Meet Christine Das | Wildlife Conservation Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Das and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
When art “experts” keep advicing me: “You must never make art with sale & money in mind.” I am glad I was adviced against this mindset from the beginning of my career by my business mentor & treated my art as a business in order for me to be able to sustain myself and my art making.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I came into the art scene promising that my art will be attached to a mission which will contribute positively to the world. In my search for this mission, I arrived at a very crucial self discovery of my life purpose : A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION artist. Would you believe it if I told you that a 3 month old Bornean Elephant calf handed me my life purpose? Well…its true! Back in 2013 & I have since been supporting Elephant Conservation. This is what my art is about and how I have set myself apart from all other artists in Malaysia. Its been 10 years since I embarked on this journey and I have managed to consistently walk my talk especially in Elephant Conservation and reforestation of key wildlife corridors in Malaysia & have been finally accepted as a member of the international collective of artists for conservation. I am also a TedX speaker & soon to be published Wildlife artist. Something I am proud about and am looking forward to doing more!

Was it easy? Yes & NO. Somethings happened naturally & quickly but there were other aspects where it required hard work, patience,persistence and a lot of time investment. The amount of self believe, discipline, skills required when you are an independent artist without representation is no joke! But the WHY of what I do always pushes me to push through every battle & obstacle. I can genuinely say that It is WORTH IT! Helping the voiceless wildlife who are all in dire need of voices is something I am 100% committed to no matter how much this mission hurts & causes me so much grief & sadness. Heartbreaks & anger towards the human race, governances, corporate greed etc that kill & destroy our natural home is part & parcel of my life as an artist for wildlife which can take a toll on me frequently. The art making becomes the therapy & balances the state of my emotion and mind. Thats is the main reason why I focus on beauty in my art though pretty art is frowned upon & not deemed as art… I will do it anyway to fill this world with beauty as we have too much ugliness already. There will always be negativity from some people & situations but the WHY of what I do always triumphs! This is the biggest take away for me as a wildlife artist. The story behind the WHY of my life & art mission & I will fight the good fight till the end…..this is my prayer!

When you invest in a Christine Das, you will be directly healing our rainforest,preserving our wildlife and life sustainance. I believe I share a common DNA with Mother Earth. I feel strongly and I know that it is my utmost duty & responsibility to play a role no matter how small or big through my art in helping Her & Her inhabitants for the sake of preserving TRUE BEAUTY in this world and to save the source of our life sustainance: water, oxigen etc. How can I not be part of this sublime mission? I can’t imagine not doing this….I can’t! My life is about contributing my artistic talents & creativity to this mission and die knowing I gave my all & my best. This is what I live for & I hope my art will carry the message of beauty, preservation & respect of our Natural World even after I leave this life. I have recently started a WIldlife conservation workshop : SoWild to add value to the mission through education & art. It is only in knowing that you will start to love,respect & reconnect with Nature.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Quite frankly, I would organise a 4 days 3 nights away from the city of Kuala Lumpur and into the forest for a wildlife watch expedition & this is the best way to spend quality time with my best friend. My favourite forest will the The Great Ulu Muda Reserve in Kedah and we will stay at the Earth Lodge. The forest is serene & the river cruises to track wildlife is a beautiful experience! After the 4 days, I will take my bestie to the City of George Town in Penang which is a 2 hour drive from Kedah and have the best hawker food experience ever, check out the art scene, catch up with some of the loveliest friendliest friends from Penang !! Not to miss out on the bars along the beaches of Penang and then head back to Kuala Lumpur after 3 days!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would begin with my late parents who gave me life & brought me up with good values and unforgettable valuable life advice which I have put into practice that has made me who I am today. The ongoing Love & support I have from my beautiful family & the number of truly fabulous friends in and out of the art circle have been blessed with is something I am eternally grateful for and I love them from the moon and back!

My growth continues with people I crossed paths with as life takes me from one stop to the other :
In the beginning of my art career, I have had 2 amazing mentors who taught & supported me with their respective expertise & imparted valuable lessons on how to establish myself as an independent artrepreneur : Branding & Marketing Expert, Adrian Cruz & Dr Sundardas Annamalay, Life & Business Coach. Adrian taught me how to position myself as an artist & how to manage my career. I owe it to Dr Sundardas in helping me achieve the required mindsets and skillsets needed in order for me to be a much more evolved version of myself not only as a human being but also as an artist & business owner with a mission.

The Medias who believed in my mission as a wildlife conservation artist and the coverage & exposure they give me till this day is of utmost value to my success as an artist and I cant thank them enough! Not forgetting the wildlife NGOs & Global conservation artists groups who support me for supporting our common interest & fight for wildlife conservation. I have learnt so much in this journey thus far from them and the learning does not stop. There were some gallerists & curators who were willing to take a gamble with an unconventional artist like myself and I cannot leave them out of my story.

Most importantly, I am thankful to all who have connected & invested in my art and its mission from the time I began as an artist. Without this support I would not have been able to move forward with what I do.

Website: www.christinedas.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinedas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineDasArt

Other: https://www.facebook.com/sowild.christinedas