Meet Bula Barua

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bula Barua. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bula below.

Hi Bula, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I derive my resilience from my experiences as a young child. Growing up, I faced significant bullying because my family was from India. I was often made fun of for my name, my clothes, my weight, and many other things. I used to come home from school in tears, feeling isolated and misunderstood.

However, at some point, I made a conscious decision not to let the opinions of others define me. I embraced who I am, and through this process, I found my true friends and my true calling – creating art. Art became my sanctuary, a way to express myself authentically and find strength. This journey taught me the importance of self-acceptance and resilience, which continue to inspire my work today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a Fine Artist who began oil painting at a very young age. I decided to pursue it professionally in 2007. In 2014, I started experimenting with glass. After learning how to blow and crush glass, I decided to incorporate it into my paintings. By 2018, I had perfected a unique technique called Blown Glass on Canvas, which involves blowing glass directly onto the canvas.

What excites me most about my art is its novelty and the innovative technique I’ve developed. Blown Glass on Canvas is avant-garde and just beginning to explore its potential. This technique allows me to create art that is always in motion and telling a story. The pieces change with the viewer’s position and the light, making them dynamic and alive, much like life itself.

My brand is high-end and luxury, catering to discerning art collectors who are interested in investing in emerging artists and value art with a strong message or story. I create art for those who take risks and seek to change today’s narrative to create a better world, not just to decorate walls or match their curtains.

Currently, my work is exhibited at the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, FL, a world-renowned museum of glass art. I’m incredibly proud to be showcased alongside so many distinguished artists. Recently, I exhibited at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair in Southampton, NY, which was a stellar show. I was also featured on TODO Tampa Bay, a TV station in Tampa.

Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to announce that I will be exhibiting at Art Basel in Miami from December 3-8, 2024. It will be my first Art Basel, and I’m incredibly excited. My collectors include celebrities, entrepreneurs, and billionaires. Recently, my art was collected by Tadashi Yanai, the richest man in Japan.

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?

Looking back, the three qualities that were most impactful in my journey are persistence, the ability to keep my space clean in terms of relationships, and a strong work ethic.

1. Persistence: As a child, I was often told that I could never make a living as an artist and that I would be poor if I pursued this path. Despite these discouraging messages, I fought for my right to be an artist and never gave up. I believe you only lose when you give up. If you keep trying, eventually, you will reach your goal. Persistence has been a crucial quality in my journey.

2. Keeping My Space Clean: Many people tried to stop me from succeeding in the arts. I often found myself surrounded by “frenemies” who pretended to be my friends but didn’t genuinely want me to succeed. I had to learn to distinguish between true friendship and people who were there to use me for their benefit. Now, I keep my circle very close with people who truly celebrate me and all my wins, just as I do for them. This ability to keep my space clean and maintain genuine relationships has been vital.

3. Work Ethic: I have a very high work ethic and treat being an artist as a real job and business. I am not lazy. I work consistently and do not take days off unless I am celebrating a huge win. I am always creating and looking for ways to innovate my art business and technique. A strong work ethic has been essential to my success.

My advice to others is to cultivate these qualities. Never give up on your dreams, keep your relationships genuine and supportive, and work diligently towards your goals. Treat your passion as a serious profession, and you will see the rewards.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes, I am looking for art collectors who want to immerse themselves in a strong message through visual art. Specifically, I seek collectors who are interested in investing in emerging art and are looking for unique pieces that tell a story aligned with their core values. These individuals are dreamers, risk-takers, and visionaries who believe in rising above the status quo and creating a better world, rather than waiting for one to appear.

If you resonate with this vision and are interested in collaborating, I would love to connect with you. Please feel free to reach out to me through my website www.bulgallery.com or connect with me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/theRealbula. You can also call my gallery at (727) 900-1063 or send us an email at bulagallery@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photos by Bula Barua

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