One’s life in incomplete without a hobby, but first we need to understand what hobby exactly is. In literal sense it is an activity done for enjoyment. It might not be related professionally but engaging ourselves in activities which gives us pleasure during our leisure time is what hobby is all about. It doesn’t have any boundary or limit, nor it has any specific field or restrictions which has to be followed. Hobby is one’s own needs, wants, desires and interests. From academics to non-academics, from music to sports, from arts to designing, hobbies can be classified on a wide range of scale. Yet at the end of the day do we really pursue our dream following our hobby?
In today’s competitive world, we often take decisions on the basis of what is expected from us and not what we expect to do. There exists a thin line of difference between hobby, aim and passion, and we always remain entangled within these concepts. Life can flourish beyond academics as well. We always have a tendency to look down upon people who wants their career to be in fields like photography, painting, music, sports etc. typically the extra-curricular activities which are always termed as “extra” in literal sense.
Speaking broadly about painting as a career option, artists are the most creative individuals of nature. Their way of expression is way ahead and far more vivid of what the common mass thinks. While speaking about painting, it doesn’t only mean the conventional form of drawing on white sheets or the canvas, the roots to painting are widely spread to pastel shades, water color, enamel painting, fabric glass painting, oil painting, digital, acrylic, spray, fresco, gouache and so on. While discussing about types of paintings it varies from realism, Impressionism, abstract art, sketch, pop art, modern art or surrealism etc. Painting types can also be defined on representative factor such as- portrait, illustration, landscape, still-art, figure painting and the list goes on but hardly we know about all these fields. What we know is only the conventional method and we believe it won’t provide the employment stature we desire, hence painting hardly exists in the list of job options.
All schools have compulsory drawing classes in their curriculum but ultimately it fades away under the burden of other subjects. Children should be encouraged at a very young age in their fields of interest. Painting comes under the category of Fine Arts which is a prosperous arena of higher education. Some of the top ranking colleges and universities in India, offering such courses are in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Shantiniketan and Kolkata. With technological advancement, courses on 3D paintings and animations are also available these days. Now question arises about job prospects. A candidate excelling in painting background get hired by Art Galleries for showcasing their collection, they can be Commercial Artists as well, Interior Designers, Comics Artist, Muralist, Graphic Designer, Visiting Artist. Equal opportunities are there in both government and private sectors as Art Director, Art Restoration specialist or Arts Administrator. They can also have their own startup, conducting workshops and seminars and training fresher or can be self-employed in these areas of glass painting, tattoo designing, conventional canvas painting, pot painting, etc. Painters also have a definite profile in a number of industries as well namely- Ceramics, clothing, Animation, Advertising, Software companies, online services, Digital media, Textile Designing industries, Fashion houses, Film, Television and Printmaking. One can also pursue painting as side learning and not a core field of study. Diploma and certificate courses are offered in various institutes across the world who are interested to go ahead with painting besides their core field of study or job. Last but not the least, survey reports say students working in the above sectors have been quite effective & on the same platform in terms of earning as compared to our academic fields.
All of us knowingly or unknowingly try to confine ourselves within academic fields and pursue those as our dream job. Everyone talks about our aim in life but no one asks about our passion. This is an example of sheer societal pressure. Even in today’s world a student’s capabilities and strengths are judged based on academics and that too in accordance with few subjects. To be successful in life and execute our hobby as our dream job, first we need to gain trust & have faith on ourselves. We need to be focused, pre planning must be done so that when one questions our ability we have a firm answer. Speaking exclusively about painting, it is a type of art therapy, it is also used as a healing method. It keeps alive the organic creativity within oneself. However going back to the definition of hobby, it is a pleasure activity, hence if one strives hard to turn his or her hobby into a dream job, the job satisfaction automatically penetrates in. It’s high time we keep aside our age old customs, traditions of conventional learning and career options and recognize genuine talents in their respective fields thereby encouraging, motivating and supporting them through their ups and downs in their struggle of being established in their field of interest.
