I finally gathered the courage to quit my day job to learn art

Artwork by Parul Pancholi

Hi,
My name is Parul. I am 30 years old and I reside in India. I completed my graduation 8 years ago as a software engineer. I never could find my heart with my career as a coder. Painting always came to my rescue then.

I left my job to find more jobs that paid the bills. I worked in fashion, in marketing for startups and also started my own online jewellery store but I got the feeling of belonging only during times I held my paint brush or my charcoal pencil.

Last year in May, I finally gathered the courage to quit my day job to learn art and pursue what I loved the most in life.It took me 8 long years to do this. Art courses are expensive and India doesn’t have courses that teaches classical art. So I had the intent but no direction and guidance. I realised very soon that I have to teach myself instead because it’s not going to be an easy path. Going abroad to study was not an option because I would never be able to afford the expenses. But I did not give up nor I succumbed and went back to the day job.

I am and have always been fascinated by works of the great masters like Rembrandt, Sargent, Repin, Bouguereau and so many others. I couldn’t really control the urge. So I started teaching myself to draw and paint. I watched endless videos on YouTube and copies of the masters and videos of people drawing and so many anatomy classes, learning through videos of Bargue drawing. But there is only so much that I can learn without a constructive feedback. The information and teachings are scattered. So there are so many challenges because there isn’t a mentor for me, no right critique and a direction that would lead me to become the artist I always dreamt of being. I practice art everyday but still there is the desire for more. Art is the place I find myself most dedicated to. I want to study and practice the ways of the old masters because if I can implement even half of what the masters practised, I should be the artist I want to be.

When I was browsing for more content and study material, I came across the works of Natalie. And I got so lucky to land up on the Old Masters Academy website. I saw the demo videos and there is nothing at the moment that I can have than a brilliant mentor like Natalie Richy.

I am attaching samples of my work. I have such a strong belief that a course like this would help me improve by leaps and bounds. The community and the feedback I’ll get would make me a more confident artist. After a series of so many unfortunate careers, I feel the most fortunate to have chosen art as my ultimate career. I am ready to put in the hours and I never felt so dedicated to anything. If I win the Old Masters Academy course, I can get on the path and can start putting my work in galleries in India so that I can get more exposure.

I am so positive about this whole experience and look forward to be part of this amazing community.

Regards,
Parul