Spiral Eyedd Community - Kanpanat Jaipanya (Farn)

I am very excited to introduce our first spiral Eyedd community member, this will be a series to highlight voices that I deem “spiral eyedd.” From artists, figure skaters, djs, and more, the key element of this interview series is to uplift the people who are creating spaces or work that pushes them out of their comfort zone. The ones who have started before they were fully ready, and are persistent in continuing to share their voice. I am very grateful to share their stories & for all the care they put into these interviews. 

Meet Kanpanat Jaipanya (Farn)! She is an artist and digital community maker, a 22 year old based out of Nakhon Ratchasima(Korat),Thailand.

Follow her on instagram at @galpnadt and  @thecomfortart. 

Abbey: Tell me about your art practice / how you got into making art 

Farn: I have always been an art kid since I could remember. I make art for school, out of fun, in my free time, and when I am sad or happy. I make art almost all the time. However, I never really thought of being an artist or creating art full-time because here, becoming an artist is only a pipe dream. It will never succeed, and it will never be sufficient to pay for living expenses. Until around five months ago, I got some free time after graduating from college. That was when I started to ask myself, “If money, social expectation, and other people do not matter, what would I want to do?” and the answer was clear: I want to make art as much as I want.

After that, I started to practice drawing dark/scary art with pastels and painting colorful art with gouache, oil pastels, and colored pencils, and later on, I discovered how to paint digital art with a graphics editor app like Procreate. I am still very new to all of them and currently in a phase of finding my style. But I am happy to say that I am grateful for this new journey of mine and cannot wait for any future challenge that will come from pursuing it. 

Abbey: What made you start posting on social media? How has it supported and hindered your art? 

Farn: I think art is meant to be shared. We could never know who would fall in love with our art, or if it helps somebody else feel better, if we never share it. And personally I feel really good when I share my art with other people and they like it.

Posting on social media is a really great way to share our art because it is the fastest, the easiest, and the cheapest way. Moreover, in my opinion, if you are a small artist with very little budget, it is easier for you to gain recognition, make money, and profit from your art by posting it on any platform. 

For my art Instagrams, I have two accounts. The first one is @thecomfortart, and it is a comforting, safe space for all of those who love art. I usually post content that would console them and make them want to make more art. It has been going really well because a lot of people love that kind of content and constantly participate in the activity and challenge.

Next, the second one is @galpnadt, which is like my dark/scary artworks gallery, and it is for a specific group of people who love this kind of art. I think it has been going well too. 

As a result, the support I receive from social media, especially from my lovely and supporting followers. Their involvement, comments, and likes are what make me feel so good about my art and what I am doing. It keeps me wanting to become a better artist and a better art creator.

Abbey: Tell me about the daily art challenge : why you started it/ how it’s going?

Farn: The reason why I created the daily art challenge is because I want to make art more fun, like a game for my followers to play every day. When making art, it does not always have to be a big piece that will take a lot of time. Sometimes, it could be just a silly, easy art that can be done in a day. Besides, a lot of my followers are those who have stopped drawing for a very long time, and I think this challenge can inspire them to start drawing again. On the other hand, I know they could easily find things they want to draw themselves, but this challenge gives them a sense of community and involvement, which will encourage them to create even more art.

For the progress of the challenge, it has been going well. At first people were quite surprised and excited about it. And it really depends on the topic each day. Some topics are popular, and some are not. However, I am committed to continuing the challenge for a very long time. 

 
Abbey: Who are some of your inspirations? 

Farn: All of them are people from the art community on Instagram. 
@feliciachiao
@artistmackensie
@justfrogetaboutit
@natandrewson 
@uncomfy.co
@koyson
@isaacmayart
@everyone.once_chi
@zcart.art
@nnnatto__
@spiraleyedd
@peawillopie
@linescapes.drawings
@liliandaisyjournals
@emilyamiao
@1924us
@hichiyan686
@ricollinart_official
@evenmehlamundsen
@bigbluetang
@neoaten
@inspiredtowrite
@jdisegno
@warpsol
@raja.nandepu

Abbey: What is one piece of advice you’d give to creatives wanting to take the leap and put themselves out there?

Farn: Go for it. Start with what you are most comfortable with and explore everything. Try making reels, try posting different kinds of posts, try using voiceover, or try just solely posting the artwork and not doing anything else. Try everything and find what feels like you, and keep it authentic as much as possible. I, too, still have so many things to improve and figure out. But by starting it, posting the art, and creating a lot of stuff, it just gets easier each time. And your art is amazing! Why not share it with the rest of the world, right? You are going to find your right audience and those who appreciate your art. Create a little community for your creative self. It is going to be incredible, so please go for it.

Abbey: And finally, how do you feel spiral eyed in your practice? 

•  context for this question, being spiral eyedd is a term I created for knowing what you want artistically/ emotionally and knowing the work you have to do to get there, but not having the tool kit to do it. Being spiral eyedd is a state of taking the leap and betting on yourself, it is trusting the process and timing of your life - 

Farn: Since I started making art and sharing art content online, even though I know exactly what I want and what I have to do in order to achieve it, I always feel lost and doubt myself all the time. There were no results one could see at any starting point of their projects. And I have been trying to figure out what is best for me and what kind of art style or art content I want to create in the last five months. And these questions bother me every single day. What if it is not exactly what I want it to be? What if it is never going to work out? And the only thing that keeps me going is only a bit of faith in myself and a genuine belief in what I am doing. I love my art and love the fact that my art content has helped so many people feel better about their relationship with art. So, yes. I have and will always feel spiral eyed. Whether it is my art project or any of my other unachieved dreams, I will continue taking the leap and betting on myself. Believing that the hard work and time I put into the process will pay off one day.