Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 64
June 10, 2020
#UnlockWriting Phase 1- 1st June to 10th June
From June 1, 2020, we entered from a nationwide lockdown into slowly moving back towards a normal life through the #Unlock 1.0.
During the lockdown, I did the #WritingInLockdown challenge for all it’s phases Lockdown 1.0, Lockdown 2.0, Lockdown 3.0 and Lockdown 4.0 where I wrote a total of 72 poems, microtales and quotes.
For the Unlock phase, I have started the #UnclockWriting challenge, wherein during the first stage I have collaborated with various artists and illustrators to create artwork around my writing.
Sharing the first ten of these #ArtistCollaboration creative results, in this blog post. I’m amazed at how gorgeous my writing has turned out to look thanks to these artists. Check for yourself!
Some Relationship Advice
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Safely Caged
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Keep Going
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A Secret Affair
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Gratitude
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Irony of Our Existence
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Lockdown Musings
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You’re My Star
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Light n Dark
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Limitless
[image error]You can know more about this artist here
If you liked those quotes and poems, you might enjoy reading my books The Untold Stories and A Rustic Mind, which are a collection of microtales and poems, respectively. Follow links below for their buying details:
A Rustic Mind (poetry book)
The Untold Stories (book of microtales, #2 on Amazon bestsellers)
When Art Makes You Forget All The Sorrows ~ A Handmade Gifts Expert and Artist Shares Her Story
David Bayles, says,
“For the artisan, craft is an end in itself. For you, the artist, craft is the vehicle for expressing your vision. Craft is the visible edge of art.”
In our #WednesdayWidsom blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment we bring to you a woman who uses her love for creativity and arts in a similar manner to express her vision. Meet, Preethika Naresh, a self-taught artist who quit her job in an oil sector company to pursue her passion for the arts. She is the founder of a creative venture by the name of Preethish Creations via which she does all kinds of art works like acrylic painting, water colour painting, bottle painting, alcohol ink art, and with a specialisation in decoupage art. What made her take this plunge from quitting a corporate job to becoming a self-employed artist and how does she keep herself motivated to continue in this profession? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“Hello, I’m Mrs Preethika Naresh from Chennai. I’m a self-taught artist, running a brand called Preethish Creations. I am a B.Tech graduate. After completing petroleum engineering, I worked with an oil sector company for two years. Alongside this job, I started this brand in the year 2014. My husband was the one who asked me to start this since he loves my handcrafted works. Initially I started to gift my friends and relatives with my handmade gifts. Many of them encouraged me and told me that loved my crafts and even asked me why I didn’t start a business around it.
Right from my childhood days I had loved to do crafting works. In our school they gave equal importance to extracurricular activities and may be that was the driving force which made me passionate about what I love. During each summer holidays, I used to attend lot of art and craft classes. I was born and brought up in BHEL township where we had lot of clubs for showcasing our talents. They often use to conduct various art competitions and I use to bag the first prize all the time.
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That’s how I got to know my special interest in art and crafts. My dad wanted me to shine in the sector of oil field. He wanted me to apply for government exams and become a Central government employee just like him. But I have chosen my hobby as a profession now.
Since I’m a mother to a 4-year old son, in my initial motherhood days I was not able to concentrate fully on my art and craft work.But now even my son has started supporting me in all the ways that he can. He encourages me to create all these handmade gifts and appreciates me for the each and every project or order I undertake and complete.
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The turning point of my life was when I lost my father. That was when I realised that I should do something for him because each and every time he met me, he talked about my career and voiced out his wish that he wanted me to continue my job. It has been 2.5yrs since I lost him. He battled bravely against brain cancer for a year and seeing him made more resilient about loving my work and putting my whole heart into whatever I did.
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He used to tell me often to look after my life and say, “You can do wonders, Preethika as you have special talents. So, identify and nourish those talents, and shine in whatever field you like.” My only regret at this point is that he is no more here to see my achievements now. I’m sure I would have made him proud now and would have been the happiest person to see each of my achievement.
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People approach me for creating all kinds of handmade return gifts which only makes me believe that I’m going in the right direction. I do all kind of artworks like acrylic painting, water colour painting, bottle painting and alcohol ink art. I have a special interest in decoupage art which is a 16th century French artwork. I also love to do sospeso trasparente work. I have learnt all of these artforms on my own. For honing and fine-tuning a few of these, I attended advance courses which have helped me learn so much more about art and creativity, making me a better artist.
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In the past one year I have conducted a lot of decoupage workshops in Chennai. I also conducted Soft Pastels workshop in IIT Madras Saarang 2020 with the help of NGM Academy. This was one of my major breakthroughs in this field.
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According to me,
“Art and craft is something which helps you to find your inner peace; it makes you stress free.”
For me, I could say it’s a form of meditation. Whenever I feel upset or lonely, I start thinking about what artwork I can do to divert from those worries. And, believe me, it really works well, every single time.
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In a matter of just a few minutes, I forget all the sorrows and my mind gets refreshed.
“I 100% believe that women are more creative than men. Most girls love to do art and craft works and each and every girl has a special talent inside her.”
