“I started engaging with colors from age 3. By 8, I knew, I can draw gracefully on bigger canvases expressing my dynamic self! My first solo exhibit at age 12 was a window for organizations to notice me and I embarked on a philanthropic journey splashing my authenticity. My art could soothe, heal, bring a smile in disbelief and value to this world! I realized my colors are worth more than anything! That realization was blissful! It took me several years to understand myself and delve into the spectrum of art, from age three till now. My progress throughout this journey has changed my perspective as an artist and I’m still getting to know myself each day,” says 17 year old artist Meghana Basi.

What’s your artistic background?

My artistic gift is something I have been nurturing for the past 14 years.  My parents recognized that at an early age and supported me constantly.    My first solo show organized by my parents was the turning point in my career as an artist where my works were sold out for charities.  Soon after I met my Visual Art Mentors Jim and Ken at Walnut Hill School for the Arts which was my high school.

What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Quietness, silence and mindfulness along with passion and vision.

What role does the artist have in society?

An artist plays a pivotal role in mending all generations, to make them think in a different mindset.  Each artist is so different from one another and has different perspectives.  Being an artist, a mentor and a teacher, I am able to balance this through Meghartz (My global art academy) https://globalartacademy.com/ where I elevate student’s minds to think in a dynamic perspective.

What art do you most identify with?

Surrealism is the base that I most identify with, through which I am continually developing into something unknown.

What themes do you pursue?

My themes are connected to human emotions and interactions.  I paint through human emotions and interactions to make me better at handling real life situations.  The colors through my brush strokes, the patterns, connect with one another to create a splurging sense of emotion.  I think what makes my artwork so special is when the artwork makes you stare at it for a while and eventually it starts to speak with or you realize what type of emotion comes up for you.  My works draw the attention of all generations irrespective of their age, especially I’ve seen kids staring at my works endlessly at exhibits.

What’s your favorite art work?

Having to choose a favorite artwork between my works is like having to choose between the different experiences and encounters I’ve faced, although some of which may be good or bad.  At the end of the   day what matters is that they balance one another out to make me the best version of myself.

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

Honestly, it is the little things that actually inspire me to create art, even if it’s just food, the smell of the air or the way my clothes lay scattered around the room.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

Other than being an artist, of course I’ve also been a mentor and teacher and that transition of going from an artist to a mentor was quite puzzling and still is and it’s something I definitely need to learn how to translate.  It was what it was, like for example knowing a language and then having to learn another dialect of it or another form of it.

Why art? 

Well, when you say, why art, art comes through so many different forms, in fact whether you realize it or not it’s like a natural instinct.  Obviously painting and drawing is a specific side of art.  It isn’t necessarily only art, even if it’s cooking or the way I dress up or apply makeup or approach things in my daily encounters.  Everything has an artistic effect and it has molded me to become a better version of myself and of the people around me.

What is an artistic outlook on life?

Creativity that comes with producing and looking at positive and beautiful or intellectual art can change our outlook on life and assure us there are better days ahead, giving rise to optimism.   My outlook is to keep being calm and pure and not letting any negativity touch my mind and spirit.

Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

I think  the word lonely usually has a negative connotation, but I think it’s mostly positive because when I look back at the works I’ve created, I realize the ones that went really in-depth to utilize its fullest potential were the ones when I didn’t necessarily talk to anyone and I tried to maintain a very minimal social life.  Although social life is important, sometimes you start to develop your own social life with your art which then becomes your built-in best friend.  Once you start to replace it with social life, sometimes the relationship that you share with your art may begin to deteriorate.  I try to balance, but for the meantime I just like to focus on my art and try to nurture this relationship as best as I can.

What do you dislike about the art world?

Sometimes people can be very biased to a specific genre of art!  Honestly there’s just multiple different aspects to it, I can’t necessarily pinpoint what I dislike about the art world because I think it’s the people that don’t necessarily have any connection to art that make terrible opinions and kind of pollute the true and young artistic minds.

What do you dislike about your work?

It’s like saying what do I dislike about myself and I know I may not be perfect but in my mind I like to think of myself as still growing and evolving.  Whatever that I may not like now I’m still trying to learn and trying to become the best that I can be.  So for now I don’t think I can officially say that I dislike anything about my work or the way I think, because mentally  and physically I’m still growing.

Should art be funded?

Yes it should be by all means! Art is something that is continually evolving.  In the future the only thing that may stick with us is our artistic thinking, because no matter how much technology tries to transform in the future it can never replace the beauty of the human mind.

What role does art funding have?

Art funding has a huge impact, since you are indirectly investing for a prosperous future.  Students do better in academic subjects when they have a regular infusion of the arts.  Ultimately it is society as a whole that is going to benefit from art funding.

Favorite or most inspirational place?

My favorite or most inspirational place is my room just because the scent of home is rendered through my bed sheets; the quiet has filled up the entirety of my room.  And this is where my thoughts have grown up through all these years.  Being an attached person I guess I have a bias towards my room, honestly not just that I just love being in a calm environment.  It helps me focus and collect my thoughts together, that’s when great things happen and I produce my best works.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

The best piece of advice I’ve been given is staying true to myself!  As basic as it sounds no matter what people say or how other people act I shouldn’t change my characteristics to fit into them.  Because if that ends up happening my art will be able to recognize that and the purity that reflects off me will no longer sustain within my works.

Professionally, what’s your goal?

Professionally I am interested in industrial/ graphic design. Me being an artist who loves to do illustration, it may sound quiet absurd to hear such a drastic transition. But I personally feel so far I’ve just been building up a foundation of my ideas and now it’ s time to implement these ideas in college through a different path.  But that doesn’t stop me from creating art, my real calling, as I’ve realized it is a natural process for me just like breathing air.

Future plans?

I want to be able to go to college and learn as much as I can when it comes to design and technology, sub branched into industrial/ graphic design.  I might pursue an MFA from Royal College of Art England which stands as the premier art institute in the world.  Alongside I will continuously be bringing up my art school-globalartcademy.com https://globalartacademy.com/  and focusing on improving my skills each day on how to effectively mentor my students. Although we have transitioned from in person to online, I want to keep expanding and spreading even more to be able to reach students who have a passion for art.