Our very own body painting artist : Navya Sk

Tulunadu is known for its enormous dedication to art. Every artist supports and sing the praises of each other, as its the pandemic era artists coming out of their nutshells are multiplying exceptionally, and one among them is our body art sensation Navya Sk, her recent work representing the beauty of tulunadu was alluring and a eye catching one. In an exclusive interview with Tuluadda.com, Navya Sk talks about her love for art.

Here are the snippets: What is art for you and when did you discover your love for it?

Art for me is a belief, just like how others believe in god from the bottom of their heart, I believe in art. Whenever I’m sad or I’m happy, the first thing that comes to my mind is art, so art is the way I express all my emotions. Since childhood I was drawn towards art, the feeling for art was very strong ever since i was little. I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything else other than art.

How did you come up with body art ?

When the pandemic hit in the year 2020 I started body art for fun, as we had plenty of time with us and nothing to do at home. I thought of experimenting with something keeping art as my base, so I decided to treat my body as my canvas. I didn’t have to depend on paper, canvas or a pallet, my hand was my pallet and my body was my canvas. I started with a butterfly art on my eyes, even though it didn’t reach a lot of audience, I knew that here in mangalore it was something new and it would take time for the audience to connect and my love for body art started growing immensely and then I couldn’t stop. I came up with new designs everyday and sat for hours painting on my body.

Do you have a role model or a network of other artists that you rely on and what do you do to support each other?

Yes. I always look up to my role models. I have two artists that I admire the most, Mimi Choi and Dain yoon , both are international makeup artists, their works are phenomenal and they inspire me to get better every day. In and around Mangalore I have a bunch of artist friends to rely on and we support each other’s art work on social media platforms and help each other grow in our areas.

What’s your biggest barrier to being an artist ? How do you address it?

When it comes to art in general, the biggest barrier that we all go through are the social norms and the criticism. Even when there are 200 to 300 positive comments , that one or two negative comments gets all my attention, even when I try not to concentrate on them, it breaks my heart. But now I have learnt to accept all the challenges that come my way and all the negative remarks don’t upset me anymore.

Have your parents been supportive of what you do? Or did it take time for them to accept it ?

Ever since I was little my parents tried to get rid of my obsession towards painting as they wanted me to concentrate on my studies as well. My parents did not tell me to completely stop doing it , but they did not totally support me as well. To speak about one of the issue , body paint which comparatively is expensive , in that context I did not totally get the support but now it has changed. They are more supportive of what I do and have accepted my love for art.

How do you cultivate your audience?

In this particular field that i’m working on it’s not possible to post everyday , but initially when I began ( due to the pandemic) I used to post twice a week. Body painting consumes a lot of time and to have that patience to create something different every time is a task. In Mangalore I have a pretty good audience to share and engage with my posts as well. Everytime i post something there is a good response from the audience and it reminds me of every little effort that I put into my artwork.

How do you make sure you have time to create ? Do you have a set time for it?

I’m a student currently and because of the pandemic we’ve been having online classes as well so I have ample time. I get enough time to plan and think about new ideas, and my audience’s support always keeps me going. In the future I would want to turn this into my profession if I’m provided with enough support and a platform to express since it’s been my passion since my childhood. Most times I do my work in the afternoon. I take about 2 hours for simple body painting but for a more professional art like for my recent project based on the ‘beauty of tulunadu’ I took about 11 hours.

Q)What do you like and dislike about the art world?

It is a subjective opinion but for art is happiness. The most important thing I have learnt from my art journey is patience. I sit for hours together to complete my work but sometimes it does not turn out the way i expect it to be so i need to sit again after a few days and restart my work.
This has been my vital lesson. What I dislike about art is that compared to other creative fields art is not given enough credits, congratulations is always more than support. finally it’s very difficult to make
a career out of art.

How has practice changed you over time? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Practice has made me improve step by step. It is clearly visible even on my posts. There is a clear difference between my first post and now. My gradual improvement in my designs and ideas gives me more confidence to create more and more, I can also tell that I am consuming less time and my results are better than when I began.
Firstly, practice makes a man perfect is something I agree with. secondly and most importantly “Never give up even if it means your standing alone” is something I strongly believe in. I have repeatedly reminded myself of these two proverbs and I stick to them by any means.

Professionally, what is your goal in life other than being an artist ? What is your dream project?

Currently my goal is to finish my degree. But ten years down the line I would want to do something in the field of art.
I haven’t given much thought to my dream project. I have one dream to form a team and work for Prosthetic art. I haven’t tried Prosthetic art till now but would love to do it in the future. Being on Tuluadda.com has been my dream done 2 years and I’m so glad that I’m finally being featured on the page.

What are your thoughts about modelling? Has body painting opened your paths for modelling?

Body painting has made me more confident so it has definitely been a major reason to take up modelling as well. I am getting a lot of responses from the photography field as well for collaborations and that makes me want to do more and more. I would definitely be happy to take up something that would portray my art.

As you are a student how do you maintain a balance between art and studies?

I find it a little tiring but because of the pandemic it has been easier. I try to balance my studies and art as much as possible and cut down
few of my additional activities.

How did doing art change your social media profile?

Honestly , the follower count has not changed much but I have seen a steady increase in the response I get for my art. People recognize me
In my locality through my art few of them even drop me a text to show support. All of this makes a difference for me and it motivates me to keep going.
Count does not always matter to me but sometimes it kind of demotivates me to see people receiving a lot of love for absolutely nothing , but all in all
I love art and I love what I do.

We wish all the love and support to Navya Sk for all her future toils and we are proud to have such a talent in our tulunadu and keep making us proud with your exceptional work.