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All that we need to do is,
“Analyse which field you are good in and take steps towards how to bring out your talents and creativity in that field. “
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To drop in a message to Preethika, have a look at her wonderful art and craft work, to inquire and place an order for one of her art pieces, or to participate in one of upcoming online or offline workshops, follow the links below:
Preethish Creations Facebook page
Preethish Creations Instagram page
Preethish Creations YouTube channel
Preethika’s artwork and creative undertakings have been featured on many online platforms. Have a look at these below:
Wanderlust. A Traveller
Dancer Naari
IIT Madras Workshop
IIT Madras Workshop
Chennai Super Deals
NGM Academy
Other personal and professional social media handles:
Instagram personal handle
Facebook personal profile
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June 5, 2020
A Hundred Splendid Lessons
‘I wish that more women realized that helping another woman win, cheering her on, praying for her, or sharing a resource with her does not take away from the blessings coming to them. In fact, the more you give, the more you receive. Empowering women doesn’t come from selfishness but rather from selflessness’
A true believer and follower of the quote “We rise by lifting each other”, I started the #WonderWomen segment on A Rustic Mind with the intention to let ordinary, everyday women feel special and get their stories read. An initiative started with this simple thought, has today, hit a century!
Yes, on 1st June, 2020, I achieved the milestone of having featured 100 #WonderWomen on the blog. I’m proud of this feat and am so grateful to the women who trusted me with their stories. From architects to artists and home decor experts, from bakers to designers and crafters, from writers to authors and poets, I feel privileged to have got to know and interact with women from various fields of work.
A few of them agreed to share some of their pearls of wisdom yet again, so here’s a little flashback to some of the best from our family of 100!
Parini Surti
[image error]Read Parini’s story here
Noora D’Mello
[image error]Read Noora’s full story here
Snigdha Shika Pattajoshi
[image error]Read Snighda’s story here
Dhara Popat
[image error]Read Dhara’s story here
Bhairavipallav Athavale
[image error]Read Bhairavi’s story here
Mitali Desai
[image error]Read Mitali’s story here
Jalpa Majithia
[image error]Read Jalpa’s story here
Vidhya Jaju
[image error]Read Vidhya’s story here
Vidhi Parekh
[image error]Read Vidhi’s story here
Shruthi BS
[image error]Read Shruthi’s story here
Apoorva Mallik
[image error]Read Apoorva’s story here
Vaiju Parikh
[image error]Read Vaiju’s full story here
Neha Agarwal
[image error]Read Neha’s story here
Anusha Sridharan
[image error]Read Anusha’s story here
Manisha Bhati
[image error]Read Manisha’s story here
Shivaani Ravi
[image error]Read Shivaani’s story here
Loveena, Devanshee, Priyanka
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Lavanya Venkatesh
[image error]Read Lavanya’s story here
Nidhi Kaushik
[image error]Read Nidhi’s story here
Farida Thanawala
[image error]Read Farida’s story here
Soumya Sawkar
[image error]Read Soumya’s full story here
Disha Moolya
[image error]Read Disha’s story here
Anagha Joshi
[image error]Read Anagha’s story here
Trupti Shah
[image error]Read Trupti’s story here
Sheetal Dedhia
[image error]Read Sheetal’s story here
Paulomi Debnath
[image error]Read Paulomi’s story here
Pooja Johry
[image error]Read Pooja’s story here
Krishnapuram Godha
[image error]Read Godha’s story here
Madhusuja S
[image error]Read Madhusuja’s story here
Harshi Agarwal
[image error]Read Harshi’s story here
Swati Khatri
[image error]Read Swati’s story here
Ambica Manepalli
[image error]Read Ambica’s story here
Dr. Ritulika
[image error]Read Ritulika’s story here
Sanjana Pai
[image error]Read Sanjana’s story here
Priya Maniraj
[image error]Read Priya’s story here
Kanupriya Ahuja Asnani
[image error]Read Kanupriya’s story here
Shraddha Mehta
[image error]Read Shraddha’s story here
Kanisha Acharya
[image error]Read Kanisha’s story here
Clacia Pereira
[image error]Read Clacia’s story here
Hiral Mehta
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Rutuja Kendurkar
[image error]Read Rutuja’s story here
Varsha Varma
[image error]Read Varsha’s story here
Aakriti Agarwal
[image error]Read Aakriti’s story here
Aparajita Ravichandran
[image error]Read Aparajita’s story here
Kavya Dandekerey
[image error]Read Kavya’s story here
Priyanka Nagpal
[image error]Read Priyanka’s story here
Swema Prakash
[image error]Read Swema’s story here
Proma Nautiyal
[image error]Read Proma’s story here
Mruganka VS
[image error]Read Mruganka’s story here
Bhumika Monani
[image error]Read Bhumika’s story here
Salini Vineeth
[image error]Read Salini’s story here
Bhumika Sehgal
[image error]Read Bhumika’s storyhere
Radhika Redkar
[image error]Read Radhika’s story here
Deepika Shukla
[image error]Read Deepika’s story here
Monali Mohanty
[image error]Read Monali’s story here
Purnima Kanojia
[image error]Read Purnima’s story here
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These were just a few out of the sensational and inspiring family of #WonderWomen. Do you want to read about all 100 of them? You can do that by following the link below
100 #WonderWomen
June 1, 2020
When You Consider Your Skills As A Gift That Needs To Be Shared With The World ~ The Founder of A Content Marketing Agency & An Author Shares Her Journey
Lin Yutang said,
“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother”
In our #MondayMotivation blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment we bring to you a woman who considers becoming a mother a turning point in her life when she realized that her work too, is just like her child who needs just as much care and nurturing. Meet, Proma Nautiyal, who carries various professional titles like Content Writer and Strategist, Marketer, Author, Language Instructor, Board Member of a Reputed School and an Entrepreneur too. Proma is the founder and owner of DigiWitch, a content Marketing agency, a Language Instructor at We Speak English, a Board Member at Bhagwati Memorial Public School and the author of an anthology book Zista, in which one of her short stories got published. What gives her the motivation to pursue these varied professions and how does she manage time between all these alongside her motherly duties and responsibilities? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“An MBA in Finance & Marketing and a finance student all through my life, I never thought I would end up in the creative space. Crunching numbers and conducting fundamental analysis gave me so much joy, yet I always felt that something’s missing. Soon after joining my first job as a U.S. Tax Consultant, I realized that my heart was yearning to express myself in a creative manner.
