Creators come from all walks of life. Armin Ahsan, who is currently studying in a business school, maintains a Facebook page for her art called Space Cade. Her young age belies her ability; Space Cade is filled with works that showcase Armin’s consistent focus. She keeps the subject of her paintings at the center, everything else echoing the fundamental nature of her artstyle.
In Tui and La, for instance, Armin fashions the ying and yang element of the two fishes as the epicentre, suspended between the water and air, a lone branch hovering above La’s head. The page, opened in March 14, already features 19 unique pieces, a testament to Armin’s high work rate.
In our conversation with her, we talked about what drove her towards art, and what keeps her going as she balances her passion with work and studies.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m currently a 3rd year student at IBA, DU. I’m a raging feminist. My interests include reading, crafting, designing and of course, drawing. I would say traveling, but I haven’t really done a lot of that.
I love planning and organizing events (especially the décor aspect of it). I’m a dog person who falls in love with every dog she meets, although I’m currently raising a kitten. I have a very unhealthy obsession with coke. And right now I’m on a quest to find the best calamari in Dhaka (would love suggestions).
What drove you towards art? Any specific events or moments that made you strengthen your resolve to be an artist?
There was no defining moment that made me decide I wanted to be an artist. There’s no particular story behind it either, as boring as it sounds. I’ve never really considered myself an artist per se, and I still don’t. I’ve always enjoyed playing with colors. I draw because it makes me happy, and because I find it very therapeutic. It’s probably because of this that I continued to make art despite the Cs and Ds I received in art class.
I could relate with Armin; I dabble with art myself, doing mostly sketches. I am nowhere near as good as she is, but there have been times where I get lost within art; when I emerge from the proverbial rabbit hole, I feel content and refreshed on a spiritual level.
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When asked about how she approached art, Armin gave us great insight into what makes the artist inside her tick, painting away into the midnight until her work was done.
Could you walk us through your process of making art?
I don’t think I can call it a process. There’s no fixed step or method I follow. I also work with different mediums, so what goes for one may not necessarily work for the other. I do under sketch every piece with a pencil. Everything after that is pretty unstructured and messy. Whenever I get the urge to draw/paint, I have all my supplies scattered all around me. Being surrounded by everything helps my creativity, I feel. In fact, one of the things I love about art is messy it can be. Until I have to clean up, of course.
What sort of subjects do you like drawing?
This is a hard question to answer. I love painting landscapes, and galaxies. And I really enjoy painting trees. I’m not very good at drawing people, but it’s something I’m working on.
Does the feedback you receive from others unnerve or embolden you?
I didn’t share my art with a lot of people until recently. I’ve always been critical of my abilities, and in all honesty, I didn’t believe any of my work was worth sharing. My friends have always been very supportive though, which gave me the confidence to start posting my work on social media. So far the response I’ve gotten has been very positive, and it has certainly helped my confidence. A year ago, I wouldn’t even have considered opening my own page.
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When asked about how she felt art personally, Armin had a lot to say.
Could you talk about a piece you worked on that felt very personal?
I feel art, even ones intended for the masses, is always intensely personal. You invest a part of yourself in the art you make. Others may not agree, but I’ve always felt that art is first for oneself and one’s soul, and then for others.
Could you talk about a piece you worked on that felt very personal?
As I said, you invest a part of yourself in every piece you create. So every piece feels personal to me. But if I had to pick one, I’d have to go with something I did back in first grade. It was done for an art competition with the theme “My Dream House”. Unfortunately, my drawing exceeded the size limit and I ended up not submitting anything. But I remember my parents being very proud of that. It was the first piece of art they had framed.
Another piece that feels very personal is not a drawing at all. It’s a craft piece that I worked on as a gift for someone special, and their reaction made all the effort worth it.
What are your muses when it comes to art?
Landscapes, photographs, dreams I have, books I read, shows I watch, and occasionally, Pinterest.
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We also talked about the ways her audiences engage with her art, and her thoughts on whether or not art always needs to carry a message.
How does social media affect your audience and effective reach?
Social media has played a part in building my confidence in myself and my art. So far it’s been a very wholesome, and happy experience sharing my art with others. I did open an art page very recently, and although I’d love to be able to reach more people and see it grow, I want to stay focused on the happiness I get from making art, and now from sharing it, and not concern myself too much with reach.
Have you participated in any exhibitions? If yes, how was the response?
I’ve never participated in exhibitions before. As I mentioned earlier, I had never really seen my art as something worth sharing or displaying. And even though my confidence has grown since then, I still think I should improve my skills further before my works can earn their place in exhibitions.
Do you think artwork must always carry a message, or that it can also be simple observations that are furtive peeks into the artists’ mind?
If art must always contain a message, then I’d only be able to call very few my works ‘art’. So for my sake, the answer is no, I don’t. I think art is a form of expression for the artist, and while it is personal, it doesn’t necessarily have to be profound.
Do you have a wishlist of sorts when it comes to your artworks? What kind of subject matter would you like to work on in the future?
I would like to get better at the mediums I use, and then explore others. I would love to be able to sketch portraits someday, but I’m not really sure I have the patience for that to be honest. I don’t really have plans or a wishlist. I just want to keep on making art and enjoying myself in the process.
If you liked our conversation, please do visit Armin’s page and give her work lots of love!