Imlijungshi, a Self-Taught Artist from Nagaland, Finds Freedom in Art

Imlijungshi is a self-taught artist from Dimapur, Nagaland. He experiments with various mediums, from sketching to digital tools to illustrate Nagaland’s ethnic culture and community. Inspired by anime, his work reflects his inner passion for his homeland and his art. He recently bagged a job offer to be an illustrator for a game and wishes to continue sketching and painting with the same passion in future. Read on to know more about him.

We interviewed with Imlijungshi, a self-taught artist from Nagaland to get some insight about his work, his inspiration and his future plans!

Photo : Imlijungshi, self-taught artist from Nagaland

Hello! Introduce a little about yourself.

Hello! My name is Imlijungshi, from Dimapur. Nagaland. I’m currently in my BA final year and after that, I plan on spending my time and life doing art.

Tell us about your work, what got you started?

My works are mostly experimental as a self-taught artist but I mainly focus towards our Nagaland’s ethnic cultures and community. And I plan on improving my skills to show the full potential of Nagaland’s cultural aesthetic values and meanings in the near future.

Imlijungshi’s illustration of a boy entering a Morung during dark with a candle on his hand

Imlijungshi’s illustration of a boy entering a Morung during dark with a candle on his hand

An illustration of a Naga warrior fighting a tiger | by Imlijungshi

What initially sparked your interest in drawing?

When I was in 9th standard, I saw a sketchbook of my senior in which he had used a different style of sketching. I was intrigued to try it out and so I started with simple lines to draw skulls, skeletons and tattoos but I stopped drawing for a while due to lack of motivation. When I reached my 11th standard, I started watching anime and once again I began doodling, drawing manga characters, from unfinished manga to watercolors, cross-hatching, acrylics, and all the possible mediums of art that I knew of. I really got obsessed and here I am today, still trying new things.

What’s your creative philosophy and where do you take inspiration from?

For me, normal is boring when it comes to art. When I start drawing, I often end up multitasking. At the beginning, I would start with watercolor and after a few minutes I end up with digital art and on the other side of my computer I would be sketching or doodling new concept. I never know what I would end up with when I start a new project because in the midst of creating, I often think of possible outcomes with different mediums, which is why I still have a lot of incomplete work.

I am always inspired by people around me. Everyone’s an artist according to me – it’s just that some people put more efforts in practicing, researching and creating it visually. Currently, I am most inspired by artist Kim Jung Ki and motivated by artist Thej Yhome.

Imlijungshi’s artwork of two Naga hunters amidst the woods

Imlijungshi’s artwork of two naga hunters amidst the woods

Art of an anime characters by Imlijungshi

Digital art of two naga ladies by Imlijungshi

What do you hope people take away from your Art?

I hope my art motivates people and helps them find what they have been searching for in life. I hope they interpret and take my art as how they see or believe it to be and use it as a reference tool for their own imaginary world.

Tell us about your recent work or your future plans.

Future plan! I plan on spending my life doing art – whatever the medium, technique or style, etc. “Art is freedom” I always think that if I don’t do anything about this burning passion or obsession of art, I would end up regretting and I despise regrets. I’ve recently got a job offer with to be an artist for a game. Hope it works out fine!