Let the teacher tell you how it's done...

Sometimes you meet inspiration, other times you have to eavesdrop on it. That's how I found out that our junior grade art teacher - Sangita Chandrashekhar- is an in the know art teacher. She is a self- taught Instagram artist who believes in expression and to learn forever.

Here's an excerpt from an interview Dhriti Arjun and Mariyah Haji took with our very own Sangita ma'am.

One of the things I heard about you ma'am is that you play music in your classroom?

I never actually played music. I encouraged them to sing. That way the whole class sang. It's almost like a collaboration, you could say, of the class as well. They usually chose songs that all of them learned in music class or any of the songs they liked.

Whats the most common song?

Drag me down in one direction, some Justin Bieber songs, or the interesting thing Grade 2 did was... in Montessori apparently they teach this color song. So they associate each of the colors with some of the things around them. Yellow is as bright as the sun, so we used to sing that, and we were all aware of the song. Even the new child kind of got the song.

Wow, that's really nice.

The main idea about the singing was to cut down all the random chatter in class. At some point, they started bickering in class about who will sing and what they will sing. But... that was fun.

sangitacreates: "Sometimes I sit alone under the stars and think of the galaxies inside my heart and I truly wonder if anyone will ever want to make sense of all that I am." -Christopher Poindexter

You really enjoy your classes, don't you?

Ya, because I create a learning opportunity. Like genuinely there are so many incentives, where I would have taught an idea or there's class, and the child uses it so differently, and I would come off with a really dreamy picture, that inspires me to draws as well. And most of the time I draw with the class as well. Aside from on the board, I sit along with them and I color, or I carry my art book. So I make it a point that whatever they are doing there is a small sample of it in my art book, so they know where to place it in their art book.

What kinds of teaching methods do you use?

There isn't a fixed method. It's just that everyone has this vision in their mind that art has to be pretty, and I don't believe in inspecting artwork and telling my students that it isn't up to the mark, or it isn't as pretty as the others. My main philosophy is that we shouldn't use negative terms for art, and you have to find something that You appreciate about your drawing and be confident about it. We're also open to inputs from others about how to fix it. A child is entitled to their own idea, and they shouldn't always have to follow me. If they have a reasonable explanation for why they want to do something, then I don't stop them.

What are you currently doing with your students?

I teach grades 1 to 5, and all of their topics are similar but with different depth. We started with lines, and then from lines, we moved on to famous artists who work with lines. I introduced them to artists like Piet Mondrian, to inspire them s to their own art that they could do too. My topics are usually interconnected and transition into each other. From lines, we moved to shapes, and in grade four we made a 3D circle.

sangitacreates:"Don't just fly...SOAR" - DUMBO

Can you tell us how you started being an Instagram artist?

I initially started off with a Facebook page called Scribbles (which is still up). It was my way of being consistent with my artwork, and getting public scrutiny. To put it out there and get other people's views was something new and slightly scary, but it helped me grow as an artist. Next, I moved on to Instagram, as I found that the community there is better and more supportive.

I started off doing random works, but then I joined a Hundred Day Challenge that a friend of mine told me about. The main point of this challenge is that anything you regularly do becomes a habit and art should too. The only rule was that everything must be DIY. I mainly like and work with pens, so my theme was PenLove. This idea eventually grew, and I've been doing it consistently since then. My account can be found @sangitacreates on Instagram.

What are a few challenges you’ve faced?

I'm slightly challenged technology wise, so that was a problem for me

Some artists take their basic drawings and turn it into something else using graphic design, which is something I can't do

My Photography skills were also pretty bad, however rather than seeing it as a challenge, I got to learn something new

What are your thoughts on criticism and negative comments?

Criticism is something that you have to get used to as an artist, and you have to accept that you cannot please everybody and there's always going to be someone who doesn't agree with your concepts. You just have to be very confident in your artwork and what you're presenting as an idea. Try to be open to criticism, because usually the moment we hear two or three negative comments we fall back and say "maybe I'm not good at this..."

There's always going to be criticism, but you can use this as inspiration and ways to improve. Instead of being offended that somebody has copied your work, believe that they were so inspired by your artwork that they tried to replicate it.

sangitacreates: "Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day". -Shira Tamir

You are a self-taught artist (as mentioned in your Instagram). Did you begin as an engineering student?

B.com, I did my bachelors in commerce.

So how was the journey from business degree to a junior art teacher heading half of chiaroscuro?

Basically, I wouldn't say art was never a part of me. Art was always a constant, something I realis2ed after spent few years in college. In school, I was somebody who was more inclined towards art. it was something I preferred more, and I was always confident through art.

Tips for other artists and teachers?

One thing that I believe in always that everybody is creative. I don't appreciate it when people say they don't have a creative bone in their body. Even with adults when they say this, " My child is really creative, but I can't draw." Art is something that can come out in so many different ways, and everybody should have this open approach to art and be open to the idea that " I Can draw." Basically, I believe that anyone can draw.

So guys, listen to the art teacher. You can be an artist no matter what anyone tells you. Its not your grade or your history that define you, its your diligence.