Why we never stop evolving

Evolution is an important aspect of we as being humans. Charle's theory of the survival of the best leads to evolution and there is something which keeps hitting me back since my high school we "Discover" we don't "Invent". My high school English teacher once narrated the theory behind and it is just deep-rooted in my brain since then.

The article is not about the fight between discovering and invent, I just thought to clarify my side but both participate equally in the ongoing process of moving the life ahead. I was chatting with one of my acquaintances over Facebook and realized how people have a strong belief in life that will move on may whatever be the circumstances. I am writing this article as the lockdown is ongoing and myself sitting in my studio apartment thinking very hard what to do next?

This article is going to be self-centric and I hope it gives you enough ideas to do what you can do. I am a freelance commercial photographer, a cinemagraph artist, and a product stylist and I guess I have enough roles now to play and earn around it. To add I have always had an interest in being a model cum actor but every audition came with a disappointment and I eventually realized my appearance is not exactly Indian market-centric or else, well whatever may be the reason I was always displaced and canned at the last moment. I eventually stopped giving any in front of the camera changes and stuck to being behind and It has helped me a lot to survive and lead a life I wished. "The dip" by Seth Godin later helped me to understand that hitting the wall is not worth it if it's not even creating a crack. Anyway, moving on to my evolution, I started as an editorial photographer for an online magazine which later leads me to have a full-fledged portfolio of portrait and people and eventually got hold of more and finally an advertising campaign setting my foot into the advertising world.

I before proceeding to my so-called brief journey want to state the realistic aspect that all the factors came into space due to the lack of options, scarcity lead me to take chances and evolve.

As I got more product-related assignments, lack of budget and the client being open to ideas I tried my hand over product styling and lead me to act as one and helped me to earn a little extra on the side.

As a cinemagraph artist, I did a few potential campaigns but market was very skeptical hence it never became a big hit for myself.

I tried, and I still try to give a try to every opportunity and however I am hesitant to things I have never tried before I personally believe there is always a start.

I have picked up some of the bestselling self-help books and every book teaches us an aspect of hanging on and prolonging the desire we wish to be, some taught me to leave things the way they are and not to commercialize every aspect of my existence.

I love to dance and I love working out but I have never thought to earn from it cause they are the source of my happiness and personal development and a way to let people know what I am apart from my work. Cooking is my other way of self de-stressing and something I have found deep disappointment is dating someone. Every initial conversation does start with something promising but ended up on an abrupt note and it eventually pushed me to seek therapy. I recently loved the fact that I came out with my issue of depression and depressive episodes and my intellectual sessions have helped me to understand that I need to break free the norms I thought will not be acceptable by the society, in-fact opening up the way I am in person and on a subconscious way has helped me to connect more to people and portray the aspect of being more approachable.

Seeking therapy is not making me cuckoo but I guess we all need and seek some kind of non-judgemental guidance to evolve and evolve for ourselves.

Evolution is not just self-centered but even when we wish to fill a gap or curious or just there is a scarcity which needs to be met, the very present time is one of the epitomai of times in the history which is in the making if and when we find a way to fight the very Corona. When we don't know but I know things will not be the same globally and evolution will be on its peak to seek a solution for any future mishap if any on the way.

As an artist, as a human, as a loved one to one and as whoever we are and we are everything at ones, to be honest, we all seek to improve ourselves.

We will not stop or pause because it is not in the DNA and it is too easy to say sitting in my cozy apartment but with due living a life of 30 years I know what I am talking. I have not stopped seeking a way to evolve in my work and my thought process and it will not end as long as I am alive. We all are seeking a better tomorrow and we all are seeing to be in a better place.

We cannot escape evolution even if we seek minimalism and we will deter to be better in it day after day.

---

Hii, I am shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, I undergo the above almost every day and I am here to support others to let them feel cool about anything happening in life.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#commercialphotographer #portraitphotographer #productstylist

Mental health propotional to creativity!

I got diagnosed with depression in 2016 but I started feeling so since 2015 and it took me a year to approach a doctor. It is been 4 years now and I find myself more active and alive hence restarted writing to share a part of me with you all.

