Building
an Early Foundation:
For me, inspiration roots from home. My parents were my constant supporters. My mother always nurtured my passion for undertaking creative pursuits. This creative bend instilled in me during childhood helped me see the environment very differently.
At the same time, my
father provided the right atmosphere to develop an engineer's mind by asking my
help to fix every little device in the house when he didn't even need it. My
interest in new objects around me helped develop an inquisitive mindset. The
knowledge of arts and the environment helped me realize my passion for
architecture, and since then, I have never looked back.
And now, I have my in-laws too who
constantly support me in chasing every new milestone I seek, and many more
challenges on a day-to-day basis. They are helping me focus on my career as
well as raise a happy family.
The
Journey from Setback to Success:
The thing about setbacks is that no one
can gauge their impact and magnitude from the first assessment. Some setbacks
are minor, so they roll off like water from a duck’s back. But on the other
hand, some setbacks are debilitating, so it can make you feel that the world
around us is crumbling and falling apart.
In my life, my parents and my education allowed me to become increasingly impervious to setbacks and use them as learning opportunities that aid my process to grow as a person in both my personal and professional life. With each setback, my mindset changes - therefore, it allows me to treat a challenge and a setback as an opportunity to learn rather than treating myself as a victim and making it worse.
Careers are
marathons and not spirits. Using this idea as something to live my life on,
allows me to take a new perspective and use setbacks to achieve unique
objectives that are a sure way to achieve my goals.
The
Game changing foundation of Design21 and LifeDraft:
Being an architect enables me to look at each problem or situation with the ultimate amount of creativity. So, it is ubiquitous in my household that I have been able to find offbeat and unique solutions to any given problem. Designing buildings, restaurants, and homes is a creative field to work in, but being an architect gives me a different and more analytical perspective.
I firmly believe that every problem that needs to
be solved in this field of work needs to be treated with utmost care and
consideration. To arrive at a solution, everything should be executed in a
particular series of steps that can be interchanged as required.
Getting to work at a multi-disciplinary company gave me a platform to engage and pursue any situation with an open mind. Being a chef and a home cook allows me to add more biophilic elements to my projects. Looking at other prolific architects enables me to interpret each design brief with a different lens.
Thus, having a creative set of hobbies allows everyone to have a different thinking pattern with a lot of room for adding elements that fulfil the quotient of sustainability or being carbon neutral. At the same time, I am fully cognizant that architecture impacts how society functions.
Looking at architecture from a much more objective position
gives me an opportunity to improve my work in civil architecture, resulting in
structures that aid human activity rather than constricting movement. An
architect's sensitivity to deliver the suitable space a client expects comes
from these varied experiences that one collects throughout life.
While Design21 is focused on building a
comfortable built environment for people, LifeDraft aspires to engage people by
bringing their attention to the roots of this built environment, increasing
awareness, and helping people understand the value of nature and green material
around us. Our primary objective is to help recreate a natural environment by
regrowing and building from seeds and natural materials available around us.
Life
Mantra for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs:
When it comes to establishing your own firm, the path is already paved with a lot of troubles and issues. Being a business owner comes with its own set of trials and tribulations. In a cutthroat business world, the softness and docility a woman carries are detrimental to growth.
In all my years as a firm owner, the one thing that has
helped me move forward is being unapologetic and assertive in nature. This
helped me make strides in a male-dominated world. It will not matter if the
product or design you have is the next best thing if you do not know how to
network. This is the second mantra that helped me achieve success - networking
moved my firm forward as it circulated by word of mouth.
Sources
of Powerful Lessons:
I personally believe that mentorship is a state of mind and not a position. In my career trajectory, I have met a lot influential people who have inspired me and in a way shaped my life as an Architect and Entrepreneur. I got a chance to work with many renowned architects like Anuraag Chowfla and Meena Mani and every working experience with them has moulded me to become who I am. It is through these experiences that I have learned the most.
I also believe that your instinct is your biggest mentor and your heart never lies! I always tend to follow my heart, and that advice has never failed me - it has guided me throughout, and the results have always been in my favour.