As part of our 25 years of creativity. we spoke with Savannah Sinhal to learn more about her connection with the Vedic Arts, spirituality and mark making. Sinhal is the teacher of the Vedic Art and the Elements course at Attenborough Arts Centre.
Your workshop at Attenborough Arts Centre explores Vedic Art, how would you define Vedic Art in your words?
In Sanskrit ‘veda’ means knowledge. Vedic traditions are ancient systems of knowledge originating from India that have been passed down through generations through storytelling, through sacred texts and also through arts. At the heart of it all is understanding yourself and your connection with nature, the elements, the seasons, your senses and spirit. Vedic Art really reflects these ideas of harmony and oneness within nature.
How did you get into the arts?
I’ve danced since I was young and grew up with music as a big part of my life. Studying Fashion at University – styling, curating and putting things together was the type of creativity that always felt the most natural to me. I focused a lot on exploring traditional Indian textiles and adornments and then that evolved into studying Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine too.
The body and spirituality seem to be recurring themes within your artistic practice. Why is spirituality important to you?
I like to understand things from their source or their roots. Spirit is such a unique thing to each person and is at the core of everything we do. I think more than anything it’s just important to know yourself.
How are the Vedic Arts beneficial to those who take part?
The Vedic Arts are a beautiful way to nourish any aspect of your life, emotionally, spiritually or physically. It offers an opportunity to tap into yourself more deeply and to be present. It wakes you up to recognising the smaller details and the interconnection between things like colour, form, materials and the emotional response we have to them. It that opens up a lot of space to create with stronger intuition and a sense of freedom that’s individual to you. Whatever your personal art form or experience is, you can work with these frameworks in your own way.
Tell us a bit about your artistic practice, what gets your creative juices flowing?
Dancing or movement in general. If I have my body right, eating well, moving lots, being outdoors – then my mind is good, and vice versa. I think they all need each other and it’s the same with my work. My writing needs my healing work, that work needs my design thinking, that mindset feeds back into fashion and things focused on the body or space. It’s definitely always cross-disciplinary and more of a curation than anything else.
Caption: Sinhal also develops her own health-based recipes which she shares on her website.
What are you most proud of in your creative career?
I think just listening to myself and trusting my instincts on when to change lanes slightly, or develop into a new area or discipline. I like to do lots of different things so finding my way to holistic systems and ways of working has been perfect for me. And if my work can bring any joy or healing to someone else then that makes it all even better.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as an artist?
Try not to overthink it, try to stay open to as much as you can, expose yourself to different perspectives and ideas of what art or knowledge is. Find out more about your roots and where you come from. Don’t worry if other people don’t really understand your art, especially at the beginning – it’s supposed to be that thing that you see, you understand and you create.
Lastly, where can we find your work?
You can find out more about my work on my website savannahsinhal.com or over on my Instagram @savannahsinhal
Find out more about our creative courses at Attenborough Arts Centre by checking out our What’s On page. The variety of courses on offer means that you can always discover and try something new or learn more about an existing hobby.
The Vedic Art and the Elements course will be starting on the 16th of September, don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to get creative and learn more about the Vedic Arts.