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I quit my job and I tried my hand at painting, blogging, crafts, & interior decoration, and finally, I got my first break in the creative field as a PR executive. That got me started on my creative journey. I wrote extensively, for my clients and myself. I have been writing for close to a decade now and slowly started integrating my skills as an MBA, marketer, and writer to give form to my first venture, DigiWitch, which I founded on August 15, 2016.
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Turning struggles into opportunities is something that I would call my strength. I always saw that I needed to work extra hard to achieve the same or better results as my peers. Frequent career breaks due to various circumstances made it difficult for me to stay rooted to any job. I would move on just when I was about to be promoted. But every time this happened, I used that downtime to add a skillset. I still do that.
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And after every downtime, I come back with a new skill, which enriches me and my portfolio further, and in a way enriches my family, friends, and of course, my clients.
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The birth of my son marked the turning point of my career. From the moment I had him, I knew that he is now my priority. But I had always treated my work as my child, too. It was time to make a decision. I chose both. You can’t differentiate between your children, you nurture both.
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You can’t nurture a job though. No matter how much you love it, it will always be someone else’s baby, and they will never let you take full-on care of their kid, which does make sense. It was then, 4 months after my son was born, I founded DigiWitch, my own venture, my own baby.
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I feel lucky that I figured out my passion at the very beginning of my career. I identified my skill sets (marketing over finance, ironically), and kept honing it, every passing day. My motivation is to use my skills to help more people like me, business owners, who want to get their word out and make their own mark in the world.
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I feel motivated to help express their thoughts in their words to the world. Not being able to get your idea across to your audience should never be a challenge in any business owner’s journey, as that could stop their business from even taking off. I consider my skills a gift that I need to share with the world.
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I have learnt through a variety of experiences in my life. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I have lived, traveled widely across the world, met people from various countries and cultures, experienced love, witnessed havoc, and even started writing books. All this has helped me immensely as the empathetic marketer I market myself as.
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Future plans and milestones, thus include:
Publishing a couple of books which are still half written
Expanding my business by building a happy clientele
Some of the learnings in my personal and professional experiences have been,
To,
“Never underestimate your self-worth”
Always,
“Stand your ground and believe in yourself”
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When you stagger or fail,
“Believe in the universe, it always has a plan. And most of the time, its plans are bigger and more impactful than yours, so be flexible and open.”
To keep growing you must,
“Do what you do with love and expect nothing out of it. This will always enrich your quality of work.”
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To drop in a message to Proma, check out her works as a digital marketer, hire her writing services for your business or work, and to check her published work (book) as an author follow the links below:
DigiWitch website
DigitWitch Instagram
DigiWitch Facebook
DigiWitch YouTube
Link to Proma’s book (an anthology of three short stories in which one of her short stories got published)
Zista (Amazon)
Zista (Ukiyoto)
Other personal and professional social media handles
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Facebook personal profile
Instagram personal handle
Twitter personal handle
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Apollo
beBee
TapChief
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Medium
Quora
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May 31, 2020
#WritingInLockdown Challenge 4.0
The fourth and final phase of a nationwide lockdown for India ended on 31st May, 2020. In this final leg, I went on with the #WritingInLockdown challenge and did #CollaborativeWriting along with some writers, artists and a few entrepreneurs.
This one is a mix of quotes, life-lessons and poems. Have a look at them all below:
1. Self-Discovery in Lockdown
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The first one on our #WritingInLockdown challenge 4.0 in collaboration with Vidhi Parekh, Founder of Kraftbuzz and and Co-founder of Ateliers Studio.
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Her story helps us look at the positive side of this lockdown. She has been engaging in long lost hobbies and activities she would never have got to do otherwise, like recreating her mom’s looks, painting, trying out new recipes and even reading. She says it’s the best time for her as she’s getting to discover or rather rediscover herself.
2. Keeping Family and Loved Ones Close
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In our second collaborative writing post for the #WritingInLockdown challenge 4.0 in Dr. Ritulika, Founder of Sandali Creations, shares how she realized the importance of family. This lockdown has helped her understand how staying close with those who matter the most, is the most important.
