Progress is the new obsession!

My name is Priya Pai, grew up in Mangalore, and currently living in Bangalore with my family. I work as a front-end developer at a prominent MNC company.

I make Portrait dolls, wall arts, Portraits, Customized paintings, and Digital graphic designing for the customers as a side hustle.

Basically, I market and interact with my customers through social media platform mainly Instagram [@life.on_canvas]

Drawing, painting, art, and crafts are always been part of my childhood. I’m a passionate learner and a creative thinker. I believe that if women are to break away from the clutches of orthodox, patriarchal, pseudo/liberal patriarchal brackets, then economic independence becomes a prerequisite for them.

Everything started basically from my passion for art. During my college days, I used to paint creative and deep meaning arts and post them on Instagram. I started receiving great appreciation for my artwork. People also started recognizing me. My friends started ordering customized portraits. What started as a hobby turned into a business.

I didn’t stop there yet, as I told you earlier, I’m a passionate learner and started getting better and better every day. As they say ‘Entrepreneurship is not a destination but it’s a journey’, I thoroughly enjoyed this journey and started diversifying my business by introducing various products like portrait dolls, fridge magnets, customized mobile phone cases. I’ve also made logos and posters for various start-ups.

 

Innovation is the key to any successful business. Business is all about innovation plus commercialization. Being innovative gives you an edge over your competition. It’s this drive about being innovative that helped me come up with different products.

I advise the youth, they must go out and look, ask, and listen. Innovation is both conceptual and perceptual. Successful innovators work out analytically what the innovation has to be to satisfy an opportunity. Then they go out and look at potential users to study their expectations, their values, and their needs. To be effective, an innovation has to be simple and it has to be focused.

 

My greatest inspiration in the art world is ‘Vincent van gog’. He created 2100 artworks in his lifetime. But he was not commercially successful. He suffered from mental illness, depression, and poverty but against all the odds he never stopped painting. He took that passion for painting along with him when he passed away when he was just 37 years old. Today Vincent van gog’s works are among the world’s most expensive paintings to have ever sold. This quality of pursuing the dreams nevertheless of results inspires me a lot.

India is always been a land of seekers. We see innovative ideas being implemented all around us in our daily lives. But we call it a “Jugaad”. There are numerous startups from India that are competing with the western world in innovation and business. I admire all of them for their passion.

But what inspires me most is the innovativeness of the people who sell handmade dolls, crafts, pottery, and handmade designs on the roadside. I would request all the readers to buy from them and help them grow their business. These are the real ‘MADE IN INDIA’ products.

My most important mantra is ‘Make progress an obsession’. Go out and pursue your dreams even though odds are stacked up against you. Whatever job we take on hand our entire focus should be on perfection rather than attention. One must be unattached to the fruits of one’s actions. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that one must do one’s duties, but one has no control over the fruits. Nor must one claim any right to the results. We should expect nothing in return for what we do.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Anand B P 12/01/2021

    You are a Trend Setter. Good Luck and God Speed.

  2. K Mahesh Achari 12/01/2021

    Really you are having good talent…. Keep rocking nad we always support and loving you your fantastic talent aa well. Be Possitive….!!

  3. Raviraj 12/01/2021

    “Passion” that’s all it needs to be Happy, active, successful and what not 🙂 All the best

  4. Manoj 12/01/2021

    The stroy of Vincent gog is very inspiring. I admire your passion and interest.
    Best wishes!!

  7. Prasanth S 13/01/2021

    Vincent Van Gogh… One of the most amazing painter and revered on par with Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Pablo Picasso. For someone who lost his mother and only had his brother to support him, he used art to convey his emotions.

    Wishing you to be successful in all your endeavours! Let all your dreams come true!!

    May you be a role model and an inspiration to anyone taking up arts or interested in it.

  8. archana 18/01/2021

    Amazing work and innovative thoughts make you top of the world.All the best

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