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The creative Chamathka

07 Mar 2021

  By Mahika Panditha A while ago, these striking illustrations started popping up on my Instagram feed. I saw a lot of people purchasing these gorgeous stickers and prints, and I knew I had to have one. This led me straight to Praveeni Chamathka, who is the talent and beautiful human behind Muses of Ceylon. I know you guys know what I am talking about, but if you do not, do go ahead and check her out on Instagram (@muses.of.ceylon) – you can order her stickers and prints off of her website as well once it has been launched. Chamathka is currently designing fashion graphics for a plethora of designers, brands, and creatives all over the world. We had the chance to speak to her earlier this week. She aims to create powerful and communicative visuals, which we can see in her amazing pieces, and my personal favourite is the “Maniké” illustration. She combines beauty and function, as she so accurately put – it is the perfect balance. “The most important and consistent goal I have is to make sure I keep living a life that I love, with gratitude. Speaking more short term, I want to build a website to showcase my work plus shop (I might be able to achieve this one by the time this article is out, fingers crossed!), and to open up a design studio with a cute little store included for Muses of Ceylon. In the long run, I want to be commissioned to work with Vogue on a cover illustration,” she shared. We are so excited to see what the future holds for Chamathka and Muses of Ceylon. Check it out! Before we get into it, tell us a bit about yourself. I'm Praveeni Chamathka, a 23-year-old independent designer and illustrator from Kandy. I grew up and went to school in Kandy, and I’m a fashion and lifestyle design undergrad at the Department of Integrated Design of the University of Moratuwa. I have been practising fashion graphic design since late 2019. Illustration is my leisure interest. I draw inspiration for my illustrations mainly from the art-deco design movement, fashion, and my roots as a Sri Lankan woman. What is the story behind Muses of Ceylon? Muses of Ceylon is what I call my first collection of original illustrations. When I created my first muse – Maniké – I had no intention of making merch off of it or that it’s going to be the start of a long-running collection. I simply had a visual in my head that I had to express, and at the time I was drawing on my phone a bit. I experimented with an illustration style that I really liked, finished the illustration, and shared it on my personal Instagram without thinking much of it. From there on, Maniké became a force that spoke to people at an emotional level. My lovely community on Instagram shared my post on their stories and eventually I got an inquiry in my DMs, asking if I could make some stickers of the illustration (shout out to TG! Your inquiry changed my life). That one inquiry is what I consider the first important milestone of Muses of Ceylon. Then, Maniké made it to the local Twitter space, and more and more people seemed to resonate with the energy she gave off. I did my second muse – Apsara – after sometime and the response from my community only got bigger and more intense. From there I started to explore more concepts on powerful female figures that are unapologetically Sri Lankan, and eventually I named them Muses of Ceylon. To this day, I do not draw with the intention of selling merch of my muses. I draw for my own pleasure, to express myself creatively, and I only choose to sell prints or stickers of my muses if I get inquiries from my beloved community. I am forever grateful for the appreciation and support that my community has shown for my work since day one. When did you start pursuing design and what encouraged this? Ever since I was small, I had a keen interest in illustration and other ways of visual creative expression. I was obsessed with Disney princesses, and back then I couldn’t find any stickers of them, so I started drawing them on random pieces of paper. I started out by drawing them as exactly as they were, but eventually I began drawing them in different dresses. I thought that it was so cool and enjoyed making new designs very much. Then, when I was around 10, my cousin (Hi Tara!) got into the Bachelor of Design programme at the University of Moratuwa and she was pursuing fashion design. A lightbulb went off in my head and that’s when I realised that I can do what I enjoy as an actual job. Since then, throughout my school years, my goal was to get into that particular degree and study fashion design. I did get distracted during my A/Ls because I was peer-pressured into pursuing a different path, but eventually I realised that I always knew what I wanted to do. And I did it! I got into the 2017/18 intake of the degree that I always wanted to do. Where did you get the inspiration for your famous pieces such as Maniké and Apsara? I have always felt attracted to beautiful visuals and had an interest in the rich history and heritage of Sri Lanka. As a design undergrad at the Department of Integrated Design, I was always encouraged to explore traditional arts and crafts along with modern design principles and values. During one particular design project, I was researching a type of saree draping that is uniquely Sri Lankan – the “osariya/ohoriya” worn by women of Kandyan descent. I had never seen a Sri Lankan woman represented in a modern visual language before, so inspired by my research, I illustrated Maniké. I illustrated Apsara a couple of months after Maniké as my take on a muse that is featured on the famous Sigiriya frescoes. I wanted to imagine how she’d look during her off hours, when she’s not on duty. What is the favourite piece you have done so far? This is a tough one because I love them all! I am a big fan of all of them. But if I had to choose one, I’d say Maniké because she’s the one that started it all. With your deliveries, you send an extra sticker that reads ‘Powered By Pol Kiri’. Tell us about this. So when I started to get an overwhelming amount of orders and inquiries, I decided to send out a freebie with every order as a token of thanks. I was brainstorming on what makes us Sri Lankans tick, and the words “powered by” kept coming into my head. My first idea was to do a “Powered by Parippu” sticker because Sri Lankans are obsessed with dhal curry. Then my mom bought me a glass of coconut water (blessed that many fresh coconuts are cracked at our home daily for cooking) and I went WAIT. POL KIRI. Coconut milk is the backbone of many Lankan delicacies from curries to watalappan, and I thought it fit better as what fuels Sri Lankans. What would you say has been your biggest challenge in your career thus far? How did you overcome it? Making the decision to commit to my niche as a fashion graphic designer, which turned out to be the best decision I made in my life. Making that decision was a challenge because I was choosing to go for a specific field that not many other creatives have pursued. I was testing mostly unprecedented waters. Almost every single person I went to ask for advice suggested that I should stay in the mainstream. I had a lot at stake and very little insurance. My gut said that I had the skill and determination to make it, but I was doubting whether I was making the right choice. I overcame the challenge by taking a lot of time and doing a lot of research to learn what I’m getting into. I did many test runs and learned from them. I made sure I had proof that I could thrive. I also gained a bit of self-awareness, thanks to my therapist, which definitely helped a lot. Do you have any advice for aspiring digital creators? Listen to your gut. If you have recognised what you love and if your gut says you can do it, go for it. Ignore every other doubting voice that may be in your head or in your immediate environment. If you haven’t recognised what you like yet, keep experimenting. Do more of what you like and less of what you don’t like. Eventually, you will see your path. Also, allow yourself to rest and recharge. Burnout is not your friend. PHOTOS © Praveeni Chamathka


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