Today we’d like to introduce you to Swathi Konduri.
Hi Swathi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started taking art lessons as a child because I was bad at everything else (re: any sport that children play). Because I was not naturally gifted at art, I got used to trying new things and struggling. I took lessons for years and learned a lot of fundamentals but definitely did not view art as my passion.
After moving to Austin for a tech sales job, I went to a local art market and saw people my age pursuing & selling their art. Approximately a year later, I was selling my art at my first market! I started by drawing more, and the pandemic provided ample time to improve previously rusty skills. Eventually, my friends asked for commissions, my Instagram was gaining more followers, and my perspective of art changed from a hobby to a craft to invest in. I vended at my first art market in November of 2020 & immediately loved meeting new people & sharing my art with them.
I ended up quitting the job I moved here for in February 2021 and struggled determining what direction to move in for the first half of 2021. This July, I figured now was the time to capitalize on the momentum I worked to cultivate & have been doing art full time since!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Comparatively, yes this has been a smooth road because it took me a year to start a brand new career & be able to quit my full-time job! But like with any other major life choice, I did struggle many times throughout the journey.
I struggled knowing whether or not there were enough creative (and paid) opportunities to offset the “unreliable” nature of a career in art. Coming from a traditional 9-5, I thoroughly appreciated the stability & consistent paycheck but found myself dreading almost every other part of the job (just being honest because we’re all friends here right). However, there came a point where being in an unfulfilling job felt scarier than taking a chance and pursuing more opportunities in art & that was the final kick in the butt to commit to being a full-time artist.
On top of the financial uncertainties that come with the job, imposter syndrome feels rampant in creative spaces. At first, I wasn’t sure if my art was good enough for strangers, and then it evolved to being unsure if my art was good enough to build a career on. But by surrounding myself with a supportive community & steadily working on my craft over the past year, I have gained a confidence in my abilities and identity as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make pieces typically with a combination of acrylic paint, photography, colored pencils, and digital art. While the medium varies, I typically focus on making pieces about the human form & have been trying to move towards pieces that touch on my interest in philosophy.
However, over this past year, I spent a lot of time just indulging my imagination and I think that is what sets my art apart from others because the pieces could not have come from anyone else’s brain. Which is ironic because I am probably best known for my Frank Ocean paintings (my two versions of the Blonde album cover) or my piece of the sun as an egg yolk which was inspired by Dali. So while I like to think my best ideas come only from me, I definitely use artists who evoke strong emotions from me as references.
Since I am still at the beginning of my art journey, I hope to eventually be best known for my distinct use of color & ability to share a unique point of view of the world.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was very people-oriented & not competitive at all – so I often missed the point of any activity my parents stuck me in and just socialized. For example: I could not have cared less that I lost a pee-wee league soccer game if I got to hang out with my friends! My parents quickly gave up trying to stick me in a sport and that’s how I ended up in art lessons as a talkative, creative & high-energy 11 years old.
Because I did not shine at art for quite a while, I greatly appreciated the subjectivity of art and the fact that I technically could not be “bad” at art since all art is good to s o m e o n e. This directly translated over to me being a very open-minded person as a child and adult.
A few other traits that have stayed the same are my sense of humor, curiosity about others & love of free food.
Contact Info:
- Email: swatcasso@gmail.com
- Website: swatcasso.squarespace.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/swatcasso
Image Credits:
Photo of me in front of my art is taken by IG: @photo.jay || Jay Ybarra
