JOIN USPopularity is now just a click away. You could be a singer, dancer, artist or a comedian, and social media is the new stage for your talents. It’s as simple as starting an Instagram account or a Facebook page or even creating your own blog. The new tech-savvy generation is increasingly taking to social media to show everyone what they’ve got.
Trishal Reddy, an artist, has her own Instagram account called ‘Design Freak’. Her
account features her art work and unconventional designs. She says, “Instagram is a great platform for artists as it is genre-centric. People are interested in collaborating with me for online merchandising and have approached me to create designs for their products.” Trishal has designed the logo for ‘Dhwani’, the fest of St Joseph’s College.
Jeet Nadgouda, another artist who uses Instagram adds, “Art inspires creative thoughts and ideas. When I see popular artists’ work, it motivates me.” Jeet has his friends to thank for his new-found fame on Instagram. “My friends believed that my sketches were good enough to go public. They forced me to show my talent to the rest of the world and it is one of the best decisions I have made,” he says.Music and dance too get noticed on social media and help people bag new opportunities. Samriddhi, a dancer, opines, “Posting videos does not entirely guarantee that someone will approach you, but you have to keep trying until you are recognised by the right person at the right time. I have been approached by various directors and photographers to be part of their projects.”
But with recognition comes criticism as well. Abhishek Patil, a musician and poet, didn’t let the haters affect him. “Initially when I started posting my work, I wasn’t taken seriously. Some of my friends asked me, ‘Why here?’ But slowly, they all started recognising my talent.” Abhishek has got an overwhelming response for his bold step. He has been approached to be a part of a band and also to play at a church. His poetry can be found on Instagram and has been published in a book called ‘Beyond Love’. “There was an online poetry competition based on the theme ‘Love and Tragedy’. I was amongst the top 20 poets in the competition and got an amazing chance to get my work published,” he says.
All of them unanimously agree that one shouldn’t allow negative responses to deter them from achieving their true potential. Trishal says, “I have received a lot more encouragement than criticism.
Sometimes, it is discouraging but it is important to take criticism in your stride and improve.”