One of the hardest, yet most rewarding, parts of being a Grinnellian is learning to balance your passions with all of life’s responsibilities. An economics and studio art double major and All-American golfer, Vidushi Sinha ’19 has been able to balance what might seem impossible to some.
Sinha’s family kick-started her passion for art. Sinha credits her family’s artistic background with causing her to create art pieces of her own.
“My mom is an artist, and my brother paints as well,” said Sinha. She explained how in high school she was “contemplating whether I should go to art school or not, and I decided I’m not going because I wanted to study economics.” When she got to the College, she ended up focusing more on economics.
“[My interest in art] when I got here was lesser than my interest in economics initially was. But, in my last two years here, but especially this year, my senior year, I have gotten really into it,” Sinha said.
Sinha’s family is also her greatest inspiration in her artwork. “I think my mom is my biggest inspiration.” She also feels that her Indian culture and background has informed her work. “I tend to paint a lot and get inspired a lot by Indian culture in general,” Sinha said.
As well as being an artist, Sinha has set golf records at the College.
“It is a lot, balancing my double-major and the golf,” Sinha said. “But, for me, I always knew that I wanted to be a double-major between economics and art. I came into Grinnell having that plan without a doubt.” She also said that she finds art and golf to be therapeutic for her, saying that “having multiple things to do keeps me grounded.”
“Even just going out on the golf course for an hour for an hour or one and a half hours helps me de-stress from schoolwork. And then when I’m painting, it helps me stop thinking about all of the other things like econ,” Sinha said. She compared her process to compartmentalizing so that she can focus entirely on one task instead of thinking about her other priorities. “It helps to have these three things that I am focused on.”
In terms of the future, Sinha does not see herself pursuing art professionally as a career. “As of now, I think I’ll always be into art, much like I’ll always be into golf, and I’ll try to do it for as long as I can.”
As for what she does want to do after graduation, she says that she seriously sees herself “going into economics for a career.” Despite her not planning on pursuing art as a career or becoming a professional golfer, her passion and talent will not dwindle when she graduates at the end of this school year.