We recently connected with Ashna Malik and have shared our conversation below.
Ashna , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My purpose was something, I feel, fell into my lap naturally and it happened without my knowing. I started my journey with art as a dancer and then went on to drawing and painting, which led to explorations with different mediums and my desire to acquire more skills and knowledge. A couple years ago while contemplating about why I was choosing this path and what the purpose for all of this is, I felt an extremely deep and loud calling within in me and that was when I realised what at least a part of my purpose is.
When I think about the the series of events that led me to find this purpose, the one thing they all have in common is that I followed my instinct and gut, despite being guided or told otherwise. Each small decision though may have seem inconsequential at the time, but was taken by following my instinct has added up and led to this discovery.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a multidisciplinary artist who uses a combination of traditional and digital media to investigate ideas of perception, distortion, immersion and experience. I am currently based in New Delhi, India and have exhibited my work and am included in private collections in the United States, France, and India. Along with my most recent debut solo show ‘Lines of Inquiry’ at Method, Mumbai, India.
I create paintings, interactive projections, laser cut sculptures to make the viewer question their limited perception and understanding of reality. I use a combination of digital and traditional media and like to explore and experiment as much as possible, I try to push boundaries and provides the viewer with an immersive experience. My work uses a lot of dynamic lines and vibrant colors to create movement and distortion through optical play challenging the viewer’s perception of what they see and understand.
What I find most exciting about what I have been blessed to be able to do, is that I am able to actually provide someone with an experience, make them forget about everything else and for that moment be immersed in what they are viewing or experiencing.
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?
Looking back on my journey so far, I find the 3 qualities I stuck by that helped me get to where I am are faith, focus and discipline.
Faith, in yourself, your work and your potential and most importantly faith that the universe has your best interest in mind and will support you if you put in your best. This quality has kept my going through the hardest challenges and pulled me through every-time I’ve found myself handicapped by self doubt.
Focus, find what you want to work towards and with single mindedness, channel all your energies towards it.
And then using that focus and taking disciplined actions towards it which will include sacrificing, prioritising and a lot of will power. I am a sucker for routines and schedules.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
This past year has been a year of immense growth for me personally but especially professionally. I saw my goals and dreams come to life and it has been indescribable. Looking back at the year I believe my largest area of growth has been my personal relations, relationships with people in the same field, peers in the same field, even relationships with my friends and family.
One may not think of these to be the most important part of achieving your goals and so this aspect tends to get ignored, especially as artists, sitting in your studio in isolation you often tend to focus all your energy inwards and towards your work and don’t put it in building your external relations.
This year I understood the importance of nurturing your relations with people, how much their kindness, love, cheers and support in anyway can push you forward. I’ve always found it hard to maintain personal relationships with people but I went out of my way put to put in the extra energy towards them and saw the difference in where I reached. I’ve learned that you cannot reach where you want alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashnamalik.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashnamalik/
Image Credits
I have all rights
