Samiksha Munot


While I was growing up I developed a keen interest in various art forms like sketching, painting, and various papercrafts. I started with the basics, pencil, and paperback in school, as my interest grew in art. While I was in my early teens, I was bullied a lot in school, and in the practice of forgetting and covering up what happened in my day-to-day life, I turned to my art. It was a beautiful escape for me.

Sometimes life brings you full circle to a place you have been before just to show you how much you have grown, what I mean by this is that I realized that every time I needed an anchor in my life when everything went apart, I knew there was one thing in me, which I looked up to and it was my art. It was/is and will be an indispensable part of my life and which can never be separated from me. I was born with it and I will be taking it with me, while what I will be leaving behind is my creation.

When I completed my degree in Interior Architecture and Design, I did try a few jobs but I could never see myself doing that for the rest of my life, let alone be happy about it. I knew in my heart what truly made me happy, and that was my art. Therefore, I leaped faith and began the journey of Shades and my career as a full-time artist. The work that I do now spreads across various media, forms, and surfaces, like watercolors, acrylic, ink, coffee, strings, wood, paper, fabric, leather, canvas, the list is ever-growing, and just like art, it never stops.

My journey as an artist has taught me that every mistake is beautiful. No matter what path you are on in your life, you will always face several ups and downs, and in case you don’t, maybe you are not trying or have not pushed yourself out of your comfort zone. Every obstacle will teach you to find the creative loopholes in life to cope up with the situation and come up stronger and smarter. Similarly, every time my brush stroke slips up, it only adds up to the ultimate creation and that is how I have perceived things in my life and have always believed that it is a fraction of my bigger picture.

What I appreciate the most is how far shades have come with the amount of love and appreciation my art has received here in the city. I left the country right after 12th for my higher studies, so I was very disconnected from the people and it almost felt like settling back in a new city, but I am grateful for the love and support I have received and that is what makes me work harder every day. Initially, I did get a lot of ‘can this even be a career choice’, but I am glad I could turn that around. and it wouldn’t have been possible had my family and friends not supported my unconventional career choice. Art is a never-ending process, one should always be open to exploring and experimenting. The most important thing I have learned ever since I started my brand, is that I have to forever learn, enhance, and build myself to build my brand.

In today’s highly digitalized world, handcrafted art holds the rare ability to evoke sentiments of warmth among human beings. The duality of perfection among imperfection is what resonates with most of us. Through Shades, I strive to bring back the love, joy, and appreciation of handmade art and craft. I always keep in mind that
focus on you and not others, your only competition is you;
keep upgrading, adapting, and growing your skills.