Coming out for self is itself is a war where you worry a lot about people around you and depression has been tagged as a phase in life by many including your own and it is indeed sad and it makes life more difficult to be normal as for various social terms. I being an art history student thought to refresh my memory with them and realized many masterpieces were during the extreme lows of one's life. I don't claim depression to be my secret to the work I do and how I gain the trust of my client and run my living but there is something peculiar about mental health and creativity or letting one's subconscious mind take over.

Depression is the agility to do anything, the inability to find happiness, it is a real issue and I will never suggest anyone go through it in-case creativity is your solace. Creativity is not subjected to visual like photography, illustration or anything physical like painting and sculpture and more, but it can be anything. Calculating the most complex mathematical equation is also an art. I personally feel the ability to un-complexify a situation is a creativity. If you are not easily emotionally triggered try watching A Beautiful Mind.

I have not personally found depression adding anything extraordinary to my creative process what got me to do things which was liked by many was the focus. A focused mind can do wonders and can help you discover yourself, and focus comes with practice and a room or space where nothing much there to get yourself distracted.

If I look into two of my fav visual artists Frieda Khalo and Vicent Van Gogh, both are from two different eras and with very different artistic approach but they both suffered with extreme physical and psychological traumas. If I think suffering from something will make me create masterpieces I should have, it is been 4 years I am having issues with the trauma I went through.

If you are wondering what I am talking about I will post a few links below, feel free to know more about myself.

Depression is a change in various aspects of your brain functionality from faliure of neurotransmitters, to a section of a brain or hormonal malfunctioning leading to suffer and often putting them into the isolation of its own, personally I have felt drooling into my sadness leading to focus, it is very difficult for me to explain why I think so but that is what I can justify myself with for now.

As a freelancer, I have always wondered if having sadness has kept me creative and if I try to fix my issues as much as possible will lead me to lose some, let me be honest, NO! you are not going to lose the touch in-fact happiness leads to many good things you have not discovered in yourself, self-discovery is the way to be more creative and if you ask why? Every person is different and every opinion matters and with every thought process, there is the discovery of various aspects of life from liberalism, communism to radical thoughts. Human aka homo sapien is a complex case of many things. We are aware I mean very much aware of things around us and that leads us to rule the planet we do.

Now coming back to depression and creativity is a topic I don't talk about with my therapist yet. Oh! I forgot I am taking therapy and If I have to lose a bit of creativity to lead a little less than normal life then be it. Therapy and medication have helped me to get a grasp on my episodes, I have sought of discovered a bit about myself and It has helped me to make things more varied and giving it a touch of freshness with every work on my way. I am now on the verge of realizing what I do and why I do and how I can turn it in something productive and as I have no intention to change myself as a person.

So depression leads to creativity is something is very subjective, though there is no scientific connection, personally I feel, creativity is an amalgamation of your conscious and subconscious mind and personality of yourself. You need to stick to something to know if it is worth it but and it doesn't let you sleep like literally then for sure it is your call.

---

To note: I am no health expert and the above is from my personal journey in life so far and I highly encourage you to connect to a therapist or you can ask me for mine and I will be happy to help. Therapy and medication don't take away who you are in reality but as like any illness, you should take care of yourself to help others and share what you to offer.

---

Depression and Anxiety a self-confession

---

Hey Hi, myself Shovona, a freelance commercial food, product, and people photographer based out of Mumbai India.

Feel free to connect for any queries: shovonakar@gmail.com

Thanks for reading...

#commercialphotographer #portraitphotographer #photographerbasedinmumbai #foodphotography

The magic of 600 seconds

We just need 10 minutes to have a mindblowing start for the day especially if you are working from home. 10mins is nothing very scientific but a personally tested regime that works wonders for many. The restriction lets you get over with something and keeping your attention span intact. We, humans, are evolving with a degrading quality of commitment and attention span. We flip from one job to the other and we similarly flip from one relationship to the other.

However, the options will expand and we will be mutated enough to not to stick to something sincerely, this 10min practice is a way to go if you don't know to understand the side effects of your monkey mind.

I am not giving away any magic tips and tricks, neither I am slipping anything extraordinary but basics stick longer than you think and basics are what makes you look cool and basics are what we crave for at the end of the day. I have the top 5 basic 600 seconds exercise good enough to change the way we live and to initiate our mornings.