3. Lockdown epiphanies
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Today’s #WritingInLockdown challenge 4.0 in collaboration with Roopali Jain, a writer and CA aspirant Roopali Jain
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This lockdown has been quite an insightful one for her. She shares her epiphanies and they’re 
May 29, 2020
When You Believe That The Self And Environment Are One At A Fundamental Level ~ The Owner of A Natural Body Care Products Brand Shares Her Story
Gary Snyder says,
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
In our #FeatureFriday blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment we bring to you a woman who considers nature and its elements her home and is so inspired by them that she dedicated her work and life around it too. Meet, Priyanka Nagpal, who is the founder and owner of a plant based natural body care products brand “Earth & I”. From where did she get the idea to start such a venture and how does she stay motivated to keep such a unique yet challenging business set-up going? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“Hi, I’m Priyanka Nagpal and I’m the founder of the plant based natural body care products brand “Earth & I”. I have always been experimental with beauty products, but having sensitive skin, most of them haven’t suited me. I also have a strong affinity towards flowers and floral fragrances. This led me to studying Aromatherapy, and as part of the course curriculum, we were taught how to use essential oils and carrier oils to make plant-based body care products. I tried the blends on myself, my family, and my friends, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the beneficial results, including my skin not reacting adversely to the blends. Almost coinciding with this new learning, I switched over to a plant-based diet and I saw incredible effects of it on my health! So, there I was exploring the secrets of Mother Earth on my skin and even within.
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The struggle was creating an image of uniqueness around my brand. There are a lot of essential oil products in the market, and I didn’t know how my brand would make its statement. But I decided to focus more on the authenticity of my products and use the best raw materials. I decided to stick by our motto “kind to self, kind to earth”.
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I think the very start of “Earth & I” was a turning point! I wish to actualize the concept of “healthy mind body and soul” through “Earth & I” and at the same time, promote environmental care. I honestly believe that the self and environment are one at a fundamental level. So, if we are kind to ourselves- our mind and body, we will definitely be able to bring forth kindness towards our planet.
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My family and friends have been a massive motivating factor in my journey. And also, these words by my mentor, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, time and again remind me to keep renewing my determination-
“In life when we feel we have reached a limit, that is when the true battle begins. Just when you despair and think it is impossible to go any further, will you become apathetic, or will you say it’s not over and stand up with an unyielding spirit? The battle is decided by this single determination “.
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I have had some wonderful opportunities to showcase Earth&I at a few exhibitions in the Mumbai Suburban area as well as in south Bombay in the last 8 months, since the brand was born. We also started our work/retail studio in Khar, Mumbai. It’s a small setup but it gives me inspiration to do good in the present moment, aspiring to grow evermore here on wards!
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I have learnt that
“There will always be times when you will feel like giving up, being a start-up entrepreneur, there will be new things to learn, new challenges to face, competition, market highs and lows, but sometimes more than winning, remaining undefeated is all it takes to move ahead.”
And you will soon see that you have overcome the challenge and a new future awaits.
Earth&I gets featured on the “glaminlaw” Instagram page very often. A few other digital content creators appreciated the products and posted stories on their page, like “the coveted code by Kanika Khatri”.
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We were also part of the organic courtyard by yogisattva in December 2019, where our products were greatly appreciated by people believing in plant-based eating and living.
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It would be like blowing my own trumpet but I would like to reiterate and bring home the point that a ll our products are handmade, vegan, preservative and chemical free, packaged in recycled and recyclable containers; and essentially this is the part which sets us apart from most cosmetic and body care products brands.
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To drop in a message to Priyanka, check out the wide variety and amazing plant-based products offered by ‘Earth&I’ follow the links below:
Priyanka’s work through ‘Earth&I’, the products of her brand and her lifestory have been featured on several Instagram handles. You can have a look at these through the below links
The Style Curator
The Style Curator
The Style Curator
Glam in Law
The Style Curator
The Style Curator
Scrap to Fab by ADS
Kaybeedoodledo
Yogisattva
Other personal and professional social media handles
Facebook personal profile
Instagram personal handle
May 27, 2020
When You Believe That Trauma Needs To Be Faced & Resolved ~ A Digital Marketer, Content Creator, Writer & Influencer Shares Her Story
Horacio Jones says,
“Instead of saying, “I’m damaged, I’m broken, I have trust issues” say “I’m healing, I’m rediscovering myself, I’m starting over.”
In our #WisdomWednesday blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment today we’re proud to present a survivor of abuse, who refused to bow down, fought back and proved her worth to the world. Meet, Swema Prakash, who is Digital Marketer, Content Creator and Writer. Having a huge following on social media platforms like Quora, Facebook and Instagram, Swema can also be termed as a millennial influencer. With this tag flounced upon her. Swema tries her best to reach out to people in need of motivation via her writings. What kind of trauma did Swema undergo and how did she come out of it to become a successful self-made woman today? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“I was exposed to a life of silent observation and analyzing everything around; living in a not-so-kid-friendly environment at home. I was forced to stay confined to my room, and for my entertainment. Despite the scarce human connection in my life, I tried not to succumb into negativity and turned to the practice of writing, painting, singing, dancing, cooking and reading as my solace.
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I read almost anything that I could get my hands on. And though I was an ‘A’-student my entire life, I, later on, discarded my brief romanticism with a career in IT.
