Meet Ansh Kumar

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ansh Kumar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ansh , so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?
I have actually been thinking about this lately. According to me, creative block comes in the picture with fear. The fear of not performing as per expectations, personal or external. The only way for me to not get into that hole is that I let myself and even force myself sometimes into a state of play. This comes from my childhood where I’d show up for play with my friends everyday at the same time, not sure what we’d play or do, but the act of just showing up for play initiated hours of enjoyment without any apprehension or fear, the process became the most important part. I have seen myself do this with my art as well. I have been creating every single day for the past few years. It may come in the form of learning something new, doodling away for hours or even in the form of a deadline sometimes. There are times I procrastinate of course. If I am not able to work on something I try to pick another project that I am probably more motivated towards at the moment. That way I see myself working on all things at hand in the particular period of time. For instance, the two major areas that take up my time currently are the hand sculpted mud house I am working on with my brother and my art practice. So I would generally wake up at 6 am in the morning, work on my art and all the digital deeds like mails and applications and then we go on site and work hands on for most of the day. My point being that changing the medium of work from digital to clay and then back helps me take a break from one thing and also keeps things playful.

There is another fascinating theory of an Egyptian concept of a ‘genius’, probably similar to a ‘muse’. A ‘Genius’ rather than associating with a human, is a spirit, a spirit that comes to you in the form of an idea. So if one created or innovated something, the credit went on to the ‘genius’ but when there was a so called failure, the blame went on to the genius as well. It is an empowering thought when it comes to fear of failure or “not being good at your art”. We just have to show up on our desk everyday. I once made a small animation on the same- https://www.mera.work/demons-of-creativity .

Collaboration and putting your thoughts out to your trusted ears is a great way to secure your beliefs and to bounce off some ideas. A critically supportive collaboration could sometimes give the right push towards a direction that feels exciting. Again, I think it all comes down to the play. I like to work towards a self-practice that is constantly driven through play, reminding myself the importance of being free and true to yourself because I believe we all have a voice that is true to ourselves, unique for the world when presented and in turn one of the most satisfying feeling to have.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have a background in architecture. After my studies I went on to do my training as a designer in a German firm called Typenraum, based in Stuttgart, Germany. I worked on creating visual languages for way finding systems and a lot of print design. I decided to come back to India and give some time to experiment with installation art and slowly started doing art residencies and exhibitions. During covid, life put us in various thought processes on life itself and that’s when a bigger change took place in my life.

In March 2021, my elder brother, Raghav and I moved to a small village with just six houses in the hills, 30 minutes away from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, India. We have rented a small space to experiment with Natural building, Biomaterials, giving back to the community and most importantly to try out the slow life in the mountains that we have always been wanting to explore. We call it Tiny Farm Lab. It’s been two years now, with house almost coming to a completion, we shall be opening it up as an Airbnb in October this year. The house is completely hand sculpted by us and over seventy-five kind volunteers from around the world, which has been a surreal experience and played a very important part for my self growth. We have a podcast called Tiny Farm Friends (TFFs) and a growing community of like minded individuals that are working towards a better world. I am in love with all of it. This lifestyle is surely what I would love to develop further and keep creating while being surrounded by nature.

As an Artist I am experimenting with interactive clay sculptures, printmaking, interactive installations for museums, live audio visual performances and augmented reality experiences. With a background in architecture, I like to combine my experience in space and media design to create interactive worlds in the physical. 
 
Currently, my research is directed towards a canvas that acts as a catalyst to celebrate human traces and their implications, creating canvases to interact and create. Theories of the human mind and perceptions are at the centre of my art using ceramics, screen printing, Kinetic Sculptures, Augmented Reality experiences, and digital exhibitions. Fascinated by colour theory, motion design, cognitive psychology and research, I like to play through immersive installations combining sound, bio-sculptures as well, my art practice allows me to break away from the social and physical boundaries the mind is trapped in.
 
I have previously exhibited internationally at festivals and residencies including at the Miami Art Basel, India Art Fair New York (Ars Electronica), Munich, Paris (CADAF), Austria, Goa, Delhi, Toronto and Tokyo. I have also been associated with brands like Snapchat, Meta, Coca-Cola, Cars24, 20th century Fox, Netflix and Adobe.

The next big thing I am working on is my own online store, opening in the end of July. I am finally making it more accessible for people to connect with my art and to also fruit the art practice with some seriousness and confidence. I am doing an Audio/Visual performance in collaboration with an amazing artist called Goya. We Have also just released a music video together for his song called ‘Road to Sangla’ on YouTube. All the information shall be on my instagram.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Be kind, don’t be harsh on yourself and show up everyday. Create regularly. I would just say, never go too hard on yourself as everything eventually works out. Take small steps to know yourself, to stay healthy, to understand what you enjoy doing, and for that, you must try new things, explore new worlds and travel as much as possible. Not to take this as an excuse to be irresponsible and ignorant. You will eventually give back to the world with your own unique potential. Approach everything with utmost honesty and kindness. The smiles you put out in the world will always be the most important contribution ever.

I once saw this quote on a billboard that stuck with me “ Be heard, not herd”. It is very easy to go in the direction everyone else is moving towards, but you must stop whenever you get a chance and ask yourself if you would like to go forward on this path, would it give you the joy to put in the hard work. Of course, read a lot, be aware of what is happening in the world, gain knowledge in whatever form to add to yourself, because that will give you the power to make your decisions stronger. The books I’d recommend are- The Artists Way, The War of Art, Big Magic, The Little Prince, the boy the mole the fox and the horse and Tao of the Pooh.

Another thing that I would like to repeat is play. Play as much possible, in the now.  Play with your contemporaries and support their play with your full heart.

You will get a lot of advice in this world, but how to make use of it is completely up to you. There is no rush, always remember, “slow and steady…”

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

All kinds of creatives really, from fine arts, ceramics, glass blowing artists, street artists, tech art, musicians, film makers. Also, art collectors, galleries and museums that would be interested in collaborating.

I am working on an interactive audio-visual experience that I would like to present responsibly towards kids of special needs. It deals with how colours and sounds relate to our emotions. Therefore, I would love to collaborate with teachers, researchers and psychologists interested in a similar direction in order to approach the project responsibly.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Vasiliy Kondrashov Micheal Rosner Suraj Gotwal

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Developing the Power of Connection by Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is at the heart of so many successful projects, relationships, and endeavors. Given

Confidence
Building Blocks of Success: Confidence & Self Esteem

BoldJourney is all about helping our audience and community level up by learning from the

Resilience
Bouncing Back from Job Loss

Losing your job is painful and unfortunately the current economic conditions have led to many