How this "closet illustrator" & writer became a working Artist - A peek into my artsy journey

The classic case of “life is what happens when you’re making other plans” actually happened to me on my birthday on March 30. 

Just as I was reaching the 5,000 word mark of my second in-the-works Kindle book, I morphed into an artist. A “for real” artist, who paints for a living and plays with beautiful colors and brushes for all her “working hours”.

So this is what happened. I was taking a break from writing, after having published a bestselling Kindle book “The Work-At-Home Military Wife”, and was hoping to recharge my batteries and get more ideas for my next ebook “Self-care for Women”. The best way to indulge in self-care myself was to bring out my paints and brushes, and paint the joyful pictures that I knew would rejuvenate me and fill up my well with happiness.

I shared the photos of those finished paintings on social media and these led to a few initial queries from moms who wanted to buy my artwork for their kids’ rooms. All of it snowballed into ‘Jugnoo Story Art’ my cute + quirky art venture, where I fuse my passion for painting & stories.

I’ve been on a roll since then, painting up the magical world of Jugnoo (a happy girl with wild curls), Blue (a rambunctious little boy), Norbu (a little lama from Mcleod Ganj) and the birds, butterflies, caterpillars and cute creatures that inhabit this vibrant place. I’ve been painting jewel-toned watercolor pictures and bright canvases with lots of quirkyness in them for kids and grown-ups alike.

It’s been an adventure so far, and I’m still getting used to being an Artist (with capital A) rather than a closet illustrator who just loved to draw and paint, and hid her work in a sketchbook. Life for me has come full circle – I wanted to become an artist when I was a little girl, but gave up the dream because I was told time and again that I just didn’t draw and paint the right way.  

Today, after having worn multiple hats and still juggling my many roles (home school mom, military spouse, writer, health coach), I’m back where I started. A place where one can be quirky. A place where art need not be of just one kind to look good or be accepted. A place where there are fewer rules around how and what to create, and more freedom to make, draw, paint what brings joy.

I invite you to be part of my  Artist journey at Jugnoo Story Art on Facebook, and @chandanamilspo on Instagram.

And hey, if you’d like to commission me some original artwork, please message me via any of the above channels or leave a comment below.

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