We were lucky to catch up with Varshaa Rao recently and have shared our conversation below.

Varshaa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was betting on myself. I was on a stable career trajectory as a dentist, but in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I chose to become a professional artist.

While the pandemic was a devastating event for millions, for me, it became an unexpected pause that, in a way, gave me my life back. My life felt misaligned with my vision for it, and my motivation was at an all-time low. As lockdown restrictions relaxed, my partner and I took a trip to the beach. There, knee-deep in waves under the stars, I confided in him about these woes.
It was his suggestion – that I explore my creative side – that baffled me. It was something I hadn’t seriously considered, let alone explored. But I decided to give it a go. The rest is history.

Varshaa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My Journey: From Dentist to Artist I come from a family that values traditional, professional career paths, which is largely why I pursued dentistry. I was technically proficient—in fact, my precision and hand-skills were excellent. But internally, I felt deeply misaligned. I wasn’t passionate about the work.
The pandemic lockdown was a profound inflection point. It forced me to reflect, and I realized life is too short to spend doing something I wasn’t truly invested in. That’s when I remembered my partner’s suggestion.
I took a small step and enrolled in a basic fluid art class. It was a complete revelation. The moment I saw the outcome of that first piece, something clicked. I was instantly obsessed and dove deep, teaching myself everything I could. I conducted hundreds of experiments, failed hundreds of times, and eventually fell in love with the process. It was almost meditative for me.
I made the high-stakes decision to leave a ‘safe’ career to build a new one from the ground up, which would have been impossible without my partner, who has been a steadfast pillar for me through every high and low.

What I Do
As a fluid artist (also known as a flow artist), I create:
• One-of-a-kind abstract paintings, from intimate canvases to large-scale statement pieces.
• Custom-commissioned works, where I collaborate closely with clients to bring their vision to life.
• Functional ‘everyday art,’ like artisan coasters.

The Problem I Solve & What Sets Me Apart
On the surface, I help people find unique, original art that transforms a space. But the deeper “problem” I solve is for people who, like me, are drawn to the dance between control and chaos. My background as a dentist is my biggest differentiator. Dentistry is all about absolute control and perfection, down to the millimeter. Fluid art is the opposite; the moment the paint hits the canvas, you have to surrender. It’s inherently unpredictable.
This duality is my unique value. I am an artist with the precision of a dentist. The “Dentist” in me brings a meticulous, almost obsessive, technical precision to my preparation. I spend hours testing paint ratios, understanding the chemistry of my materials, and planning the composition. The “Artist” in me taught me what dentistry couldn’t—how to let go. It humbled me and forced me to unlearn my own rigidity to find beauty in the ‘perfectly imperfect.’

Professionally, it’s the connection my work makes. It’s when a client receives a commission and says, “This is more than I even knew I wanted,” or when I’m told how my art has completely changed the feeling of their home. That, for me, is everything. Beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder, and I love seeing how many different things people can see and feel from the same piece.

What I Want You to Know
My brand is built on authenticity and transformation. My work is more than paint on a canvas; it’s a physical representation of my own story. It’s about the courage it takes to start over, the beauty of embracing imperfection, and the magic that happens when you apply your old skills to a new passion.
When you bring one of my pieces into your life, my hope is that it’s not just a decoration, but a daily reminder to be bold, to let go, and to find the joy in your own journey. Fear sometimes leads down the most unexpectedly beautiful paths. So, lean into it. There is always the fear of failing but what if it works? How fantastic would that be? The satisfaction and joy I get from producing one good piece will carry me through hundreds of failed attempts. I want to spread this feeling. I have tasted this freedom and I want to tell the world how delicious it is. I do that through my art.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, my mission is twofold. First, in a world of mass production, I am driven to create truly one-of-a-kind pieces. My goal is to provide something that is deeply personal and original, whether it’s a large-scale canvas or a small piece of functional art.
Second, my core mission is to champion the “perfectly imperfect.” My art is a physical representation of the balance between meticulous control and spontaneous freedom. It’s about celebrating the beautiful tension that exists between precision and surrender.
Ultimately, I want my work to act as a physical reminder—for myself and for my clients—that the most beautiful outcomes often lie just outside the bounds of our rigid control.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Right now, there’s immense pressure on artists to not only be masters of their craft but also to be full-time content creators, marketers, and digital personalities. We’ve created a system where algorithmic relevance is often mistaken for artistic merit. The problem is that these are two entirely different skill sets. There are countless incredibly talented, technically skilled artists who are more introverted, or who simply – and rightly so – want to dedicate their precious time to honing their craft, not to filming the process or mastering a social media algorithm.

The best thing society can do is to actively build and support pathways to discovery that exist outside of the social media hype-cycle.
• On an individual level: As patrons and consumers of art, we need to make a conscious effort to look beyond our feeds. This means visiting local art fairs, going to open-studio events, exploring smaller galleries, and trusting our own connection to a piece, regardless of the artist’s follower count.
• On an institutional level: We need galleries, publications, and curators to champion their role as talent-scouts, not just ‘hype-amplifiers.’ Their value is in finding exceptional, quiet talent and giving it a platform.
• On a community level: We need to invest in more tangible, physical spaces for art—more public art projects, more juried exhibitions where the work is judged blind, and more community art centers. Ultimately, the goal should be to create a system where the art truly can speak for itself, and where a brilliant artist isn’t penalized simply because they choose the studio over the screen.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyvarshaa/
• Other: Email: [email protected]