired? I think about the
challenge and feel guilty that I was
so unproductive today. “Hold up,” I
think, “That was a strange thought.”
I mentally go over all the things I
did today. I cleaned the house, did
laundry, did the dishes, went grocery
shopping, caught up on work emails,
mapped out some lesson plans,
entered grades, mowed the lawn, and
weeded the back yard. I, however,
did not get to my painting. Perhaps
this exercise of five minutes daily
has shown me that I need to find a
balance. Isn’t that what my mum
said over ten years ago? I also need
to learn how to give myself a little
grace when I don’t find that balance.
Because, after all, we do what we can
until we can’t any more.Simeen OshidarDay one: I don’t know if I quali-
fy for this challenge as I am a paint-
er by profession and on a good day
spend at least four to five hours in
my studio. Even so, for the last 10
years work has been very erratic,
with days, sometimes weeks, going
by without entering the workspace- and the guilt and embarrassment
arising when asked what I do mess-
ing with my confidence. In the last
couple of months, I have followed
the precious advice given to me by
101 WOMANKIND’S ART CHALLENGE Womankind CommunityDay three: If I were completely
honest with myself, I usually decide
not to paint because I don’t have big
enough spaces of time. Whenever
I’m painting the world slips away
and I fall into a meditative state as
hours slip by. I woke up this morning
in a self-imposed art stupor, exhaust-
ed because I stayed up well past my
bedtime. Sometimes I feel like it’s
exhausting holding the ideas for my
art at bay until I can pay full atten-
tion to them. But then I wonder, “Is
the exhaustion of waiting different
than the exhaustion of cutting into
much needed rest?” Which one is
more sustainable? How do I find bal-
ance? This time, as I’m sitting down
at my kitchen table, I set a timer.
Thirty minutes, that’s all I get. It
feels wrong.
Day four: Today as I’m painting,
I look up and notice how the setting
sun reflects off of one of my broth-
er’s stained-glass pieces. He makes a
living as a stained-glass artist. Some-
times he has to pick up odd jobs to
make ends meet, but for the most
part he’s living his life on his terms
as an artist. Sometimes I’m a little
jealous, but I also realise the grass is
always greener. My thoughts wan-
der to a conversation we had over
a year ago. We were comparing the
different career paths we took and
how we view art in our lives. He was
wondering how I find time for art
with my busy work schedule. I was
wondering how he pushes through
when his paycheck can be sporadic
at best. “Well, kiddo,” he said, “You
do what you can, until you can’t any
more.” I wonder why that has stuck
in my mind and how I can apply that
to finding balance.
Day Five: It’s late Sunday evening
and I’m lying on my living room floor
staring up at the shadows of the pine
trees though the window. I’m trying
a dear friend who is also an artist.
He said to me, “Simeen, just make
it a practice to go and sit in your
studio space every single day. You
don’t even have to paint. Just be in
the space and do what comes natu-
rally. Read art books, write a letter,
clear up the mess, anything, but just
be there every day for some time.”
Valuable advice indeed, for in the
last month I have finished a paint-
ing I began six years ago. Things
are moving, and the Womankind
challenge is giving me that extra
little nudge. This morning I started
some sketches towards finalising the
painting I am about to start.
Day two: I’m back in my studio
earlier than usual, completing a bit
of detailing on a painting. The chal-
lenge pushes me into this wonderful
routine. But does this mean one only
performs when faced with a chal-
lenge? This question has concerned
me for a while. My drive to work
was strong and focused every time I
was offered a show. The slump hap-
pened when my paintings weren’t
accepted by my gallerist (whose
opinion mattered a lot). Instead
she advised me to keep working and
to visit her when I had some more
paintings. This was a massive blow
to my ego, which I always thought
was not inflated! The brakes came
on and I didn’t enter the workplace
for months on end. During that
time, I began to observe my reac-
tion and I started to question why
I chose to do what I do. Did I paint
for validation and praise alone? Was
this truly what I wished to do? Why
do I paint? Can one have more than
one passion?
Day three: I’m sitting at the desk
in my studio. The heat and humidity
make it difficult to get up and paint.
The whole country is waiting for the
monsoon. Today I decided to workto muster up the energy to go to
bed before I fall asleep on the floor.
Why am I so tired? I think about the
challenge and feel guilty that I was
so unproductive today. “Hold up,” I
think, “That was a strange thought.”
I mentally go over all the things I
did today. I cleaned the house, did
laundry, did the dishes, went grocery
shopping, caught up on work emails,
mapped out some lesson plans,
entered grades, mowed the lawn, and
weeded the back yard. I, however,
did not get to my painting. Perhaps
this exercise of five minutes daily
has shown me that I need to find a
balance. Isn’t that what my mum
said over ten years ago? I also need
to learn how to give myself a little
grace when I don’t find that balance.
Because, after all, we do what we can
until we can’t any more.Simeen OshidarDay one: I don’t know if I quali-
fy for this challenge as I am a paint-
er by profession and on a good day
spend at least four to five hours in
my studio. Even so, for the last 10
years work has been very erratic,
with days, sometimes weeks, going
by without entering the workspace- and the guilt and embarrassment
arisingwhenaskedwhatI domess-
ingwithmyconfidence.In the last
couple of months, I have followed
the precious advice given to me by
Womankind Community