We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Savithri Srinivasan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Savithri below.

Savithri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Yes, I am very happy being an artist and doing what I do. And Yes, I do sometimes think what if had a regular job? To give you more insight, I quit my job as an Assistant Vice President of an ITES company to pursue my passion. It wasn’t easy, as I did not get that kind of money to start with. But every time I have that thought, I realize that may be I would have earned a lot more doing the same old monotonous job that I was doing for years, with all those late night calls and meetings, racking my brain over escalations, madly chasing targets and timelines, but never had the satisfaction of achieving something that I envisioned. Corporate job is someone else’s vision. When you get to create your own vision and mission and succeed in that, that’s when you feel accomplished, that’s what fills your soul. Every product that I create for my clients, brings me that joy, satisfaction and accomplishment. And I am more than happy doing this as an artist than running behind monetary goals.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am Savithri, a self taught artist. I’m into handcrafted home decor products and statement jewelry. I work on many art forms like decoupage, mix media, bottle art, resin art, folk art etc. I’m a big fan of DIY, upcycling and recycling too. I also love to share my knowledge through workshops. I run a YouTube channel where I share videos on art, craft, DIY & decor projects. I also share my art journey on Instagram.

Growing up, I was this bubbly soul, very cheerful, laughing and having fun all the time. I loved being around people. I was passionate about using my hands, be it cleaning the house, or cooking or crafting. I loved to dance too. I used to spend my school holidays with my grandma, making paper Mache products, clay dolls and such. I would participate in every cultural program in school, every painting competition and win prizes.

As it happens commonly, this passion for arts and crafts took a back seat with education and work. It became a mere hobby.

And then at 19, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune chronic ailment that affects the joints. I started having difficulty doing daily chores, lifting a single sheet of A4 paper was painful. I could no longer do what I had always loved to do, art. I was depressed and heart broken and felt useless. Years went by trying different treatments and medications. I met my husband in my workplace and he accepted me as I was. I popped two pills to walk down the aisle without pain and limping. I was just about managing things at home and work. I did climb ladders in my corporate world. I grew from a customer service executive to an Assistant Vice President. Still something was missing.

This was not the life I always dreamt of. Being creative was always my Passion. Helping people through that was my vision. I saw God’s love and hope through my husband. I didn’t want to limit myself due to my condition. I wanted to be associated to my achievements and not my limitations. I was almost crippled when I had my daughter. Unable to nurse her, or take care of her, the situation dragged down my confidence and hope. I had to undergo a knee replacement surgery when my baby was just over a yr old. But I didn’t wanna give up on the life God gave me.

At this point in life I decided to start on my own. I gave up my High flying corporate career and the money it came with. Thus my accessories and home decor brand “all things beautiful” birthed, believing that HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME. .
So in 2013, All Things Beautiful was officially born. Being a self taught crafter and learning everything that interested me, I started making and selling handcrafted home decor products, customized statement jewelry and hair accessories and all that I could lay my hands on.

It was a very slow start. I wasn’t aiming high, or giving myself greater targets. I was happy with whatever I could do. Art really helped my soul heal and feel more happier.

My motto was simple, I see it, I like it, then I try to make it.

I struggled with my hands keeping up with my work. They wld most times get stiff and get locked up. But that wasn’t stopping me. Unfortunately my disease never went into remission ( which usually happens in few yrs to most people). It has been a aggressive disease which has deformed many of my joints. I am still on treatment and have learnt to live with the disease.

My family and friends supported me through out. There has been no looking back since then. People’s appreciation makes me strive harder and achieve more.

I love creating personalized and customized gifts. I am a very sensitive person and I know and understand how it feels to receive a special, customized, thoughtful gift. And that’s what I offer to my clients.

My clients are more like friends. I discuss with them in detail, understand their requirements and always try to give that personal touch. My clients come to me with unique customization and personalization requests and I love to take up that challenge in creating.

I work on various art forms like decoupage, mix media, resin art, bottle painting, folk art, fabric jewelry and many more. I am a constant learner. That’s something I am proud of too. My clients come to me with unique/weird requests and make it happen. The USP of my brand is that its personalized, customized and in your budget.

I believe there’s nothing more special than a handmade gift made with love. The journey so far has been very satisfying. Now I spend my time crafting, DIY’ing projects and teaching these art forms to all the art enthusiasts.

I also love to share this knowledge with other art enthusiasts through workshops. I also manage a YouTube channel.

Other than crafting and creating, I love traveling, baking, home improvement, fashion & style.

I simply Love life and want to make it beautiful for myself and others.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Hm…I would say everything about being a creative is rewarding. From ideating, designing, interacting with suppliers, procuring materials, creating and delivering the product to the client, every step is rewarding. More than anything, creating with these deformed, imperfect hands are so rewarding. And I am so grateful for that. When people see my art and appreciate me, when clients give a feedback that the customized piece really touched their heart, or made them feel in a certain way, or reminded them of something, when clients send me a text message out of blue saying my art piece is sitting on their desk and it makes them so happy, all these little aspects are super rewarding.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Any career is constantly changing. As artists, we always have to change and create as per the trend, style etc. We have to come with new products regularly which sometimes involves pivoting. But during pandemic, when I thought my sales would be affected, I was surprised to see people interested in learning some art. This opened up so many opportunities and I started taking workshops and also worked with a creative organization to open an online portal for arts/crafts tutorials. This is when I realized that I loved teaching and sharing my knowledge with like minded people. I received many appreciations from my students and others for the way I teach and share my art. And that has been so rewarding, a feeling of contentment with what I do. And I have continued taking online workshops since then. It is an integral part of my brand now.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/all_things_beautiful_atb
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/atbhome
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/AllThingsBeautiful_atb