“I think being an artist is one of the most rewarding and satisfying career out there which gives you a degree of freedom like no other profession.” says Rishikesh Potdar, the speed paper cutting artist from India’s Got Talent.
Meet Rishikesh Potdar, from Pune, Maharastra, a 24 years old super talented full time artist & graphic designer. He does live shows of speed paper cutting & also does graphic designing & interior designing apart from paper cutting. We all have seen him on India’s Got Talent season 5 and how Kironn Kher was highly impressed by his speed paper cutting skills. He has won thousands of hearts worldwide with his unique talent . Apart from India’s Got Talent he has also performed for many TV shows and channels like ZEE TV, Star Plus, Colors, etc and has also performed in numerous college festivals like SRM college Chennai, IIT Bhubaneswar, MIT Pune, etc
Check out his amazing work in India’s Got Talent here
Check out another paper cutting work of Rishikesh here
Other than creating art he also loves to travel and is passionate about biking. He has done solo tours of almost half the country on his bike, now that is another talent indeed.
Now lets know more about RishIkesh, his life and his achievements:
1. What made you take up paper cutting as a career and for how long you’ve been doing it ?
I started it like 4 years ago when I was pursuing my engineering degree. It started itas a hobby basically. I was randomly checking art categories on internet and came across this genre in art. So, I tried it out and was impressed with what I could do so started exploring this art form.
2. What kind of art do you mainly indulge yourself in and why?
I mainly do paper cutouts and Kirigami art form. Basically, it is a Japanese art if we trace back to the origins. I love doing paper cutouts because they test your patience and there is no second chance when doing a cutout. If you do a wrong cut you cannot undo it. It is easy to do if you have patience and the final result is beautiful and worth all the efforts put in.
3. As we are aware of you were a contestant in India’s Got Talent. So tell us about your experience there?
Yes, I was a contestant in season 5 and was in the top 50. Well the experience of India’s Got Talent was actually a really eye opening one. It gave me a lot of exposure and I realized the scope of converting my art into a profession. After India’s Got Talent, I started doing shows throughout India. India’s Got Talent gave me a lot of confidence and taught me a lot of things. So, basically India’s Got Talent proved to be a huge platform for me and made my name in the event industry.
4. What is the most memorable thing that you have experienced in this field?
I love my field of work only because of the amazing and memorable experiences it gives me. As a performer, I feel proud to be able to reach out to 1000’s of people, connect with them and give them happiness and an unforgettable experience. I am not on stage for more than 10 minutes in any of my shows but in those 10 minutes I am able to give some great memories to my audience. I think all my experiences have been memorable specially because of the love and appreciation I get from my audience.
5. What are your biggest achievements?
I am still in the learning phase so I won’t say I have achieved anything great till now but I am proud to be the world’s only live speed paper cutting artist who has done such events. I have performed for many TV shows and channels like ZEE TV, Star Plus, Colors, etc. Apart from that I have been honored to have performed in numerous college festivals like SRM college Chennai, IIT Bhubaneswar, MIT Pune, etc. I have done shows for some amazing brands like SBI Life Insurance, Manikchand Group, Wokhart Hospitals, Karl Zeiss Lens, etc. So yeah all these events where people call me to perform are like achievements for me.
6. Tell us about the struggles that you’ve faced in this field?
I had to face many struggles and yes it was difficult. I even had to leave my engineering degree course in the final year but it was a risk worth taking. Basically if you take up any unconventional career path the journey will always be more difficult but the rewards will also be equally big. When I started, no one took me seriously. Like even the thought of doing paper cutouts as a career (cutting paper as a profession) was something hard to digest for everyone. There have been lots of struggles and still are, but I find them enjoyable and adventurous. I hardly sleep for 4 hours a day and always have lots of work to do but all this is enjoyable if you are doing something you love to do. Every field has struggles but you will not even acknowledge them as ‘struggles’ if you certainly love the field.
7. How was it like coming live in National Television knowing the fact that people all over India and even abroad are watching you?
To be honest I am not very attracted to fame and publicity but yes being on TV is always exciting and amazing. You feel like a celebrity and it’s an amazing experience altogether. Its like a platform for you and you can reach out to a very large audience which can literally change your life overnight.
8. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I want to explore my art form more and more and do lots of events not only in India but also overseas. I think paper as a medium for art has endless possibilities and it’s a very versatile medium to work with. I want to keep learning and exploring and also want more and more people to try out this art. One of my goals for the next couple of years is to teach and acquaint maximum number of people with paper cutting art. I am also looking forward to do some exhibitions in India.
9. What’s your favorite art work and why?
It will always be my first cutout. The reason for it being my favorite is not because it was something very intricate or complicated. I have done like 100 times more complex works over the years than that cutout but I still find my first cutout to be my favorite because that is from where my whole journey started. It was like an “eureka” moment for me; the first time I saw my very own handmade cutout.
10. What do you like and dislike about the art world?
I don’t think there is anything to dislike in the art world. Art is a form of expression for me and it offers a degree of freedom like no other. Art scene in India has a lot of scope both in terms of money and fame so I think people should seriously think about making careers in fine arts as well if they are passionate about it.
11. Tell us about the struggles that you’ve faced in this field?
I had to face many many struggles and yes it was difficult. I even had to leave my engineering degree course in the final year but it was a risk worth taking. Basically if you take up any unconventional career path the journey will always be more difficult but the rewards will also be equally big. When I started, no one took me seriously. Like even the thought of doing paper cutouts as a career (cutting paper as a profession) was something hard to digest for everyone. So yeah there have been lots of struggles and still are, but I find them enjoyable and adventurous. I hardly sleep for 4 hours in a day and always have loads of work to do but all this is enjoyable if you are doing something you love to do. So let’s just say every field has struggles but you will not even acknowledge them as “struggles” if you have chosen the field of your interest.
12. Any message you would like to give to all those young artists?
I think it is very important for a person to choose a career in which he/she is really interested in. If you are in the right career, you will do wonders in it and will never have a bad day in your life. My message to all the artist is that first of all congratulations for taking up art seriously. I think as an artist it is most important to keep learning and improving. There are 100’s of other artists out there who can do what you do and maybe even better than you but to stand out you should keep practicing and improving and challenging yourself. Do not focus of selling or commercializing because that will happen automatically over time. And finally I think being an artist is one of the most rewarding and satisfying careers out there which gives you a degree of freedom like no other profession.
I would also like to make use of this platform to offer any kind of help and guidance to all my fellow artists with regards to what I do. So if anyone wants to learn/know or has any questions, you can always contact me anytime.
Check out his amazing works in his website