IT STARTS FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE: A good morning is always been a pre-marinated dish, you need to put aside and get done with many things a night before you start your day after. Sorting what you want to wear and preparing your bag is one of them, have you thought of flushing and getting nice dental hygiene done, we all in-fact a majority of people suffer from dental hygiene. Your mouth is a factory of many bacteria pulping inside you as you sleep, killing them not only gives you a feel-good factor to go but no insecurity kissing your better half a goodnight and as well as a good morning.

There is this trick which does works for late awakers, brushing and flushing your mouth prior a goodnight let you be awake a little early. I don't know how it works but it works amazingly well, especially for someone like me who loves to sleep.

Sorting the list of things needs to be done is also much practiced, it is indeed optional as many feel good about planning the day about as the first thing in the morning and both works.

For those who live alone or have someone to take care of, pre-preparing a meal or at least keeping them arranged and set to go saves time. All this you can't do in 10 minutes but break it up.

MAKE YOUR BED FOR TONIGHT: We are up, we grab our phones and we get distracted. We bump on our own plans and we bang many to set the day. 10 minutes is a good analogy to do something and achieve one job at a time, the feeling of fulfillment from various jobs done make the day worth it, setting your bed for the day is one way to go and don't forget to change your sheet once a week.

The bed is a heaven where we dream, we share, we cry, we laugh, we stare and we ponder over things and things we want and we don't want. We love the fact of sleeping and it is always in our hands to set the tone of how we do it.

I have met many minimalistic who love a fresh set of white sheets and it is totally fine as nothing much to ponder about, I have even loved one who loves to use the bed as its canvas with as many pillows as possible and throwing some lovely set of textured sheets and comforters hurts no one. There are many ways to set the dream you like it, just make sure it is something you desire from within as it shapes the dreams you dream.

GET INTO YOUR OWN SKIN: Let's creep out, getting into your own skin is anytime better than someone getting into your skin. Ancient Vedas, I don't know if it says or not but stepping into the arena of meditation has helped me a lot and guided meditation is for anyone who has a monkey mind like myself, I admit it! My mind has always struggled to struggle with my ever nonstop thoughts, and it has given me anxiety like never before. Antidepressants do take care of the lack of many things in my brain and I am somewhere dependent on it, if you are looking for a place to begin from HEADSPACE is a good way to go from its 3 min session to 10, 15 and 20 is a place from my personal experience to start your journey into meditation. The best part you just need your phone and pair of headphones (I use a noise cancellation JBL headset) or speaker incase your phone has low-intensity in case of volume.

Try it! It has helped me to put myself to sleep better and have a better temperament towards life and others unless they talk crap.

BE MEAN TO CLEAN: 10 mins may not be sufficient to have a deep cleaning session and we are talking here about those small tasks which give you the feel-good factor, arranging your desk or your work station is a way to start doesn't matter if your work from home or an office, an altar next to my work table has helped to groom my mind, few things you can consider keeping next to you while working which can help to lift your mood.

1. A bowl of almonds: gives you no excuse to boost your mind and soul with some goodness.

2. Picture of your loved ones: Always makes you feel connected and belong to someone.

3. A nice candle: I personally love one from Song of India and oh man its heaven (be careful where you keep it)

4. A pen and a notepad: With everything to note down in your phone, little good old school tricks go a long way. Writing once is like reading something for 26 times.

DON'T MISS THAT CALL: I am living all alone past 15 years and eventually stopped having any homesickness but the attachment, I have with my parents is inseparable however and how many fights I have with them. We all love to go and fly in our own sky and leaving them behind to deal with their own anxiety and loneliness. Past many years I have realized the effort to be in touch with them and make them feel being with me has helped me count my blessings. 10min is all you need to give a call and be dedicated to it. Don't do anything while you call someone who means a lot to you. I can't put enough stress how much a call can build your relationship

the list may go on but I guess these things will not take much from you, teaching basics of life is a privilege and we are somewhere getting detached.

I hope this article may help you to connect yourself back to you and your roots.

---

Hii, I am shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, I undergo the above almost every day and I am here to support others to let them feel cool about anything happening in life.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#commercialphotographer #femalephotographer #mumbaiphotographer #portraitphotography