Shinjini is an artist, tarot reader and writer based in India. As a long-time journal keeper, she believes in the transformative power of stories and the healing power of art and creativity. Her days are spent knee-deep in the creative process — painting, writing, reading, thinking, and dreaming. She tends to start more projects than she can finish, but having multiple ideas on the go is what excites her the most! Through intuitive play and playful experimentation, she aims to capture the dialogue between herself and the divine on the journal page. She's been told that her podcast, Art with Soul Podcast (2020-2022), is like "having a creative coach and artist friend in your earbuds", and that delights her no end. Her latest project is Studio Diaries (https://shinjinim.substack.com) — an invitation into her virtual art studio, where she shares notes on the creative process, pages from her art journals, process videos, sketchbook prompts and more!

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What does Art is Magic mean to you?

I think of art itself as a unique kind of magic — its the magic of creation, of transformation and transmutation, of healing, of pleasure, joy, and passion. It’s a journey of self-discovery…every mark, the colors we reach for over and over again, the art that flows from our fingers. If we let it, if we make the space {by which I mean the time and the place} for it in our lives, if we approach it with curiosity, without expectations, art can become the medium by which we communicate with our souls, with the universe, with parts of ourselves. And it just happens — all that we need to do is to get out of the way, which can be the hardest part of the process! Like I said, art is a unique kind of magic.

Why do you create art?

Because I must! It is how I process emotions, how I play, how I unwind. It’s an integral part of my life, something that I do not necessarily daily, but consistently.

Tell us about your journey to become an artist?

Oh, it’s been a long, circuitous journey! I wasn’t always artistic, my journey has started and stopped, but once I found my footing, I never looked back! I spoke about my journey on my podcast some time ago. You can tune in here: https://moderngypsy.in/2020/08/01/artists-journey/

What is currently inspiring you?

Believe it or not, my messy art table! I look around at the tubes of paint and collage papers strewn around the table and something will catch my eye, become the starting point for a new painting. And since I almost always paint intuitively, a messy desk rarely fails to inspire me — until it doesn’t, which is when I bring some order back to the studio!