The inspirations we take, the decisions we make, and the directions we take are fuelled by the experiences we’ve had in our pursuit of excellence. However, in today’s fast-paced world it is often difficult to tune out the noise and focus on the detail and minutiae of what matters.
For artist Sacha Jafri, the past year has witnessed the culmination of 30 years of work with the creation of his world record-setting masterpiece ‘The Journey of Humanity’ – the largest painting ever made on canvas. With the piece to be auctioned off in order to raise $30 million for charity, the artist tells Esquire Middle East how time has impacted his own journey into the pursuit of personal excellence…
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With my art I don’t see it as something that I have created. I believe that I have borrowed a moment of inspiration from everything I have experienced and the connections made around me that have led to that moment, whatever has materialized from that moment is what it is.
What I’ve learnt is that life is a journey, and it takes time to learn its true lessons and understand how we operate in it—there is no shortcut. The most important lesson I learnt growing up was from my dad who constantly demonstrated that you should always treat people the same: with empathy, respect, and love, whether they are a king or a janitor. We might think that we all do this, but the truth is we probably don’t.
“What I’ve learnt is that life is a journey, and it takes time to learn its true lessons and understand how we operate in it”
It was something that took me about 30 years to truly understand, and to try to remove the ego from all decision-making. I’m doing it better now, and because I’m doing it better, my work is better. My inspiration levels are higher, and what’s coming out of me is more magical and more poignant —that is the lesson that has taken me the last 30 years to learn. The pursuit of personal excellence.
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