My closest friends and family know this, but perhaps the most integral part of my upbringing that has made me who I am today is my background in Bharata Natyam, or Indian Classical Dance. The amount of discipline, passion, and sweat I’ve poured into it from age 6 has taught me a thing or two about the results of hard work. The fact is that–yes–going through years of training to perform year after year, only to then see myself putting on a 3 hour solo dance debut, was a tough journey. But this didn’t matter to me as much. I fell in love with the way dance felt and looked on stage. The aesthetic byproduct of the countless hours of hard work was something that was simply magical, and this very lesson is one that I pour into my perspective on fashion.
First and foremost, being a content creator in today’s day and age requires a great attention to detail, the discipline to maintain consistency irrespective of all else, and an understanding of the greater picture (either aesthetically or in messaging) that you want to convey. For some reason, when and if someone refers to themselves using the term “blogger,” it may bring up several assumptions in another person’s mind. Among these might be that a) this person is a complete narcissist who can’t stop talking about themself, or b) this person is mega rich and just has nothing better to do with their time. Indeed, this could not be further from the truth (in most cases). Not to inflate myself, but how many of us can really say that we’re comfortable delving into our souls and being vulnerable time and again to inspire people? And, that we can ceaselessly sacrifice our time and energy to do so on a daily basis?
On this note of inspiration, time, and energy, I firmly believe that the only way to inspire is go above and beyond by working harder, smarter, and with tons of passion. Luxury brands are one of my favorite sources of inspiration–so inspirational that they’re aspirational. I have previously interned at an embroidery export factory that designs and embroider pieces for topmost Italian luxury houses–from Roberto Cavalli, to Fendi and Emilio Pucci, and let me say, there is a lot that goes into one piece being made, even if that piece doesn’t make it to the runway! It’s a back and forth iterative process just on the embroidery side, and I cannot image how much work goes into the pre and post embroidery stages. I have major respect for luxury brands because they, as all creatives should, put in more than what is necessary to attain their larger vision.
Personally, the biggest vision I have worked to achieve, and in fact have achieved, occurred in 2016, when I gave my solo dance debut (Arangetram). I owe a lot of credit to my teacher, or guru, for being the one to believe in me and guiding this vision. If it wasn’t for her and the amazing production we were able to put on, I wouldn’t have understood the value of non-stop 8 hour dance camp days, or 5 hour rehearsals. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but what they don’t know is it also often produces something beautiful. Don’t rob yourself of the beauty that awaits you by doubting your abilities and passions, or by telling yourself that you don’t have the grit or discipline. We all have it in us. We just have to push.
P.S. it feels really good to share this side of me, because it’s a huge part of who I am. I hope to share snippets of my dance and a bit more about my journey here and on IG
If you enjoyed this, I have also spoken a bit about my journey with dance in a post about my heritage 🙂
XOXO,
-MS
