Skip to content Month 1 – Finding Your Voice
Focus: Discovering your unique artistic identity.
Steps:
- Keep a fusion sketchbook: dedicate a page each week to blending local imagery (Sigiriya fresco patterns, temple murals, kolam designs, Vesak lanterns) with global ideas (sci-fi, urban street art, surrealism).
- Write a personal manifesto: “What do I want people to feel when they see my art?”
- Compare: Study a Canadian Sri Lankan artist and reinterpret one of their ideas in your own style.
Examples:
- Rajni Perera (Toronto): Uses Indian/Sri Lankan miniature styles but inserts futuristic space travelers. Shows you can honor tradition but push it forward.
- Tilake Abeysinghe: Mixed Sri Lankan Buddhist art with Western oil techniques, which made him versatile across continents.
Month 2 – Learning & Exploration
Focus: Building knowledge + discipline.
Steps:
- Weekly study: Watch a tutorial (YouTube/Skillshare) on portraiture, abstract, or digital tools.
- Read about Sri Lankan modernists like George Keyt or Justin Deraniyagala.
- Try a new medium: clay, wood, digital collage, recycled plastic.
Examples:
- Lalith Senanayake: No elite training, but self-studied relentlessly and experimented with scrap materials until he built a style that stood out in Canada.
- Anupa Khemadasa: Brings in performance art and sound, showing that mixing disciplines deepens expression.
Month 3 – Experimentation Month
Focus: Embracing failure & risk.
Steps:
- Set aside one “fail day” per week — deliberately try risky, messy experiments.
- Collect unusual materials (scrap metal, textiles, spices for pigments, coconut husk, recycled glass).
- At month’s end, select 1 surprising discovery and expand it into a finished piece.
Examples:
- Senanayake’s “assemble art” (wood + metal) came from experiments no one took seriously at first. In Canada, these works became his signature.
- Rajni Perera often paints futuristic beings with non-traditional pigments, proving innovation is respected.
Month 4 – Sharing Your Story
Focus: Turning identity into narrative art.
Steps:
- Choose a personal/family story (migration, childhood memory, ritual, myth).
- Create 2–3 artworks around it.
- Post your art + story on Instagram/Facebook. Use captions that invite conversation: “This piece is inspired by my grandmother’s village near Kandy.”
Examples:
- Anupa Khemadasa: Her performances and installations reflect immigrant struggles.
- Rajni Perera: Her work often deals with brown/immigrant identities navigating futuristic worlds.
Month 5 – Building Your Portfolio
Focus: Presenting art professionally.
Steps:
- Select your 10–12 strongest works (across styles and sizes).
- Photograph each piece in natural light, straight-on, with minimal background.
- Upload to Instagram + Behance + Google Drive (for sharing in applications).
Examples:
- Rajni Perera’s portfolio was strong enough to get her into international shows.
- Tilake Abeysinghe’s wide-ranging portfolio (Sri Lanka → Europe → Canada) showed adaptability, which curators love.
Month 6 – First Exhibitions & Calls
Focus: Getting outside your comfort zone.
Steps:
- Apply to local shows: Colombo Art Biennale, Saskia Fernando Gallery, JDA Perera Gallery.
- Apply to international open calls on ArtConnect or CuratorSpace.
- Track applications in a notebook: what you applied to, what response came back.
Examples:
- Rajni Perera began with Toronto gallery shows, building credibility step by step.
- Senanayake sent his work abroad persistently until it got accepted.
Month 7 – Networking Season
Focus: Building human connections.
Steps:
- Attend at least 2 gallery openings.
- Talk to curators and fellow artists — even simple introductions matter.
- Create or join an online artist group (WhatsApp, Facebook).
Examples:
- Tilake Abeysinghe’s networks across continents kept his career alive.
- Rajni Perera’s gallery relationships were key to her international growth.
Month 8 – Going Public
Focus: Becoming visible.
Steps:
- Organize a mini-exhibit — café, school, or online showcase.
- Host an Instagram Live “studio tour.”
- Create short 30-sec videos showing your process.
Examples:
- Rajni Perera openly spoke about her process in Toronto, making audiences connect to her.
- Anupa Khemadasa’s participation in online art festivals shows visibility matters.
Month 9 – Strengthening Resilience
Focus: Handling rejection.
Steps:
- Keep a rejection log (applications + feedback).
- Create 1 artwork inspired by rejection/disappointment.
- Write a resilience statement: “I will not stop creating because…”
Examples:
- Senanayake’s works in Sri Lanka were vandalized/destroyed, but in Canada he persevered.
- Many diaspora artists face rejection at first but grow stronger.
Month 10 – Business Basics
Focus: Making art sustainable.
Steps:
- Learn to price art: (materials + time + value).
- Create an invoice & contract template.
- Sell one print or small work on Instagram, Etsy, or locally.
Examples:
- Rajni Perera works with galleries, showing that contracts + pricing are crucial.
- Many Sri Lankan Etsy sellers in Canada (e.g., crafts, batik) prove small online sales can grow.
Month 11 – Expanding Globally
Focus: Going beyond borders.
Steps:
- Apply to 2 international residencies (Canada, Europe).
- Reach out to one global curator/journalist.
- Collaborate with a Sri Lankan diaspora artist via Zoom/Instagram.
Examples:
- Rajni Perera showed in Canada → U.S. → Dubai because she built global ties.
- Tilake Abeysinghe adapted across continents, showing international exposure is possible.
Month 12 – Reflection & Celebration
Focus: Looking back, looking forward.
Steps:
- Review your progress: sketchbook, portfolio, applications, sales.
- Pick 3 “signature” works that define your year.
- Set 3 goals for the next year (e.g., a solo exhibition, gallery representation, first international sale).
Examples:
- Every successful Sri Lankan artist abroad had moments of reflection and repositioning — that’s how they kept growing.
