Artist for a Month - Mirha Masala

Curious to know what my life as an artist would be like, I immersed myself, day in, and day out, for one month in making art. These are my stories and experiences from my month as an artist told through a series of questions.

Mirha Masala on the street picking up fallen love letters and putting them back into a trash bag.

1. Why did you want to be an artist for a month?

Making a living and going through life using your talent or imagination seems incredible. Everyone wonders what it’s like to be an artist.

During my childhood, however, being an artist wasn’t something that was promoted by my parents or society. Only the lucky few could be an artist.

It wasn’t something that you could learn to do. You were either going to be an artist, or you weren’t. You could either paint, or you couldn’t.

But even if you had a talent for painting or signing, there was always the risk of financial and public failure. Not exactly the future my dad and mom had in mind for me.

So, as I couldn’t even draw a cloud (and still can’t), I grew up thinking I wasn’t creative and pursued no artistic life whatsoever.

However, when I was thinking of the 12 lifestyles that I wished to experience for The Spin-Off Project, being an artist was one that I felt very strongly about.

I needed to prove to myself that there was nothing that I can’t do.

2. What was it like to be making art every day for a month?

To be honest, I didn’t give this month my best. Mr. G and I had gone to live abroad and were just starting a company. It was a hectic period and a bad month to be an artist.

That being said, I loved being an artist. It’s the one thing that I have done in a long time (forever, likely) that didn’t feel so serious. It made life less real and turned the world into a playground. It was fun.

This month also boosted my self-esteem tremendously. It’s a sad thing to go through life thinking you’re not creative. But to then try to be it anyway, in front of the whole world to see, has done a lot for me.

Furthermore, being an artist gave me a sense of self. It provided an identity in which I felt comfortable.

For a brief period, I was able to let go of the ever-learning and struggling being who’s trying hard to find direction in life and just be: I, the artist.

3. What did you create?

I came up with a photography project, Memory Bytes. It’s about revenge, memories and the art of letting go.

4. What did you like best about being an artist?

I liked being in the process of making art. So, coming up with ideas, shaping them into reality and seeing the result. It felt like I was in a different reality when working on Memory Bytes.

5. What lesson did you take away from this month?

Everyone can be an artist nowadays.

Being an artist is no longer limited to the lucky few who are gifted with a beautiful voice, or who know how to do magic with a pencil.

The digital world has truly enabled us to express ourselves in whatever creative way fits us best.

Think of Photoshoppers, website designers, food and fashion bloggers, Instagram celebrities, or YouTube cooks. There are all kinds of new artists nowadays.

Plus there are plenty of fantastic tools and applications that can help us to create and shape our artistic projects into high-quality work.

Furthermore, even if you’re not able to translate you’re ideas on a canvas, or don’t know how to handle a camera, you can easily hire someone to do it for you.

Stick to doing what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing most. If that’s coming up with ideas and concepts, then do that and outsource the rest.

Lastly, finding an audience and receiving recognition for your projects has never been easier. With social media, you have the whole world as your platform. It’s not hard to imagine that there’s always going to be somebody who is interested in what you do.

Tell me what you think. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (links match discussion pages for this post) and let me know: Would you like to be an artist for a month? What appeals most to you about being an artist?