In my sheer desire to make an effort, even small, towards a positive environmental impact- I spearheaded the Bangalore Nature Art Group along with four really special and distinct individuals - Madhura Prasanna, Arti Subramanian, Prachi Jaruhar, and Mr. Vijay Thiruvady, a veteran environmentalist who graced us with his treasure of knowledge on nurturing the nature.
The Bangalore Nature Art Group is an initiative to create a sustainable art movement whose goals are to spark discussion and change our perception about how we use our resources through a conscious expression of art. This group aims to make people aware of the nature around us, appreciate it, and make a deliberate effort in reviving it through art, efforts to make changes in policy and helping create a more sensitive approach towards the burning issues; think more deeply about the effects of our lifestyle choices on the environment.
To generate interest in the initiatives, we partnered with Arti's The Circular Square platform to run a series of events. Prachi created the digital marketing strategy and kicked it off with an ePoster while Madhura got some amazing artists to run workshops and got the Instagram page up. For me, it was a crash course in digital marketing, the platforms, and economics of running it like a business, and couldn’t have asked for a better training course on Digital marketing! There were 50-60 Facebook groups reached out to, with good engagement & interest for the events. However, the painting competition did not engender any engagement.
Now, over a few months, we have created a beautiful network of artists & amateur painters, from an 11-year-old to someone in their 70s to environmentalists and art connoisseurs. Meeting them opened up a new vista for me.
The project is supported by prominent nature experts, conservationists, and artists who, in various ways, support nature through their artwork, awareness workshops, and events. They paint nature in art in the form of beautiful and idyllic images of animals and landscapes. In addition, they also donate a portion of their art sales to conservation efforts.
Lastly, through this initiative, I had the privilege of collaborating with four incredible individuals with rich and varied experiences. They went above and beyond by giving their time and contributing to this endeavor. I look forward to collaborating with them in the future.
Go ahead and explore your interests/hobbies. Not only are you able to have fun, but you also meet new people and possibly 'Spark Joy'!
