Coloring Books
Prajakta P
My name is Prajakta and I am an independent artist based in India. I have been in love with various (performing as well as non-performing) artforms right from my young age. I had the opportunity to learn drawing, painting, dance and drama from a very young age. My parents supported my passion for art and helped me pursue my studies in the same field. I completed my under-graduate studies from one of Asia’s most prestigious art school: Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai. While studying, I was fascinated by the world of film-making and animations.
I started learning more about the same and had the privilege of working as an Assistant Director in Indian Cinema (Bollywood) for around 5 years. During this period, I met the love of my live and we decided to get married and move cities. It was an opportunity to yet again discover new opportunities in life on a personal level as well as professionally. I explored northern India (especially Delhi) during this period. The Himalayan ranges fascinated me and the diversity of culture and art-forms in this part of India was out-standing. During this period, I learnt new traditional Indian art forms from various folk artists in remote parts of India. This included Madhubani, Gond, Warli, Phad, Kalamkari, etc.
I shared my experiences and my artwork with my husband and it was then when he mentioned that he wants to fill colors in my artwork. My husband is not an artist but this conversation got me thinking. The field of ‘Coloring for Adults’ was not alien to me. I had read about countless people who had benefited by art therapy. Coloring for Adults was gaining popularity back then and I was inspired by legends like Johanna Basford. I opened my store on Etsy to sell digital coloring pages which quickly became popular. My buyers started flooding me with emails and messages. These were people from diverse backgrounds and geographies. They were super happy to color my coloring pages. I received tons of positive reviews and love for my work. I didn’t have any fancy office, any investor, any fancy gadgets. Honestly, I don’t even have these now! I hand-drew my artwork on paper, scanned it and enhanced it digitally on my laptop. But it was the love of my buyers which brought me joy and I knew this was something that I wanted to do going forward. I wanted to bring smile on people’s faces and love in their lives through art. The next step was obvious: offering coloring books and Coloring canvases to all my buyers. My husband started helping me with the printing of the books and canvases. He took care of the more mundane (but important) tasks of running my art shop. He started working two shifts: one for his 9-5 corporate job and the other for supporting me. Interestingly, I saw that this additional work burden actually brought him much more satisfaction and happiness to him. Our efforts were well received even further by Amazon as well as my coloring customers. It was never a business venture for me but an opportunity to make the world a better place. My colorists are just another family with whom I share my artwork and they share their smiles and love with me. Even today, I don’t have any office, I don’t have a financial backing, I don’t have any business strategies, no annual goals and neither do I have a back-up plan. Heck! I don’t even have my own house! I truly believe that our job in this world is to do honest work in our field and all the rest follows. My plan is simply to make art which pleases everyone and brings joy and laughter to their lives.
My positive customer review means the world to me and that is all I care for. I still work from my home, sitting on my art desk in one corner of my small cozy studio, listening to old Hindi film songs and classics. Back in 2019 when I was pregnant and getting overwhelmed with work, my husband decided to join me full-time and Different Strokes Arts was officially a family now. We were blessed with our daughter Gargi and needless to say, she loves to paint. We still run our business from our home and we give our personal touch to each and every product that we make. We pack each and every product ourselves and ensure that it receives good care. During the holiday season, when we are flooded with work, our family and friends come to our rescue. They are our family-interns to manage packing and shipping. I don’t know what would have happened if we didn’t have the support of our family and friends. Blessed to have them! Recently, we hired our first full-time staff to help with our packing and home-office. Yippy!! I would like to thank everyone who has been a part of this Different Strokes Arts Journey. It has been one heck of a ride and I love every part of it. And I know this is just the start. We have miles to go! I hope that my little artworks bring loads of love, joy, happiness and colors to your life! Stay Happy! Stay Coloring!
