Monthly Digest : January 2023
Hello 2023!
Whilst you’re getting your head around 2022, I thought I’d post a list of the things I loved in January.
The month was jam packed with art, events, music and people who inspired me.
Life
First up, life/studio events: We moved to Goa in December - studio, dogs and all. We found a much bigger space, with individual spaces for our studios and lots of garden space for the dogs. Life has been good here. I’ve been more inspired to work and I’ve probably gotten more done here artistically in a month than I have in years in Bangalore.
I wake up in the morning feeling calm and not fried. The day isn’t packed with overwhelming stimulation and I realised that I was being over-stimulated in Bangalore. So much so that I was so overwhelmed through the day that I was being unproductive and in a bad mental state. The only thing I managed to do in Bangalore was client work which left me feeling really really sad and subdued. I didn’t feel challenged and my artistic brain wasn’t being exercised deeply.
After moving here its been busy! We set up our home and studio (and still in the middle of the process) - the month started off with going to the local Circus that was in town (!!) It was a wild experience.
Events
On the 13th of Jan was Potter’s Fest, Goa - a flea market of many, many potters from Goa and all over India that had little stalls with their wares on offer.
I procured a few pieces from the potter’s at the event. Two of my favourites are:
a this-and-that dish that I loved by Kabita Lindenmeyer . She not only uses the Japanese technique of Nerikomi to marble the clay body but also uses a Korean technique of inlay
Lakhan Kaushik’s pottery from The Cold Mountain Studio was really beautiful. The glazes they had prepared were almost iridescent.
On Jan 21st , I had a stall at Maker’s Asylum ‘s event - Maker’s Market. At this event I had my woodblock prints, small paintings, stickers and half a table’s worth of Pigmenta paints. I had set-up a little corner to test out all the colours I have on offer, and there were sets available too.
The event was a great success for me (mostly for Pigmenta sales) and I got to meet so many artists who were really into hand-made paints.
Music
As a part of my monthly deep dive into things I wanted to explore music either albums, artists or songs with intention.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons : Winter
This month I have been really into Vivaldi’s Four Seasons - namely the section Winter.
Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi was composed in 1723 and is in my opinion a piece that stands the test of time. It is split up into four parts : Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
I’ve been deep diving into Winter. I have never intentionally listened to classical music ever before, but right now I feel like I’m in a place where my body and mind are responding to it, my mind it creating imagery associated with it, my body is feeling the emotions arising from the music. Maybe not every month, but some months I might touch upon a classical piece as my monthly deep dive.
The first part of Winter (in F Minor): Allegro non molto - begins with a menacing feeling that builds up to a trembling feeling of the cold. It sounds bleak, yet exciting and energetic. Like trembling while looking at the snow piling up outside. It then goes into a more uplifting moment of feeling inspired by a white landscape before you. Maybe feeling more at ease by a fireplace. This is my favourite part.
Part II : Largo - feels more uplifting and gives a sense of family. The imagery would be a family bustling inside, serving warm drinks and talking by a fire. The bustling atmosphere in the song, especially the string instruments could even be the bustle of people rushing around and braving the weather outside
Part III : Allegro-Lento-Allegro - the beginning feels a bit dangerous, uncertainty. Possibly the feeling of braving the weather. It builds up suddenly and sadly, almost suggesting a tragedy that occurred in the great outdoors. There is a tense sense of despair, sadness and drama. It lulls before it picks up again, probably suggestive of the braving the elements and failing.
Playlist of the Month:
This playlist has been being pieced together since October of 2022 - and I feel like it’s finally ready to be wrapped up and closed off. Its a fun funky playlist of Hip Hop/ Rap / Gangsta Rap from the 1990s upto 2010’s
TV / Film
This month I’ve been watching a whole bunch of stuff, I’m just going to briefly list them below:
TV:
The Makanai - Cooking for the Maiko House (2023)
Two inseparable friends move to Kyoto to chase their dreams of becoming maiko, but decide to pursue different passions while living under the same roof.
A fun and really heartwarming story set in Kyoto, Japan. I really liked it because its set in such a particular and specific time and space : a girl being a cook for a Maiko (think Geisha) house in modern day Kyoto. It’s the kind of setting you would never know about but you would love to dive deep into their world.
That 90’s Show (2023)
In the summer of 1995, Leia Forman makes friends with a new generation of Point Place kids while visiting her grandparents, Red and Kitty, in Wisconsin.
I love That 70’s Show, its such an important part of my youth and growing up. I was so disappointed in this show but for some reason I can still watch it?? Like its entertaining yet slow, familiar yet not familiar enough, fun but also lame??
Beecham House (2019)
Beecham House is set on the cusp of the 19th century in Delhi. Tom Bateman stars as John Beecham, a former soldier starting a new life with his family.
This show ticks all the boxes - drama, mystery, visually stunning, possibly accurate representation of the times but I found it so tiring and slow. Would recommend it for the sets / outfits. It never got past SE 01. I’m a sucker for period shows/ films.
FILM:
Clueless (1995)
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
I mean I don’t even have to tell you how much fun this movie is, its like a staple watch every few years. I was entertained as always and cringed a bit remembering my youth and how dumb we were in high school, but this time the relationship between Cher and her step-brother Josh is just ???yuck???
Persuation (2022)
Eight years after Anne Elliot was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins, they meet again. Will she seize her second chance at true love?
Another period film, this time I found the characters way too annoying and the whole drama behind their relationship too frustrating. Is it just me or is Dakota Johnson is just deadpan and emotionless.
Books
As someone who never used to read apart from some Princess Diaries/Harry Potter in school - I’ve started challenging myself to start. I have a few books that I will probably take forever to read. I find it hard to pay attention. Words literally dance on a page and I know I could slip into an audiobook here and there to makee consuming books easier but I really like the format of a physical book where I can underline and annotate. Anyway starting the year strong with ONE book LOL
Hippie by Paulo Coelho
I got this book during a book fair for cheap, and to be honest the only two things that attracted me to this book was the cover and that the subject matter was about the hippie movement/ counter culture. The entire storyline, where it is set and the journey he takes could have made for a great book but I found so many basic problems - he is so descriptive and talks so much but it goes nowhere? Like I feel fatigued reading his ramblings and waiting for he next part to begin. That being said there are enjoyable parts too - I found certain tidbits about life back then to be intriguing enough to go research it further - like how the hippie peace symbol is an inverted Viking rune, The Magic Bus that ferried passengers along the Hippie Trail , drug dens of Amsterdam etc.
The book however successfully fulfils one role - making you feel absolutely inspired to travel, rough it out, see the world, break free from the man , embrace all your freedoms, seek out new experiences and want to live slow and hope for brief moments of something extraordinary.
ART
I have found a lot of interesting artist , techniques and information this month. I think the easiest way to share the info would be finding some relevant videos and sharing it on here. Welcome to your monthly Youtube Art playlist I guess?
January’s playlist has 10 videos :)
That’s all for this month Folks!