A CELEBRATION OF ART EXHIBITION

Am honoured to have had my art accepted at the 'A CELEBRATION OF ART EXHIBITION. This exhibition at HAC features a range of art items by diverse artistic talents of different ages. It is running between 7th-28th February and is free to view. Please have a look if you happen to be there. You can also have a look at the following link where some of my art has been made available for purchase https://www.etsy.com/shop/UniqueArtStudioUK?ref=dashboard-header&section_id=46569376

Tamil Heritage Art Exhibition

To celebrate Tamil Heritage Month, please have a look at the Art Exhibition where I contributed as an artist to the HarrowArtsCentre's exploration of the Tamil community's rich heritage and culture. The exhibition is running between 8th and 29th January and also features some workshops by some exhibitors on 'Talking Streets' and 'Kolams', more details about which you can read below.

Happy National Poetry Day 2024!

Happy National Poetry Day 2024! This is a very special National Poetry Day because it marks the 30th Anniversary of National Poetry Day that was created by William Sieghart in 1994 in an effort to promote poetry who said:  "There are millions of talented poets out there and it's about time they got some recognition for their work. They shouldn’t be embarrassed about reading their work out aloud. I want people to read poetry on the bus on their way to work, in the street, in school and in the pub."

                             

With that spirit in mind, learn more about what is on today and later this week anywhere within the UK on the website of the Forward Arts Foundation charity that usually coordinates National Poetry Day events at https://forwardartsfoundation.org/national-poetry-day/whats-on/ where you can see that you can join any event from a traditional open-mic to a multilingual poetathon! Here is where you can read more about the Forward Arts Foundation: https://forwardartsfoundation.org/

As you can see, there is something for everyone to intellectually stimulate yourself at different levels and if you rather like to listen to some innovative poetry, why don't you please join me at the Writers' Forum Workshop in Pimlico Library this weekend where I will be reading from my second collection of poetry called soulgrowth to celebrate National Poetry Day. The Writers' Forum Workshop is a workshop series for experimental poetry and is free and open to all. Everyone welcome!

#IamBrunel

I am deeply humbled to have been asked to contribute to the #IamBrunel series where career stories of Brunel PhD alumni are communicated to the public. I am really grateful for this opportunity as through the #IamBrunel series I have been able to reflect on my journey as a Psychology alumna, speak about my distinct experience with Brunel, and give some valuable advice to new doctoral researchers at Brunel. You can read more on the Brunel Psychology website.

Speech Communication

I am thrilled to have contributed to 'Speech Communication'. Read the complete paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167639323000626#bib0028

Art and Neuroscience

Evidence in neuroscience shows us there are plenty of advantages from experiencing art. Whether you are engaging in the creative act itself or observing a piece of art, art has got the power to improve our brain function at different levels. When we observe art, the stimulation that art provides us with, helps our brain develop new neural pathways. When we create art, we connect with the creator within ourselves and we express our emotions in a way that words might not be able to do. Apart from raising our serotonin levels, art helps us sharpen our observational skills and our memory and therefore impacts on brain plasticity. 

Art also helps us enter a reflective mental space that can enhance our understanding of ourselves and our connection to our external environment. It is therefore clear that art brings us pleasure and also encourages you see our world in completely new ways. In order to inspire others to become creative, I have presented below some art that I myself created throughout the years. Each picture is accompanied by some description that tells you a little bit about the painter whom I got inspired by to create each art piece.

This painting that I did was inspired by Claude Monet's Woman with a Parasol. Monet created the original in 1875 that now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Monet was a French Impressionist who was inspired by nature and did a lot of outdoor paintings. Woman with a Parasol presents Madame Monet and their son.

This art piece that I did was inspired by Rafael's Parnassus that was shown in 1509/10 within the Stanza della Signature in the Palazzo Vaticano in Rome. Rafael was a painter during the Renaissance period who is presenting in Parnassus the nine muses and those writers that were inspired by them. The artist himself was greatly inspired by Michelangelo's sculptures and Leonardo da Vinci's paintings.

This is an original painting that I created and that was presented at the 'All Of Our Own Work' exhibition in 2014 by Brunel Arts. This is the first time I used oil to create a floral illustration. The difference in quality between the two flowers is noticeable: I painted the flower in the background by looking at the flowers before me, while the flower at the front was created when I didn't have the flowers with me.

This is another original, that I did which is supposed to depict a scene from Ancient Rome with all of its contrasts. It attempts to illustrate the ancient Romans' taste of aesthetics and architecture and reflect the values of their society. This particular art piece emphasises the importance of perspective where the centre of the picture is in the middle of the main building at the back. 

This was my first go at illustrating the dynamic atmosphere that could be sensed when looking at the weather before the rain falls. It could therefore be construed as portraying the ethereal realm, giving it a dreamy feel.

I hope your brain enjoyed the presented art and it inspired you to pick up the painting brush or go and visit an art gallery and start engaging with art, no matter if you choose to do so as an artist or an observer.

How to stimulate your brain in exciting ways

It is well-known that engaging in regular high mental effort can help you to maintain good brain function in the long-run. What better way is there to get your brain excited than by engaging in the local community and giving back through volunteering? This is a good opportunity to go out of your comfort zone and develop your leadership and public speaking abilities further and to do so in a safe space. There are many public speaking organisations out there that can help you with the first steps in successfully engaging in speaking in public and improving your leadership. 

Jayanthiny during a speech she delivered at a speech contest at a local speakers club.

Ahead of International Leadership Week 2022 next month, I am sharing with you in the following section part 1 of a chat with the host of the Jesus Parada Show where I provide valuable insights from my book "Leading With Purpose" into leadership that I have acquired as a volunteer in my prior role as elected President of the Harrovian Speakers Club. The benefits of volunteering within a public speaking organisation mean that you can give back to your community, while improving your public speaking at the same time. 

I also recommend you to check out part 2 of the chat I had with the host on the Jesus Parada Show where I talk about my book "A Simple Guide to Public Speaking". 

If you have got a presentation to prepare for next week and you would like to get a few pointers on how to go about improving your presentation delivery as a public speaker without joining a public speaking club, the book "A Simple Guide to Public Speaking" is perfect for you because it provides you with useful information in a succinct way that can help you to understand how you can explore the process of public speaking on your own and at your own pace. 

Both "Leading With Purpose" and "A Simple Guide to Public Speaking" are based on my prior experience of being an elected president of a public speaking organisation and show that through volunteering in your local community there is a multitude of exciting opportunities to stimulate your brain in the long-run. Enjoy!