Uma Jeyaseelan – Less is More
Uma Jeyaseelan has been painting since she was a child. While circumstances caused her to stop painting during the years leading up to her adulthood, Uma went back to it in 2012 as a hobby and as a way to still her mind while waiting to hear back from job applications. In the beginning, pictures of her artwork attracted the attention of friends and friends of friends on Facebook. But due to her sheer talent, it didn’t take long for “likes” to morph into inquiries on the possibility of purchasing her work and gradually into requests for custom pieces. With a Diploma in Building Design, a Degree in Industrial Design and a Master’s in Environmental Management, Uma has built a distinct and accessible brand for herself with her minimal yet bold paintings. It may sound deceptively humble to say Uma frequently paints simple silhouettes. All it takes is a scroll through her Instagram to enchant you and create a sense of wonder at the understated beauty. Her choices for colours speak with so much volume that you can almost hear the anklets in a painting or the ketti melam in a wedding invitation. The life and personality she infuses into each artwork make us grin at the mischief of Krishna or sigh at the romance of a couple about to be married. All while maintaining her trademark silhouettes, rather than employing extensive details and features. Proving that less is more after all. As you look through her pieces, it’s hard to miss her dedication and her pure love for her craft. Her elegant designs were noticed by Roopa Pemmaraju, who offered her the opportunity to turn her paintings into garments. These garments were showcased during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Australia in 2017. An injury in January 2018 caused Uma to turn to yoga and interestingly, paved the way for her to become a yoga teacher.
Labelling herself as an illustrator, designer, environmentalist and since last May, a yoga teacher as well, Uma Jeyaseelan is this month’s and our first Tenacious Woman. Speaking in soothing tones and a measured pace, or what I would imagine being the ideal yoga or meditation teacher’s voice, she offers us a glimpse into her life.
Can you share about how you got into art?
I used to paint here and there as a kid In Sri Lanka. It wasn’t a thing that was noticed or considered the norm but when I moved to New Zealand, my artwork got selected for a couple of exhibitions. This was when I was in Year 7 and Year 8. It was from then that I actually started getting really interested in art and realised that people actually took notice of my work. However, this changed when my family and I moved to Australia. I went straight into Year 11 when I moved here, and I didn’t get time to continue with art – so I stopped. It was only after I finished my post-grad and I couldn’t find a job, that one of my friends suggested I paint while waiting to find the right job. I thought “This is brilliant! I’ll just paint every day, see where it goes.” I started painting little by little each day, it was like daily inspirations. I would paint something and then come up with a quirky caption for it. My art started to get noticed by my friends and that became a driving force so I continued to paint.
So, you’re self-taught. Why did you choose not to seek professional qualifications?
I wanted to study but there was a bit of discouragement. A lot of people told me that studying art depends on each person. I thought it would be great to learn some techniques but some students who had done fine arts said that the self-expression would be very limited. You are being told or not told [what to do] – it’s a teacher’s idea of what is art.
I remember you posted on Instagram stories once that you had an overwhelming urge to paint Baby Krishna and the day turned out to be Krishna Janmashtami (Krishna’s birthday). I found that so fascinating! Was that a standalone incident? Where do you usually get your inspirations from?
That was a really special occasion. I hadn’t painted for almost a year so for that to happen on that particular day or the day before, it was quite random. My inspirations come from my culture. I have a Sri Lankan Hindu background. I love Ramayana and Mahabarat. I really enjoy stories, mythologies, and any daily inspiration. When my grandma was alive, I used to watch my grandparents interact. Little interactions between people, I would notice it and I would try to paint it. As I kept painting, one of my friend’s sister was getting married and she asked if I would like to paint and design her wedding invitation. That kicked off paintings for wedding invitations, so I started doing custom artworks.
How long does an art piece take you?
Depends on the project. Sometimes it will go on for weeks, other times I would do three paintings in a day. It really all depends on the painting, how inspired I feel and how much time I have.
What is your most favourite piece of art or project so far and why?
I don’t know! I enjoy all of them in different ways. Sometimes paintings I don’t like, others will like a lot, and I’m always very surprised by that. I’m like “Wow, it’s not that special” but there must be something that has captivated them. Meanwhile, something that I think is very special might not be as special to others or it’s not something they would not notice straight away. I find it difficult to pinpoint an individual project I like a lot. However, any project I do for charity, I enjoy a bit more. Recently, one of my paintings was sold here in Australia for $4750 as part of a charity art exhibition. Something like that genuinely makes me really happy because it was my little contribution back to society.
You’re a registered yoga teacher as well. Can you tell us more about where the interest for that came from and why you chose to become a teacher as well?
I pulled my back last January and I couldn’t walk for two weeks. So, I decided it’s time for me to start yoga to get my body moving. I started yoga at the end of January. After practicing yoga for a few months, my instructor suggested I consider becoming a teacher. So the next opportunity I got, I started my teacher’s training in May. It wasn’t like I wanted to be a teacher at that point, it didn’t occur to me that I could become a teacher because I had just started my practice anyway. I was actually teaching people at the same time I was doing my teacher’s training. It was really interesting and I learned a lot from teaching as well. One day while doing yoga, I pulled my back and I couldn’t move for two weeks again. That’s when I realised yoga is not about competing with others or even with yourself. I am flexible – actually, I’m hypermobile so it looks like I’m flexible which means sometimes I'm not be engaging the right muscles or parts of my body. I realised I needed to learn it a little bit more to make sure I don’t continue doing that. So, I’m still learning as a practitioner, and as a teacher.
I see a lot of religious connotations in your artwork. Would you say practicing yoga has influenced or impacted your art in any form? Would you say these two are connected for you and that they come from the same place? Or are they individual?
