Art & Creative Expression
Two second places and a turn toward architecture
Bhakti Patel placed second in the Skills competition two years in a row, painted her way through the doubt that followed, and has been accepted to the University of Manitoba on the road to becoming a licensed architect.
Drawing and colouring came first. Bhakti Patel has since worked in other mediums, "whether it’s 2D, 3D, or digital," she says. "Through my art work I am able to express my feelings, societal concerns, and cure my boredom."
She was born in India and has lived in Canada for about 16 years. Her first language is Gujarati, and she says that at the beginning, communicating with others was difficult. From a young age, she says, she had an interest in expressing herself creatively.
“Always try your hardest.”
Bhakti Patel
Architecture came later. "Through architecture, I am able to unleash my creative and artistic side and deal with new challenging aspects," she says. It is what she now wants to pursue, all the way to becoming a licensed architect.
She recently competed in the Skills competition and placed second two years in a row. Both losses took a toll. "I started to doubt myself and my abilities," she says, and she kept replaying the mistakes she could have fixed. "Through this time, I started to paint whatever came to mind." She says she learned not to be so hard on herself, and that the loss taught her something a win never could have.
She has just graduated from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary High School and has been accepted to the University of Manitoba, where she will complete her prerequisites for the bachelor of environmental design.