Wanted to post links to my site, Fb page and instagram, more frequent updates there.
FaceBook Page
My Instagram acc
Site
i haven't been posting much on this blog, sorry about that, but thought will make one long post in honor of this secret hideout, who's remained the most astute of my friends chronicling the artistic sojourn virtually which began in 2007 with the first wave of blogs.
i thought i'll share something exclusive here, so here's a crop of pages from the next graphic novel, yes, it'll be in black and white.
"This one's for you dear Blog"
and to everyone who came here and cheered, no one comes here anymore like in earlier days, so leave a line in the comment section if you actually visited this forgotten ruin.
and to everyone who came here and cheered, no one comes here anymore like in earlier days, so leave a line in the comment section if you actually visited this forgotten ruin.
"There is a great distance between "intention" and "destiny"
just be anchored in your intentions, be kind and simply give your best to the moment."
This blog is how i started to share my work virtually, it was the first wave of blogs. back in 2007 now ten years, a decade of bond with this space.
artists from all around the world got onto this wave, some we knew about but never had a chance to peek into their process, penciled pages, inked stuff and all sorts of coveted material, some we discovered because of this growing blog connection and became instant fans/friends of their work.
Most important aspect about this blogosphere was that it allowed artists to share the work they were creating for themselves.
unattached to commercial intentions, fresh off their drawings boards, pure art routing their dreamer self.
This showcasing of artists intimate creative side is what made the first wave special, it didn't matter where you were from, or which big studio you worked for, only thing that mattered was this personal artistic side and that it was finding it's resonance in the world.
That slaving hours and hours to bring an idea to life was not lost to the world, that some crazy folks around the world cared for what brew in the solemn abode of the artist.
The cheers came embedded as "comments" and "messages" posted on these blogs, as support to this personal path.
i remember when i was working on the Krishna book, except a handful of people around me, most remained confused about why i had left my high paying job to make this comic book ?
The worst was when i reached out to the people in the industry most of them shot the proj down, publishers either critiqued it, or seemed ready to simply take advantage of my naivety, get this massive proj for nothing.
it was not easy to have no publisher, no money and still keep going, but well, when there is a Will there a way, and however cliche, it's true. i made it, and the book was evidently out by Image comics, a dream come true, really, who would have known.
Sitting in some unknown corner in india. the dream had indeed transcended borders.
Sitting in some unknown corner in india. the dream had indeed transcended borders.
well, why i brought this up is because whenever i would put up a posts about the book on my blog here, it's explorations, its final pages etc, story ques, i got such unhindered support and love, friends and artists who's work i loved applauded and wrote wonderful things about what i was unto. it didn't stop the discouragement from the other side but well, i think discouragement is vital to test your perseverance and commitment.
i think in hind side, i was fighting so many everyday problems while doing the book, that the discouragement or appreciation didn't go to my head, i simply had no time to process either, but both forged a bit of my confidence none the less.
i took it simply as a sign that it was worth something to some inspiring people out there, but beyond and above i was reassured that to do something just for the sake of one's own heart, is enough a reason in itself.
the book came out in 2013 beginning, it's been a few years now, much has happened, and today i saw all those years scrolling through this blog, my first post, travel sketches, posts about krishna's pages, about proj which never took off, my first international exhibition, the journey of painting big pieces, painting next to ganges, the small stories i thought one day i'll make into animation films, sketches of my time in europe and in various parts of india, places i've left behind, they all streamed to me again today.
So humbled and so grateful i feel, it's been a long conversation with this old hide out of mine, we together made each post, laughing back, patting each other's back.
even though this is my closing post on this blog, i'll try to figure out a way to integrate it somehow to my new site, but till then, this would be my last official post. i've added links to my Fb page, insta where i frequently post new material.
However, i want to leave on high note, and talk about what's been happening now at work and only here on this blog.
i took to a very individualistic road back in 2007, went away from jobs and working for hire, and kept training for what lay ahead, i let "imagination" be my boss, tried to be better at "observing" the beautiful world, feel it more, and let what i was creating nurture my life, i broke away from the confines of an office, yes, it came at a cost, lot of career displacement, but for me the fulfillment of creating what was brimming in my heart triumphed over all those miserable hurdles and was worth every risk.
last decade i've spent time learning to straddle this way of life, most importantly use every ounce of time, respect it constructively to write and develop stories, i love the medium of comics and animation, but i also learned to be away from the desperation to look at these mediums as labels, just to say "i'm an animation film director" or "i'm a comic book artist" never meant anything to me, what mattered to me was" what i wanted to say" and that is the question which took me to so many various journeys, away from all the labeled worlds in the last one decade, to reinitiate a dialogue with the environment around me, with history, with the future, with stories, with survival, with life.
it helped me see how stories are played out to us as lives, everyday trials, challenges and songs reminiscent of our embrace and tragedies, i became more fervent as a story seeker, not as maker but simply someone who has his heart wide open to feel the presence of stories around me, be it in pain or in bliss, be it the story of suffering or ecstasy, of this cosmos, or of the quantum worlds, be open, observe and absorb and be compassionate, again and again, keep your heart open.
last year i art directed my first VR film, a new way is shaping up to tell stories differently, a second one is in the talks, the tech is in it's nascent stages, and of course, despite what technology story will always be boss.
most exciting thing is that i am half way with my new graphic novel, each book has been a trek taking years, it combines ten plus years of my research on indian myths, no celebrity gods or stories this time, an emotive ode to nature and how spirituality lives through it's connection with us. it been a tough one to crack, made me approach story differently.
in the past i had refused a few opportunities to make animation films, reasons being that my desire to write and direct is liked to my own material as of now, i want to tell the stories which have chosen me, which have nurtured my dreams, and what i truly want to speak about, the films i have writing are long format, but i am trying to get a short film going, small steps but qualitative. for long i have struggled with time, resources, but biggest of all was the question, why am i even doing all this art, film making, it doesn't even matter, let me go and learn how to grow food, be a farmer, be of some use to this constantly wrecking world, but it's in this tussle i understood why certain abilities are given to us, and it's our responsibility to make the best of it and to use it to be the voice of the river and the sky, use it to be the voice of this planet.
Thank you for reading this, i hope you catch your smiling glimpse in the sky flying as birds, or looking through the trees today, maybe as rain, or as snow if you are in a winterly place, if it's sun outside may he shine his best light onto you, you have my gratitude for making my journey so full of love. Thank you
"There is a great distance between "intention" and "destiny"
just be anchored in your intentions, be kind and simply give your best to the moment."
Light and love
Abhi