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I returned to be the child who would want to learn so much about the world, even while sitting in her tiny room. I had learnt a big lesson while growing up, “life is made up of moments, and each moment carries a message. No matter how good or bad the moment is, it is the message that you take from it- that is going to decide the next series of moments in life.” I try, in whatever I do today, to send across as many messages out there that the people need to hear. I was born into a dysfunctional family.
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My mother is a narcissist, father- her enabler. My sister has been the golden child, and I have been the scapegoat. Of course, me being the scapegoat of my family has pushed me into becoming the woman that I am today.
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But then it has impacted my life negatively in ways that I can’t dispose of my existence. For example, I suffer from low self-esteem in my day to day. BPD, PTSD, major depressive disorder are some baggage I would rather not carry.
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I grew up under circumstances that were different from my friends; hence I seemed and felt different. But it was lousy kind of different, you see? I was creative, eloquent and pleasing than most people but I was also more sad and scared than most people. This continued until I started educating myself about mental, psychological, emotional and social wellbeing, and began to understand what and where my trauma was and how they were affecting me in daily life.
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I started doing meditation. I visited Vippassana for a 10-day meditation retreat, I read more and more spiritual authors, and finally, I was able to accept myself for who I was. And that changed everything for me. Today, I act as a spokesperson for many people who claim that I make them feel less lonely and more understood and trusted.
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My motivation comes from a lot of places. Every morning that I have access to my physical and mental energy to put efforts on getting the work done throughout the day. My job as a Digital marketer and content developer motivates me, my dog motivates me with his contagious happiness, my readers motivate me by reaching out to me in the sweetest ways. Knowing that I am there for people who need me and that someone needs me every day around the year, motivates me. My gratefulness towards my current life and everything in it motivates me.
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I am an ‘A’ student turned into a not-so-great engineer. But I am a writer, an influencer (if I may call myself so). I learn a little from almost everything and everyone that I come across, and that gives me a lot of joy. I am trusted and respected at my workplace, amongst my friends and colleagues. I am family to anyone who needs family support, I am inexhaustibly emotionally available for people, and I love that. I am a soon-to-be-published author. I am exactly where I needed to be, and I am going towards exactly where I will need to be.
I have learnt a couple of things so far:
“Being a wrong person is so much harder than being a good person.”
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“When you are kind to others, you are your most human and alive form.”
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“Trauma needs to be faced and resolved. Running away from it is futile. No matter how far you think you are, you’ll still be there.”
My life would have been much easier if I had been trusted as a child. I was being abused by my parents, and no one chose to believe me because in our society, it is believed that parents can never harm their children. But in truth, parents are people, or human beings, before being parents. And there’s no guarantee that all kinds of people make good parents. I wish for a society where the emotional and psychological well-being of a child is being paid heed to. Not just inside four walls but in the society as a whole.
“A generation of mentally healthy and aware children will bring about the change in society that all of us dream of.”
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You can drop in a message to Swema, read and follow her writings and work on various social media platforms by following the links below:
Quora
YouTube
Wattpad
Medium
Besides being a writer, Swema is also a talented singer and artist. Check out some of her gorgeous artworks in the collage below.
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You can hear her melodious voice on Soundcloud through the below link:
Soundcloud- Swema Prakash
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Other personal and professional social media handles
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Facebook personal profile
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May 25, 2020
When You Believe Life is Too Short To Waste Time On Just Dreaming Big ~ A Lecturer & Founder of A Gifting Platform Shares Her Story
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, said,
“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.”
In our #MondayMotivation blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment we bring to you a woman who believes in gifts being exclusive and personalized, and that’s what makes them special. Meet, Kavya Dandekery, who works as a full-time lecturer, and is also a creative entrepreneur. She is the founder of a Gifting e-store by the name of Giftz N Artis, via which she undertakes perosnalized and handmade gifting orders as well as workshops. What made her choose to be in these two varied yet challenging fields and how does she manage between a day job as well as a passion? Let’s find out in her words.
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“ Hi, I’m Kavya Dandekery. I’m a creator by passion, through being the founder and owner of a Handmade Gifting e-store, Giftz N Artis. I’m also a lecturer by profession. So I’m a teacher as well as an artist.
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I have been crafting right from my childhood. I never threw any used items like tea powder boxes, invitation cards, empty ink bottles etc. Instead, I’d keep looking at that item waiting for my mind to pop up with some idea (those days I didn’t have a mobile to browse for ideas). Upcycling discarded items has always been my favorite activity. I used to craft all the time and seeing how much I loved doing it, a few of my friends motivated me to start an Instagram page for the same. That’s how the entrepreneurial journey began.
The biggest challenge for me is the balancing between my two professions. Initially, I struggled a lot between academics and business. I had started this page just a month before my post graduate classes commenced. M.Sc was all about self-studying and it was a medical subject which I wasn’t very familiar with. So, self-studying an unfamiliar subject was a big task in itself plus, solely handling a business was a whole different challenge. My final semester project literally left me with no free time at all. That’s when I skipped sleep to complete orders. An even bigger struggle was convincing my parents that I could manage both academics and business.
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Just like any other parent, they wanted me to excel in academics. Nevertheless, they supported me in it, but never considered this as my future. My brother has always taken my side and was always proud of my work. Giftz N Artis was always worth all the struggles because the happiness I get by crafting made me forget all the other troubles and tesnions. It continues having the same positive impact on my mind even today, which is why I guess I have stuck to it.
