Junior Tanisha Lanka participates in a variety of activities like debate and gymnastics, but art has always been one of her passions. Through authentic pieces of art, she express her identity by portraying her emotions and frustrations. 

Which art piece resonates with you the most?

The piece that resonates with me the most is one that I’m actually making right now. It’s like a sculpture with a brain inside and the sculpture is kind of breaking. The process uses color pencil and I really liked the piece because I used so many different colors to make the brain. It illustrated the fracturing of perfection from technologies and there’s phones all around it. I think it’s a powerful message and a relevant topic, and I liked the process and how the brain turned out. 

What are your biggest inspirations?

My biggest inspirations in terms of artists are probably surrealist artists because their art is really cool and it looks dreamlike. As far as everyday objects go, probably nature and photography. 

How do you use art to express your emotions?

I often use art to express my frustration about a certain topic. For example, my identity. I don’t like how I felt that I didn’t fit in when I first got here. 

How have you improved since you started your art journey?

I’ve improved technically, of course, because I’ve learned how to use new techniques like cross hatching. I’ve learned how to use new materials like acrylics and color pencils. Also, I’ve learned how to convey my ideas through my art better. 

Do you sometimes feel unmotivated to create art? How do you deal with it?

 I’m in AP Art and we have to create a new piece of art every week. Sometimes, I am unmotivated because I’m basically forced to create art. So I deal with that by going back to my theme and some things that interest me, and there’s almost always something out there. For example my theme for AP Art is my identity as an Indian immigrant. I always go back to that topic and I usually get a struggle that I can talk about in my art.