Writing means sharing, it’s part of the human condition to want, to share things- thoughts, ideas, opinions! Writing is an art, a way of expressing our emotions! Writing has got such powers that it can change the world!
With the same thinking of changing the world through writing, Kshitija Sarda, Co-founder of Platform of Artists, have their motto as, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Encouraging artists to collaborate with like-minded people, create art and showcase their work. With constant support and appreciation from different art experts, media and the artists joining us, they have been getting closer to their goal of bringing an art revolution in the country!
Let’s explore their story , experiences and dive into the world of writings for a change in mindset!
In Conversation with Kshitija Sharda-
1. What according to you is the most important quality a person should have to become a poet or a writer?
Art is a ‘way of expressing’ your emotions. For writers and poets, words happen to be their weapons. There aren’t any certain set of rules that define the quality of your art but if you ask me there are two things that I follow as a writer. First, confidently expressing the emotions. Second, experimenting with innovative ideas along with constant improvisation. These are the secret ingredients to bring out the best of the creative ideas.
2. Can you describe the time when you first realised that this was something you absolutely had to do?
Though I am an artist, I have been a sincere admirer of the ideologies and work of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. These two people have made a huge impact on my life and I look up to them in whatever I do. I was always aware that I don’t want to live an easy and conventional way of life. It was the mediocre things that I dreaded the most and this constant urge to try and do something out of the box was a driving force for me. In early 2017, I was in a dilemma about deciding my future direction, when I used to ask myself that ‘Do I really want to do what I am about to do today?’ And the answer being ‘No’ for consecutive days, I started looking for a solution. Working with ‘Platform For Artists’, I realized that it made be evolve and be a better person every single day. It was quite intuitive and in no time I was sure that this is where my heart lies.
3. What are your writings mainly based on? And how do you get the ideas to start off with the writings?
As a person, I am emotional and that is my strength. Most of my work is the reflection of my emotions, and I portray my feelings through my writings. It is all about the experiences in the day-to-day life and the incidents which I have encountered – good and bad. Most of the times my writing is in continuation with some other write-up or just my perception behind any photograph or a painting. It’s not something that I plan to do dedicatedly; it is just a way of expressing my emotions.
4. What is the Platform For Artists about? Tell us about the history of the same.
‘Platform For Artists’ is an initiative to build a community of artists that focuses on creation of inter-disciplinary artwork. ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ are the words of a man who had the power of changing this entire country. This is what we did; we found the solution to all the problems we faced as artists. Established in early 2017, PFA now has its presence in eight cities in India with more than seven thousand artists associated with us. Through all our projects, we encourage artists to collaborate with like-minded people, create art and showcase their work. With constant support and appreciation from different art experts, media and the artists joining us, we have been getting closer to our goal of bringing an art revolution in the country.
5. How do you promote talent in PFA? Also, tell us something about the team at PFA?
At PFA, through our online and offline projects, we help artists to create art, showcase and connect with other artists having similar interests. We constantly brainstorm to bring in ‘out of the box’ ideas for all our projects to help the artists exploit their creative dimensions in a way which will fetch them valuable experience and significant growth. They get to network and build connections which help to bring in new opportunities for their career.
‘Platform For Artists’ is the brainchild of Pawan Rochwani, Founder, who himself is a theatre artist, writer and a photographer and I share responsibilities with him as a Co-Founder. We have a family of thirty artists who volunteer from different parts of the country and represent PFA in their respective cities. More than being a volunteer, they are working for the art revolution we intend to bring in this country.
6. What is the difference between PFA and other organizations who promote young talent?
We ourselves believe that ‘Art is more about collaboration than competition’. So there are no specific points of differentiation between the work we do and other organisations do but unlike others our projects are not restricted to artists from a specific art domain. Any artist, irrespective of their art genre, social and other backgrounds can be a part of this community. We do not even restrict the projects to an art expert or a professional artist, but even a student or a corporate employee can be a part of it. At present we have executed three major projects – PFA Open Mic, PFA Art All Night and PFA Art Getaway which are all unique ideas implemented for the first time in India.
7. Whose writings inspire you the most and why? What do you try to communicate through your writings?
I read multiple authors with every one of them having their own style of representation and I don’t want to miss out on any artist’s expression. To name a few I read Dan Brown, Jhumpa Lahiri, Khaled Hosseini, Paulo Coelho, Harlan Coben and few poetic collections too. I try to express what is going within my subconscious mind, it isn’t necessarily written for an audience or on a specific current affair, it is in an selfless way of expressing, something like art for art sake kind.
8. What message you would like to give to other young writers?
To be a good writer, you ought to be a good reader too. The more you read, the more you improve as a writer and it fuels your creativity. There are two simple things I would like to share which would help everyone in whatever they do. First, as an artist it is your moral responsibility to help other artists in whichever way you can. Second, always have a community of like-minded people around which will help you improve and grow.
Get in touch with Kshitija-