Kiara Jaimungal.

The extravagant Kiara Jaimungal gives us a better insight into her "skinny ladies" , her influences, and the importance of bettering your craft.

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So tell us a little about yourself Ms. Jaimungal.

Well, to put it simply, which I often struggle to do, I'm Kiara Jaimungal. I'm extravagant, but at times delusional. I'm currently in my second year of Multimedia at the University of Pretoria. I love all things fashion. I also love music. I do several things, which actually isn't great because I often find myself doing too many things. I'm always trying to create. But to be honest, I don't really know how to answer this question. I guess you'd just need to get to know me.

In terms of art and design, describe what you do.

So my main works have been fashion illustrations. They've come to be known as "the skinny ladies". I call them fashion illustrations, even though they're not entire outfits or sketches. It's more of a style used to do fashion illustrations, which I've then adapted to create my own works, generally with watercolour. It's a style I've had to develop over a long time. I had a hard time finding what I was good at, and what I enjoyed doing, but lately, these paintings have been my main focus. I've recently been trying out new things too. My degree has exposed me to other mediums such as adobe illustrator and animation. I'm even planning on learning to work with 3D modelling.

Could you describe your style to our readers?

Elegant and classy. When people look at my work, I want them to think "oh, damn."—that high-end, extravagant, high-class feel.

How did you first start getting into art and design? Did you have any training?

No no, not at all. Art was never a thing in my family, and so I never placed any focus on it. That was until I went to university. I actually had art as a module in my degree, which was rather interesting. It's not like I couldn't make art, but it was just something I never practised or showcased. My degree really taught me how to explore my artistic side to develop my own style.

What were some of your influences when you first started, and what are some of your current influences?

Right when I started, there was this one artist, Zro. I actually discovered him through an assignment I had to do last year, whereby we had to find artists and replicate their styles. And I just fell in love with that whole idea, and so I continued. I then moved on to another artist called Jamie Lee Reardin, who greatly influenced my "skinny ladies". Also, all my work primarily revolves around clothes. So I guess I could say fashion is my greatest influence. Mainly because it's such a big part of who I am.

So what do you do when you find yourself struggling to work? When you've encountered a mental block.

I get so angry, I won't even lie. I'm a very stubborn person when it comes to my work. If I don't get it right the first time, I tend to give up. But also there's a part of me that thinks let me give it some time I'll figure it out. I do have a problem with perfection. If my work doesn't come out exactly how I wanted it to be, I tend to give up on it. When I create, I try and do it all in one session. So if I don't get exactly what I want, I'll and just move on to the next painting. I'll put whatever work I didn't like aside and give it a day or two then come back and find a way around it. Not everything I make is going to necessarily work, but I know I need to find ways around it. The best way to do that is to just better myself. Improving my skills and capacities makes it easier when I find myself stuck and frustrated. It provides me with more tools to fix the issue.

On several occasions, you've incorporated music into your works. Could describe the role music plays on you as a creative?

Well, for me, music definitely sets the tone. It sets the mood, the environment, and puts me in place to create, I guess. So I have this playlist called oldie goldies, full of music from artists like Louis Armstrong, Etta James and Frank Sinatra. I always play that kind of music when I'm creating. I feel like most of my work is very dreamy, and that music puts me at ease.

Another great example of music influencing my work would be my Euphoria artwork. I actually planned the artwork around the music. I'm not sure if people noticed, but the transitions go according to the beat. Another major reason would be time. I feel like when you listen to music time stops. One thing I definitely hate is being rushed to finish because I wouldn't truly be putting in my all. I feel like art is something that you should enjoy and have fun with. So music just eliminates time and helps relieve that pressure for me.

So, as is customary here at 440Hz, you've been asked to create a playlist for our listeners. Could you just give us a brief explanation of what you threw in there?

So I definitely didn't hold back on what I like and enjoy. Deciding the order of this playlist was particularly tricky for me because I usually just hit shuffle. But I decided to order this playlist to give it some structure and create a chill vibe. But there are tons of really chill songs, but there are also songs in there for when I'm frustrated. A little bit of Kanye West, some Frank Ocean and finally ending off with the oldie goldies. I felt that would be the best way to end the playlist because that's what I listen to more heavily when I'm creating my art. The very last song on the playlist is Waves - Kanye West. It just plays with the concept of the playlist. Waves don't die. What I mean by this is that thinking never stops. Our creativity is always flowing. I mean I'll be in the shower thinking about things I want to create. The waves just don't die.

Thank you so much, Kiara. I had a good laugh speaking with you, and I'm sure our readers will take something away from today's discussion.

It was my pleasure. Thanks for having me!

Check out more of her work in the gallery, or on her Instagram @kiarajaimungal

Struggling to get your work? Looking for some jams to enjoy while creating?

Take a listen to this weeks playlist curated by Kiara herself:

Waves Don't Die:

" The best way to listen to this playlist is in the order that it is in. However, listening to the playlist on shuffle is also okay, but will depict the mess that I am, considering the genres that are in here. Please don't hate on the country music. It slaps! "

All information sourced from a personal interview with Kiara Jaimungal (K. Jaimungal, personal communication, 30 June 2020)