When the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading like wildfire during the first quarter of 2020, development worker and mandala artist Edel Garingan was not spared from the anxiety that gripped many people all over the world. Though known for his happy disposition, he too was filled with worry, especially at the start of the lockdowns in Metro Manila during the first quarter of the year.
During this period, the 37-year-old father who has always been the life of any gathering for his witty comebacks and funny, endearing ways had been apprehensive of the uncertainties that the COVID-19 pandemic brought.
“I felt different emotions and visualized different scenarios [during the first few weeks of the pandemic],” Edel admitted. “But of course, we need to keep going, even if things are confusing and uncertain.”
To beat the negativities that seemed to permeate everywhere, he turned to what he was great at: his art. A few months into the lockdowns, in May, he ran a free online visual arts workshop series to capacitate parents and titos and titas to teach elements of art to their children. The workshop ran for several Saturdays and was attended by friends and their kids.
Edel did not stop there. A few months after the conclusion of the workshops, he started another endeavor—a Youtube channel where he shares his artworks and discusses mandala art.
“I wanted to create many art videos that could help young people and artists who are just starting with mandala art and even those looking for inspiration,” he shared.
The Wake-Up Call
Anyone who had seen Edel’s videos would think that he has been doing mandala art for a long time. He knows his topic well and his artworks are stunning. It therefore comes as a surprise that Edel has been doing it for just three years.
“[Before doing mandala art] I had not been drawing for a long time—maybe 20 years,” Edel shared, adding that the only creative thing he had been doing during this period was organize art workshops for kids. “Then one time while hearing mass, the priest said that if you do not use your talent, He may take it away. It was a wake-up call for me. So I told my wife that I wanted to go back to doing art and to find my own style.”
Edel and his crafty wife—the creator behind Yarns and Doodles, an online shop that features hand-crafted and hand-drawn yarn projects and doodle artworks—visited museums to look for inspiration. “Then one day in 2017, my wife introduced me to mandala art. I immediately liked it. I saw that I can infuse Philippine culture and symbols into it. That was the beginning,” Edel shared.
It’s important to me that I am able to use my talent in meaningful advocacies. It feels good that my art is not only for self-expression, that it has relevance to issues that are close to my heart such as environmental conservation and sustainable development.
That same year, Edel saw an ad for Manila Bulletin’s Sketch Fest. Wanting to test his talent and see if his artworks were good enough, he decided to join the exhibition category of the contest. Of the 200 entries from both professional and amateur artists, Edel’s work made it to the top 20 finalists, and his artworks were among those exhibited in SM Mall of Asia. “This experience inspired me to continue,” Edel said.
Also that year, Edel produced a collection on Philippine endemic birds, which was used by Fostering People’s Empowerment, Education, and Enterprise (FPE3) for their eco-mission card. The proceeds of the cards were used to plant trees in Marikina Watershed as part of the Partners for Forest Project.
The following year, he did the cover for the 2018 planner of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment where he worked at the time. In late 2020, he participated in the #1milliontomiss campaign where he created art pieces dedicated to biodiversity featuring Philippine endemic birds for seven days.
“It’s important to me that I am able to use my talent in meaningful advocacies. It feels good that my art is not only for self-expression, that it has relevance to issues that are close to my heart such as environmental conservation and sustainable development,” Edel said.
Growing Steadily
In just a few months since he launched his channel, Pinoy Mandala, Edel has produced quite a number of informational and entertaining videos on mandala art. His channel has been steadily growing and is starting to get high views.
“Maintaining a Youtube channel is challenging,” shared Edel, adding that developing a concept, doing the shoots, and putting them together in a video takes a considerable amount of time.
“But I love doing this. Your passion just pulls you, even if sometimes, you don’t know why you’re doing what you do,” he said.
He added: “Appreciation must start with me, that’s why when it comes to art, I make sure I like what I am doing because at the end of the day, not many people will like it. What’s important is that I, as the artist, am the first one to love my art.”
From the comments he gets from his viewers—from friends cheering him on and new subscribers giving his work thumbs up—it is apparent that people do appreciate his work.
Edel shared that the words of appreciation inspire him to keep at it, and that he is very thankful to family and friends for their support. But more than the positive feedback he gets from his viewers, Edel considers the positive effect of his art and his video making on his family of three as the most important impact of his latest endeavor.
“Creating mandala art is my bonding moment with my daughter. She is the first one to watch my videos,” he shared.
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Check out Edel’s artwork and processes on his Youtube Channel and Facebook Page.
This article is part of our QUARANTINE STORIES series. During the pandemic, we were forced to stay put. Some of us used the time to embark on great journeys—finding new hobbies, learning new skills, and pursuing dreams they would not have been able to, had it not been for the lockdown. In this series, we will be featuring stories about people who rose above the pandemic and embarked on a journey of a lifetime.
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