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Right now, I’m working full time as a lecturer from 9am-5pm, go hunting for raw materials from 7-8pm, come back home loaded with those tools and then sit down to craft. Getting a peaceful 8-hour sleep has become a luxury. But that’s a small compromise I choose to make and am willing to continue making because of the happiness it brings along.
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I had started this page as a platform for customised accessories but then, silk jewellery became a trend, and everyone started making them. I am someone who believes that – if it’s not exclusive, then it’s not worth the time and effort. So, I took the decision to make it diverse by getting into personalized handmade gifting. To begin with, I made a one-layer explosion box for a client. Soon after that I got an order for a 3 layered explosion box. I put my heart and soul into it. It was a hit!
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There has been no looking back ever since. I stopped making accessories (I rarely do it now!!) and turned the page into a Gifting e- store, where I make sure every gift is completely customised so that it makes it personal and exclusive.
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There have been days when I didn’t feel like working; when I was too tired of handling two things simultaneously and didn’t want to push myself to do it. But I myself push do it anyway because a little sacrifice on my comfort would bring a smile on someone’s face tomorrow. And that’s what has kept me going.
“A busy life is a bliss. Life is too short to waste time on just dreaming big.”
I’ve kept a separate piggy bank in which I drop a small part of money from every order I get. And the best part is to open it a week before the yearly anniversary of my page. I celebrate my yearly anniversaries with the underprivileged kids with that money and I put some extra cash from my pocket if required. I have vowed to myself to continue doing this for as long as this page lives and I will try to make it bigger every time. My future plans include creating better employment opportunities for all the underprivileged creative people out there, who feel that such work won’t fill their tummy.
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The biggest milestone I achieved was when people across the seven seas started trusting my work and gave me orders for their loved ones in India. I’ve dealt with USA, Canada, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australian and many more NRI clients. I’ve also conducted an explosion box workshop for a UK-based client who had come to Mangalore for a vacation. Another milestones was when I completed an order for 88 favour gifts in just 3 days! That was a huge task. I have hosted 2 stalls in Mangalore based exhibition- Mangalore flea market and Pop-up market Mangalore. The response I received during both these exhibitions was also quite motivating.
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My life is not just restricted to the 2 jobs. I tend to spend my weekends with the underprivileged kids tutoring them and playing with them. I have always loved dancing and recently started learning violin from Sai Musical Academy. Wasting time is just not in my genes.
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My biggest learning has been that one should,
Never wait for permission to get started. Get started in whatever way you can.
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Right from accepting orders, searching for the raw materials, making the products and then the delivery of these products, I’ve been handling it alone because this is my passion and I cannot expect someone else to do it with the same enthusiasm. So, I’ve learnt to be independent (in a hard way though). No matter where you reach, always stay humble. Bond well with people. Make great connections. They’ll surprise you in different ways. Giftz N Artis has helped me become a patient person which is a quality I used to lack before. I have to sit in one place for hours and experiment on something new. Sometimes it goes wrong, but I try it once again rather than giving up.
I’ve also learnt to
Act like a lady with clients. But always think like a boss. Be fearless to anything that sets your soul on fire.
I’ve been criticised before when I was proud of my 0-investment business. They do not know my struggles so they cannot put me down either.
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Self-confidence is a superpower. Never display the weak and vulnerable side of oneself.
Always fuel your passion.
B e consistent with work and keep trying new things.
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To get in touch with Kavya, check out her gorgeous handmade gifting products, or to place an order for a special upcoming occasion via her, follow the links below:
Giftz N Artis Instagram page
Giftz N Artis Facebook page
Kavya’s handmade gifts work through Giftz N Artis has been featured on several online platforms. Have a look at some of these through the links provided below:
Feature by Billava Nivas
Feature by Billavas Pride
Feature by Koti Chennaya
Other personal and professional social media handles:
Personal Instagram handle
Personal Facebook profile
May 22, 2020
When Your Motivation is To Connect With People Through Sketches And Comics ~ A Freelance Illustrator & Animator Shares Her Story
Walt Disney, said,
“Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive. This facility makes it the most versatile and explicit means of communication yet devised for quick mass appreciation.”
In our #FridayFeature blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment, we bring to you a woman who uses this means of communication that Mr. Disney talks about to the best of her abilities. Meet, Aparajita Ravichandran, who is a fulltime Animator/ Illustrator at an animation studio in Toronto and in her spare time, she takes up freelance work which involves creating stories, comics and daily sketches. She was on the path of becoming an engineer but found her calling in animation, what followed after that, as they say is history. What made her choose this field over engineering and how does she manage time between her full-time job and her freelance assignments? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“ Since childhood, drawing was the only thing that kept me in one place, otherwise I was very restless. I always considered it a hobby, and was sure engineering was the path for me. One time, we went to watch the Pixar film ‘Finding Nemo’ in the theater.
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It blew my mind away. I insisted we buy the DVD, and I would watch the ‘making of’ segments repeatedly. What is this fascinating thing called animation? Can art be more than a pass time? I was fortunate to meet with a design industry professional who guided me away from engineering and encouraged me to apply to art colleges.
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This was the beginning of a new chapter. I dropped out of my IIT coaching classes. A rejection from the National Institute of Design left me dejected.
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I took a few short-term animation courses; however, they were not comprehensive enough. Then I got an amazing opportunity to study at Sheridan College in Canada, which has a very well renowned animation program.
