Everybody has been asked the same question by parents, relatives or teachers: What do you want to be when you grow up? The answers almost always involve three occupations: lawyer, doctor or president. As we grow, so do our decisions. Some change their minds and want to become writers, managers or pilots. There are also others who want to become artists.

Older people might believe that the usual occupations are the only ones that will guarantee our future security. However, the artists who were present at Tombow Grand Workshop on Nov. 30 begged to differ.

The workshop, which was held at Ciputra Artpreneur, Kuningan, South Jakarta, offered five types of drawing classes, which included watercolor art, calligraphy, decorative calligraphy, doodle art and comic character drawing. Participants of various ages concentrated on their tasks, then continued to sit through an inspiring talk show session with three coaches as well as speakers Jeremy Jonathan, Eko Fitriono and Asrika Vitawati.

The three artists have made a name for themselves through their arts. Their achievements of course did not come easily.

The calligraphy coach and speaker, Eko Fitriono admitted that he got into calligraphy as a result of his love for alphabet shapes.

“I wanted to work on something that’s entirely shown with my trademark, nobody can imitate it,” he said when asked why he pursued calligraphy.

When he was in college, Eko majored in mathematics, which did not contribute to his artistic pursuits. However, he said that he kept trying to study calligraphy and that he found pleasure in it. It is also an activity where he can improve his creativity. All of his creations are posted on his Instagram account, @kulapanik, he has done a few drawing challenges as well where he had to draw anything in the span of one week without a pause.

Besides expanding his knowledge of calligraphy, Eko also shares it. Since the end of 2015, he has coached participants who are interested in calligraphy. In fact, a fellow artist who attended the workshop as a coach was one of his students.

Jeremy Jonathan, who was coaching for the watercolor class said that he had learned calligraphy from Eko. His interest in calligraphy was later added to his passion for colors, Jeremy said that he now combines the two together.

He also mentioned that when it comes to focusing on art, one must have strong consistency and make certain sacrifices.

“I realized at one point that while consistency is important, art must be supported with high-quality tools. The difference is in contrast, for example when you’re using a certain type of brush after using a standard one, it does wonders to the end result of your creation.” Jeremy said, adding that the higher the quality, the higher the price.

Just like his teacher, Jeremy also posted his creation on Instagram, @jerome_jonathan, but with a special intention. “When I have my down moments, I like to look back on my past creations and be grateful that I have come this far,” he said. Jeremy has taught watercolor classes in Singapore and Malaysia and in cities in Indonesia.

Steering a bit further from calligraphy and watercolor, the third speaker and coach, Asrika Vitawati, focused on the art of doodling. She explained that she found her passion in art through doodling, the art of drawing objects without a specific plot, such as comics.

Although having successfully published three coloring books, Doodle Land, Doodle Kingdom and Doodle for Your Journal, Asrika said that her initial intention was not about getting royalties.

“You have to be passionate in what you love, then you’ll never get tired of doing it. It’s different from when you have set a goal to get money from it, if you fail doing that, then you will stop right away,” she said.

The three coaches shared mutual agreement on the essentials of art beyond consistency and passion. One must not be afraid to be wrong and the most important thing is to be patient. Good things come along with great efforts, and this not only applies to art but to all passions.

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