“I don’t need a support system,”

It’s easy for me to get caught up in schoolwork. Personally, it’s one of my favorite places to be, completely engrossed in the essay that I am writing or the exam that I am studying for. Learning is something that I have always loved to do, and finals week puts my commitment to learning into overdrive. Unfortunately, during weeks like last week and this one, my fascination turns to reclusion.

“Put your hand on my heart and listen.”

The more time I spend away from people, the less time I want to spend with people, including my most beloved friends. I get used to my cycle of entering that special place of focus in my brain and sitting with one task for hours at a time to the point that any sort of social interaction is exhausting just to think about.

“What I need is a dedication to last me all the way through.”

The truth is that I rely on my friends when I am doing well, so I shouldn’t stop relying on them just because I feel overwhelmed. Like Liz Phair sings in Support System, support from loved ones should not stop when things get difficult. Especially during exam weeks, when nearly everyone is experiencing increased stress, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out and telling my friends that it’s been a crazy week for me as long as I take their mental well-being into account as well. In my experience, my friends are usually happy to know that I feel comfortable being honest about how I’ve been feeling and relieved to know that they are able to commiserate with me about the stress of wrapping up the semester, too.

“Pointing the finger, I’m counting on loving you.”

Staying up far later than I should have talking with friends last night might have made me more tired than usual today, but it also reminded me that I’m not alone. Just because I isolated myself to focus for a few days does not mean my support system is gone. Letting them know how I feel is important, too. It’s nothing personal against my friends, I just get caught up in my own world sometimes which leads to my own self-isolation. Telling my friends about this – and telling them that I miss them – is always a helpful step in our relationships. 

“Over and above the passion, I’m connected to you.”

Even though it’s an ongoing process for me to stop guilting myself for resting when there is still work to be done, taking breaks is necessary and healthy. Just because I don’t see my friends as often during busy and overwhelming weeks does not mean that we don’t still love each other, and I need to remember that when I once again have more time to socialize. My restorative experiences with my friends this week have been a healthy reminder that, for me, there are things – and people – that are just as important as (if not more important than) my essays and exams. 

Listen to Support System here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2SoouRP1X8

Hello everybody! I hope you are all surviving the beginning of the hell that is finals season! I for one am very excited for the next two weeks to be over with so that I can go home and celebrate Christmas with my family. This blog post is going to be one where I share some updates on my current art piece and what I have learned along the way.

This current piece is the biggest that I have ever done, in a medium that I am very uncomfortable with but also very drawn to. I was commissioned by my mom to recreate a religious piece done by an incredible Indian artist whom I have featured on this blog before named Bijay Biswaal. The first time that I looked at this piece of artwork I was shocked. It is beautiful and breathtaking, and I never imagined ever being able to tackle it let alone recreate it.

I decided to take the surge of confidence and the feeling of empowerment that my last piece of artwork instilled in me and use it as a sense of momentum to carry me forward through this piece. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.

As I have talked about before, my favorite thing to do with my artwork is to give up all control and throw myself into a piece without any expectations. However, this time was a little bit different. Maybe it was because I was creating it for my mother. Maybe it was because it had a religious subject that I did not want to get wrong. Maybe it was because I was just nervous to fail and waste supplies.
But I decided to have faith in my abilities and push myself. I decided to begin the largest piece that I have ever done, two feet by four feet. I decided to use a medium that I was not at all comfortable with, oil paint.
This piece has already taught me so much about myself. Even though. I still have a long way to go before I am completely done with it. I am so grateful that my mother pushed me to create this piece and that I was willing to take on the challenge. I have added some images of my progress thus far. I think the fact that it is not an original idea makes it a little bit easier to tackle and offers the perfect starting off point for even bigger oil paintings.

The biggest lesson that I have learned, and that you will hear me iterate time and time again, is just do it. Go for it. Start that project that you have in the back of your mind. Try that thing that you have a deep yearning for but are also terrified of. Push yourself. Push your comfort zone. Because not doing so, not allowing yourself the space to try, not allowing yourself to make mistakes, is the biggest failure of them all.

I will be writing a final blog post on this piece once I complete it and am able to tell you all the beautiful tale behind the scene being depicted!

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my words and thoughts. As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! And for all other artists out there, take that leap of faith. Step our of your comfort zone. Who knows, it may turn your whole word upside down.

 

Looking forward to next Monday!

 

~ Riya

 

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/

This is my character Kita, she had some previous designs but this time I’m revamping her. She’s a Meliae dryad undercover as a honey vender undercover as a tourist. Her body is filled with honeycombs and her heart is as sweet as honey. I’d trust her with my life but not my mental health.

I wonder if they hear me screaming. 

If the sound of high Cs will still register at 440 hz-

Even if the timbre is abnormal.

 

I wonder if they see me bent over them.

Eyes squinting trying to predict how they move- 

I wish walls knew how to turn inside out. 

So that I can hear the music.