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Throughout this journey my family was incredibly supportive. The next 5 years in college were a blast. I was very lucky to instantly find “my calling” and haven’t looked back since.
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I am blessed with a strong mother who never asked anything from me. She made me independent and it has helped me sail through life. My first major struggle was when I came back to Canada after graduation in 2012, in the hopes of finding a job.
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The animation industry was still reeling under the effects of the 2008 recession, and I was unemployed for almost three years. During this period, I experienced a lot of guilt, self-doubt, home-sickness and loneliness. If it weren’t for the support of my sister, I wouldn’t have been able to survive living in a foreign country without a job. My long-distance family, second-hand bicycle and good friends kept me company, helping me tide through the tough times.
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Long commutes and lengthy work hours in NYC, London, and Toronto allowed me to be an observer and pen things in my sketchbook. The culture of each of the places enhanced my perception and was a major influence on my art. In that way, periods of my life where I lived alone as a stranger in new cities proved to be life changing.
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Another turning point was when I met my husband. We’re both artists, we have a good partnership, and we encourage each other to push beyond our limitations. With his support, I gained the confidence to take up a wide variety of art projects. We set up a stall at a Zine Bazaar, where, for the first time, we sold many of our own artworks. The positive response we received was extremely exciting and opened up several professional opportunities, propelling us to make more independent art.
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Drawing brings me to the moment. My main motivation is to connect with people through my sketches and comics. My art revolves around daily observations in the city, for instance people on the streets, or in fancy cafes, or while commuting in trains, streetcars and auto rickshaws. The seemingly mundane made interesting with a few lines and colour.
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I can describe the journey in just one word, which is ‘fulfilling’.
My husband and I have plans to start an art and design studio, where we’ll undertake a wide range of projects in animation, illustration and sculpture.
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“I’m learning something new every day.”
It prevents me from getting stuck in one type of art, and inspires me to explore whatever form is required to best communicate the idea.
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My approach to art has undergone a transformation. When I was a student in college,
“I thought the only way to measure success was getting a job at a major animation studio. My experiences have opened me up to different possibilities, and I no longer have such cliched views on success. The journey is far more enjoyable than the destination.”
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To drop in a message to Aparajita, have a look at her gorgeous illustration and animation works, and to hire her for any such work, follow the links below:
Website
Instagram page
Tumblr
Aparajita’s works and story have been featured on few online as well as offline platforms. You can go through some of these features via the following links:
Newspaper feature:
Midday
Instagram features/contributions:
The Pao of Love
The Pao of Love
The Maker Bean
Café Zoe
Note: Aparajita regularly contributes/illustrates for The Pao of Love
Other personal and professional social media handles:
Aparajita’s CV/Portfolio
Blogger.com
May 18, 2020
When You Use Art As A Tool To Lead Life Better ~ A Visual Artist & Entrepreneur Shares Her Story
George E. Miller says,
“Creating artwork allows your mind to be in a safe place while it contemplates the tougher issues you are dealing with. One can use the tools of brush, paint, pastels, crayons etc to expose and even for a short time color those issues in a different light.”
In our #MotivationMonday blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment, we present a woman who considers art as therapeutic too and aims at spreading this motto among the masses as well. Meet, Visual Artist and Design Entrepreneur, Anjali Goel. She is the Founder of Studio Tvastra and Co-founder of Studio Printmaking. These are both designing ventures via which she fulfills the role of an art educator by conducting workshops and taking art classes. Her aim through both these ventures is to spread the message of ‘Art as a therapy’. What is Anjali’s story and how does she manage time between two businesses and her personal life? Let’s find out in her own words.
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“I’m Anjali Goel and I’m a Visual Artist and Art Educator as well as an Entrepreneur. I’m the founder of two design studios, namely, Studio Tvastra and Studio Printmaking . I’m from a small town in Harayana. Growing up I was not very academically inclined; at best I was an average student. All my cousins were super intelligent and particularly good at studies, but I was good at sports. Haryana is a conservative state and women still do not have as much freedom. Though my parents gave me a free rein to go ahead in sports during my school days, at least till the 8th grade, there came a point when they asked me to give it up and focus on something academic rather than on an extracurricular activity. This was due to their own lack of knowledge and conditioning more than anything else. It was during that time that art opened a window and came in as a solace. I became interested in it from 9th grade when my interest in sports was thwarted.
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This interest in drawing as a subject and in arts led me to choose the arts stream. There was a little struggle in convincing my parents because the society had questions like, “Why is she pursuing arts? Will she become a drawing teacher?” and so on and so forth which affected my parents a lot. And I too actually had grown tired of answering and explaining these kinds of questions where the society at large but I ignored these and focused on the four years of my degree and came out with flying colors. Post this the struggle was to convince my parents to send me out for my Masters to M.S University in Baroda which is considered one of the best institutes not only in India but across Asia for arts. After joining the course too, the struggle continued because I soon realized that I was a small fish in an ocean full of talented people, not only in terms of their creative flair but also in terms of their communication skills. I was way behind most students around me as I came from a small town and lacked English speaking and writing skills too. Nonetheless I put my best foot forward and those two years exposed me to such people and experiences which led to the foundation of making me a better person. In fact the time I spent in Baroda actually gave me wings of freedom, not just for my artistic pursuits but even as a person. Because Baroda was far more liberal in terms of freedom given to women and girls as compared to my hometown.
