We were lucky to catch up with Ritu Kumar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ritu thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Being a creative person , I am “mostly” in happier state of mind , in fact I would have said “always” if it was also not my profession —:). As a professional artist, I have to work with so many customers , mostly great experience but every now and then I have to work with some difficult and rude ones , this is when the idea of regular job creeps as the saying goes grass is greener on other side .

But , when I see my husband & others around me , tied to a schedule , hear their stories, I feel so lucky . I am doing what I am passionate about , work my own schedule and every opportunity to create new artwork comes with excitement . Icing on the cake is when I get appreciation from buyers , friends and family and idea of regular job evaporates.

Ritu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a self-trained artist, born and raised in India. I started painting when I was around 10, started participating in intra as well as Inter school competitions and started getting recognized. These recognitions and support from my family helped me continue with my passion for painting. But somehow I lost my drive or probably got lost under the pressure of higher education as that was always the priority. I would paint sporadically every now and then. Like many, I got my second chance when I got married and moved to United States of America with my spouse and with his support , i started painting and decided to go commercial and thats where I started my own brand and store under RituHandmadeArts. Thanks to the advent of e-commerce plaforms like Etsy.com and social media platforms like faceboon,twitter & Instagram , I now have reasonably successful business. A business that also helps me follow my dreams and keep my passion alive. As mother of two growing children, it has been constant struggle to keep it going, but now that my younger one has started school have more time to paint and follow my dream .I am just an artist, following her dream. I use oils, acrylics, and anything I can get my hands on.

Today RituHandMadeArts Studio has become an extension of my personality, a well recognized brand, I have painted over 2000 paintings of different styles .

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I can tell from my experience that making a career as an artist/creative person is very challenging , it is a long journey , requires a lot of patience & perseverance. When I started my studio , very quickly realized selling art is so difficult, a lot of competition , no pre defined path to success , many a times frustration creeped and felt like leaving it . I am lucky my husband was around me , who always said , pursue your passion , do what is right , work towards customer satisfaction and professional success will follow. This idea helped me stay put on the path and that my work is appreciated and I am doing well as professional artist , is a validation of this thought.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The fact that I get to follow my passion , get paid to be creative , get appreciated for trying new styles , bring idea to the canvas and above all the feeling of gratitude & pride that my paintings are part of lives of so many people around the world adding colors and beauty in their lives is most rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RituHandmadeArts?ref=profile_shopname
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Rituhandmadearts
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rituhandmadearts
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritu-kumar-66b592127
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rituhandmadeartspaintings3778

Image Credits
Shreyas kumar and Navya kumar