My creativity didn’t start with me. It’s in my blood.
My recent trip to the motherland was a significant one. For years I’ve been trying to carve out the time to travel with my grandparents to their home in Punjab but responsibilities have always seemed to get in the way. This year I was finally able to make it happen and for so many reasons I can honestly say it was one of the best and most grounding experiences I’ve ever had.
On a creative front, the trip was so necessary. India is a country entrenched in corruption and pollution and unlike Western countries who are able to conceal their ‘bad stuff’ to a degree, in India it’s lived and breathed. Internet access is cut off for millions of citizens in a blink of an eye. Roadsides, plots of land and gardens are heaving with waste. Houses are even built with foundations of it. Also wiping your face and blowing your nose at the end of a day outside? Myth. But from my fortunate travellers’ perspective, intertwined within it all lies so much beauty and innovation.
Animal figures made out of broken bangles at the Rock Garden - a famous park built from recycled materials collected from demolition sites around Chandigarh, India.
The colours, sounds, and intrinsic designs… the heart and soul I was surrounded by for 2 weeks has truly invigorated my creative spirit and has alluded to one of my greatest realisations to date - my creativity didn’t start with me, it’s in my blood. The hands on nature of their life and labour (slowly becoming a lost practice of the West) means so many Indians are armed with an immense level of innovation and creativity.
That’s especially true for the children of the land who blew me away with their ability to create with such basic materials. In the absence of iPads and computer screens, my mornings were spent drawing, colouring and cutting up paper with my grandparents’ neighbours, the kids of Maqsudan in Jalandhar. Even the youngest of the group were capable of creating some really cool stuff! In my eyes anyway.
Tools for Expression
If there was one way that my family was going to leave a mark within the community, it was going to be by equipping each of the kids with the basic equipment to create in their own time. Creative expression is so vital for child development emotionally and cognitively so it’s important to us that even the less advantaged have the tools to do so.
My Dad, sister and I put together personalised art packs for 12 of the children and safe to say they were chuffed! I’ve never had such a personal experience with an act of service but the feeling is truly unmatched. I’m so grateful for being able to create such a special bond with these kids and I’m looking forward to finding ways to maintain our connection from overseas.
If you’d be interested in collaborating to support a group of children from the Maqsudan area in Jalandhar drop me an email at neeksvisual@gmail.com because it’s definitely something I’m looking to establish over the next year. Thanks!