After completing my Masters degree, I joined G.D Goenka in Delhi as an arts teacher. Alongside this job, I also pursued arts outside, by creating artwork pieces, paintings and participating in various exhibitions across India. I was also part of HLF (Hyderabad Literature Festival) where I collaborated on a book for blind people. Besides this I have worked on few other illustration-based story books. Another push came when I became a recipient of HRD Scholarship (Government of India) in 2011 and was able to showcase my work in exhibitions based in India and abroad.
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The major turning point came for me in 2016 after my marriage, when I had to move to Bangalore. I never wanted to do a job but to sustain myself financially I undertook workshops. Honestly these didn’t pay very well and sometimes the cost of travelling and putting together the materials and everything else turned out to be more than what I earned. The one thing that motivated me at this point was getting a call from Amity and being awarded with the Best Emerging Artist award by Amity Art Foundation. I even got a chance to stay and teach the students of Amity for two days during this time which was a great confidence booster.
This was all going on but there was no real financial gain. My husband has always been supportive of my passion for art, but seeing this, he kind of gave me a deadline of sorts. He pushed me to challenge myself and prove my worth, that’s when both my studios came to be. So, if there’s someone to thank for my entrepreneurial beginnings, its him.
Through Studio Tvastra we conduct workshops pan India in collaboration with various brands, corporates and artists. We teach people art and give them the right education about art by conducting workshops on various art forms like folk art, contemporary art or different arts and crafts of India. Our mission here is to provide people the medium of art as a tool to express themselves and use it as a therapy. As we all know and now it has even been scientifically proven that art is a therapy. So, we try our best to do this in Studio Tvastra. And, so far, we have successfully collaborated with reputed brands to spread this message.
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And Studio Printmaking, well, that one is all about printmaking in India. Woodcut printmaking is one of the oldest printmaking techniques. These days we have digital printing and 3D painting but with Studio Printmaking we aim to go back to our roots and in time, when we were just carving woods and engravings and printing our books, textiles and even newspapers through lithography. So, through Studio Printmaking my mission is to teach people about this craft. As of now we have conducted more than 70 workshops and catered to almost 2000 participants. Thanks to these we have at least been successful in making people know about printmaking and its basics like where and how it started and what all it entails. Under this we collaborate with different design schools and architecture institutes to teach their students. This is a very beautiful art-form and medium altogether; I mean creating your own blocks and taking prints out of it, why wouldn’t that be fascinating, right? We have put this as an elective subject in many institutes. So far, in NID (National Institute of Design) we have taken classes in 2019 for the fourth-year batch and in March 2020 we took it for the second-year batch.
Major turnover as an entrepreneur happened when I connected and got a chance to collaborate with big brands like LBB and FabIndia. There was no looking back after this as every week we began conducting workshops and within just six months we had done such workshops in 25 cities across India. The struggle as an entrepreneur began and continues today about how to manage it all. I am an artist first and that’s my skill but as an entrepreneur I had to teach myself to manage the finances, arrange and schedule the workshops , replying to the mails, answering the calls, and each big and small thing. Fortunately, we were able to rope in big names like Google, Book My Show, Chumbak, etc right in the beginning which has helped build the reputation and we have been able to get in regular work. And this in turn helped me learn to manage things right from the start.
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The biggest motivation I drive is from doing stuff and proving myself and my worth. And there was always the ‘What next?” question in my mind once I finished a task or project on hand. This motivates me to keep moving further even today.
If we talk about people motivation, I will say it is my mother because I have seen her work hard. Growing up seeing her always working inspired me a lot and even today I draw my motivation from her. Besides her, the support of my family and my husband has also played a major role in my successes so far.
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The journey so far has been fulfilling even though slow and full of struggles. The future plan is to expand the business in terms of a physical space and presence because so far, we have only had a virtual working space. We recently moved to Mumbai from Bangalore and the aim now is to spread the word about our work in this new city.
For Studio Tvastra we plan to make a small community space where we can conduct workshops regularly. For Studio Printmaking we aim to set up a space for equipment and for regular stay too, where artists from all over the world can get access to this artwork and learn all about it in a proper manner through these tools and equipment. All these will be made available to those who want to learn printmaking at zero cost. Here the aim is just to spread awareness and bring together like-minded people under one roof where they can thrive together.
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My learnings have been that,
“If you want to learn and achieve something in life, consistency is most essential”
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And that,
“If you are doing the same things again and again, and still failing at it, you need to understand the pattern and figure out where you are going wrong. Only then you will learn and improve.”
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Also,
“Take a pause and look back at what you have done. Ask yourself is this what you wanted to do? If the answer is yes, you’re a success.
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And if the answer is no, understand the problem and then keep moving ahead.”
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The key is also to be open to learning new things and adapting to changes.
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To drop in a message to Anjali, check out her amazing artworks and get updates on her latest workshops, follow the links below:
Studio Tvastra Instagram page
Studio Printmaking Instagram page
Studio Printmaking Facebook page
Anajli’s work as an artist and her various exhibitions have been featured on multiple online as well as offline platforms. You can have a look at one such feature through the link below:
India Today
Other personal and professional social media handles
