We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nfn Kalyan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nfn below.
Nfn, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
maintaining a high level of creativity is paramount to making artwork that’s worth a damn. some artists get lucky and have one good year of paintings. or one good album. but maintaining that level is difficult. in your daily schedule there is a balance that has to be met. you have to know when to do nothing. and you have to know when to work. if you lean too far toward nothing then you have no output and you’re not truly an artist and if you work too hard then you burn out.
you have to have an understanding of yourself to figure out that balance. it’s different for everyone.
the more important aspect of maintaining a high level of creativity that many people don’t consider is to keep yourself in situations that you have never been in before. don’t get used to your process too much. for a while that may seem fine because you’re refining what you do but eventually you’ll just be boring. put yourself in situations where you aren’t comfortable with the process. you’ll find that is where creativity lies. because every artist will tell you that it doesn’t come from yourself. it comes out of nowhere. but you have to create that gap of not knowing what to do. inspiration will fill the gap and you’ll find something new.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
i started as an artist 15 years ago on a whim. i was in my late 20s and decided that i had to make something of my life. or try. i have had some measure of success in sculpture and painting as well as being one of the first people with my foot in the door for nfts.
i work on massive paintings that deal with my background growing up in the united states but being of indian descent. i deal with hinduism and christianity. i deal with grief and loss. i try to deal with the massive ecosystem of human existence and the balance and hypocrisy of that existence.
this year im working on a 46 foot long oil painting as well as a huge nft project. i believe that nft as a technology has been basically misunderstood both by those that think it’s a joke and those that champion it. im trying to use it in interesting and artistic ways. my nft work is often very cynical and sarcastic about the ecosystem in which it exists.
i have a big show of painting tjat my agent is looking to place this year (it will likely be new york) and another show i’m preparing for chicago next year.
the 46 foot painting will appear in an art fair either in miami or los angeles.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
it’s hard to quantify the three most important skills an artist should have. many would probably tell you something about networking and marketing. but id like to focus on the creative side of it:
1) you have to be honest. and by honest i mean honest with yourself. any bum can be “honest” about a situation they have no emotional stake in.
2) you have to work hard. don’t be lazy and “wait for inspiration.” if you don’t have inspiration it just means either you or your life is boring. and don’t mistake artists block for lack of inspiration. the cure for block is work. if you work when you have block then your brain naturally starts trying to solve a problem and the block is gone.
3) you have to be willing to sacrifice.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
in life you have to know yourself. this in part means understanding which way your energy flows so that you can speak honestly in your work and know how to say the things you want to say.
regardless of that, you should try to work on your weaknesses. when you confront those things you become stronger and everything improves. if you are afraid to get better or are complacent then your life and work will get worse. that’s just the nature of things.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nfnkalyan.com
- Instagram: @NFNKalyan
- Twitter: @NFNKalyan