This is very interesting actually. I would say they both are! But in my case, since I started yoga, I have actually stopped painting. Because of my back pain, I don’t have the urge to sit down and paint. I probably paint once every four, five months, which is ridiculous. But it’s almost like this spiritual knowledge, or spirituality, or that love for the divine was initially turned into art and now it’s yoga. That’s how I see it. The energy that was initially spent being creative in an art form, now it’s spent physically through yoga and through teaching others.
So, it sounds a lot like you went with the flow with life. And we live in a world where everyone talks about having a plan, especially a Plan A and a Plan B. And if you're doing something creative you should have Plans C, D, E, and F as well. What do you think about this?
I guess I did go with the flow. As I was starting to let go of custom painting and trying to figure out what to do next, this back pain came, and I needed to solve that. I needed to figure out a way to help my body and that’s how yoga came about. Hard to tell at this point, but there is nothing wrong with having plans. It works for some people to have plans. You have a goal, you go out, reach it, do it. Achieve certain things.
At what point did you go from painting as a hobby to deciding that you want to sell your pieces? And this can be for yoga as well with becoming a teacher. Was it simply a natural progression or did you take some time to think about it and work out the logistics, finance and the minute details first?
I don’t know actually. I think I was just painting, and people started asking if I sell them. So, I started thinking about options to sell them. My mum really loves my paintings and she didn’t like the idea of me selling the originals. So, I had to figure out another way and that’s where the idea to sell prints came out. There were so many other ideas I started that eventually didn’t work out for me.
I didn’t really have too much of finance in mind. I would read on it and then I would try to work it out. At least with the prints, I know I tried to work it out for a few months.
When it comes to finance, I’m terrible at that. I don’t think about how much to charge. My printing person would say “Oh you’re charging way too little! It’s practically pointless. Do you realise the printing cost has increased?!” And then I realised “Oh no, crap. I have not made any profit for God knows how many months. I’ve just been selling at probably a loss at that point.” It would be great if I had someone to look over the admin part of this because when you are doing prints there’s so much work that goes behind it. You have to scan [the painting] or take a photo of it, turn it into a digital file, make sure the artwork is very close to the original, make the sizes right, make sure the alignment of the images is correct, send it off to the printers and make sure the colour of the prints is similar to the original again. Bring it home, make sure everything’s flattened because when it comes out of the printer it is rolled up. Then, take a photo of it for my website and upload them online. I do some Photoshop to make sure it’s all similar to the original. I make sure the sizes are correct and update the sizes. Then I upload it on to a website, which I created on my own with the help of a friend and from there, to Instagram.
How has Instagram or social media impacted your business and you? Many times, even those who are considered successful talk about how they feel pressure, or they feel like they are not as good when they see someone else’s work. Has this been the case for you?
Facebook has helped me. When my friend told me to start painting and post them up, I first used Pinterest, a blogging site, Facebook and then from there, Instagram. Initially, I cared about having more followers, more likes, more comments, but now it is not about that. I hardly post. I still get inspired by looking at other artists’ pictures or influencers. So yeah, it has had a big impact on my art to be seen by a lot of people and it’s great! However, it has also had a negative impact where it gives an opportunity for people to copy or take my artwork to use as their own. That’s another reason I’ve reduced posting them [artwork] on all social media platforms. There have been people who have taken the images I had done for my customers and used it for their own weddings. This made me feel really bad as it was something I had created for someone else and they had paid for it. Then someone else comes along and just steals it off the internet and uses it to their own liking. Social media is a great thing, but it can work unfavourably at times.
So, you are a yoga teacher and artist. These are what some still refer to as “non-traditional” forms of work and ways of income. What are your thoughts about this? Do you have any advice on time and money management?
Ah, that’s a hard question. It’s pretty much living from paycheque to paycheque (laughs). I mean I do understand, there are days where I wish I was just an accountant or something that just made money. That way I don’t have to worry about my finances. However, I do think it might not give me fulfilment and that it is a big decision. I do understand at times it is not such a preferred option for many because there are bills to pay or things to do – you know, certain responsibilities. But doing something you love, makes the heart feel good. It’s quite hard to say or pinpoint what one should do. It depends on the timing, it depends on what the situation is. I’m not one to say what people should be doing. But even if it’s just a small thing, even if you can allow an hour or two to do something you really love, your soul will be really thankful.
It also sounds like you didn't have the biggest support from your parents in pursuing art, or that they were a bit doubtful about it. Have you managed to talk them around into supporting you? Or do you have any suggestions for people who are trying to convince our parents about our career choices?
(laughs) I stopped trying to convince them. My parents aren’t necessarily being cheerleaders with pompoms, but my mum is definitely one of my biggest fans. My dad doesn’t show it, but he loves it when others talk about my art. I can’t think of many Sri Lankan parents who would allow their daughter to sit at home for five years painting. Once in a while, my dad would ask, “Are you making any money out of this? You’re doing what you love but what are you making?!” They’re concerned, I totally get it. It’s a journey for both your parents and yourself.
Each situation is different, that’s what I’m trying to say. You have to see it from their point of view. Trying to convince them is not what we are trying to do here. They are just concerned about where you are going. They want to see you succeed. It’s hard. Even though my parents weren’t cheerleaders, they allowed me to do it [paint]. I think for me, that itself means a great deal.
Finally, what advice would you like to pass on to someone who’s looking to pursue their passion? Especially if it’s in art, yoga or simply a non-conventional path?
Go for it. Try it. Definitely give it a go or you will just regret it. My parents actually were really good that way. They would raise an eyebrow for sure every time I say something. They won’t say anything because they don’t want to stop me. But definitely, if you really do want to try something, go for it. Because you don’t want to regret it later.
If you would like to find out more about Uma or follow her work, you can do so by following her on Instagram, or by checking out her website.
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