Today, I am sharing with you some pages from my sketchbook dated 25th Dec 2016. Yes, these are just scribblings. However, these pages tell a story – the story of the birth of the guiding light art company 😊
For a long time, I considered my creative zone as a talent, or God’s gift, or hobby. The thought of using creativity as a business opportunity dawned on me after my MBA with Copenhagen Business School in 2012-13. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that I started giving these dreams / fragmented thoughts a shape. These pages show some scribblings of the kind of names and the kind of logo I had wanted to have for my startup.
In 2017, I managed to register my startup with the name “The Guiding Light Art Company”. However, with a full-time job, this dream could only continue to be a Sunday special. Most of us that have been working on their dreams while committing to a full-time job, know this story very well. Crawling out of bed on a Sunday morning to pursue your dreams after a long, busy, and tiring week can be a challenge.
Through years 2016 – 2018, I had managed to make some paintings and noticed that the paintings were telling the story of diversity and inclusion – sort of tapping into visualization. However, nothing really had happened on the business front. Then, I started giving these scribblings a structure and created a power point presentation of what is this company is all about, what products to sell and how. Still, everything is sitting either in my personal drive, or at home. Don’t bother wondering about me sharing any of these in any social media – the dominant introvert in me never allowed this to happen.
In 2019, mustering up my courage, I venture into the social media – only sporadically though. However, I start hunting for people that could help me create a website for my startup. Then 2020 arrives with a bang! COVID-19 hits the whole world and transforms the way businesses operate. By this time, I had created a website, with so many flaws and adding on to the pressure was the fact that I lacked a clear business plan! Perhaps I needed a slap right across my face in the form of COVID-19 and the new challenges. I realize how important my dream is to me!
Moving fully into the start-up amidst COVID in 2020 was the craziest thing I have ever done. To my surprise, I began to see that I’m not the only one. I decided to come in front of a camera and began posting videos of what I do, documenting on a daily basis. Due to the lockdown children that were struck in their homes began to arrive at my door for art classes. In 2021, with the help of a PRINCE2 project management course I was able to build the business plan, Gantt charts, risk analysis and what not for my startup. Then I find the right business partner/consultant (Priyanka Asawa, SanviTech Solutions) who would give me the appropriate support to re-build my website from scratch and build an additional website for the change management side of my business. My network begins to grow and I setup art classes online & direct tying up with international schools; my first large painting gets sold; I setup change management podcasts meeting amazing people across the globe, become an APMG International certified change practitioner, and introduce change management workshops using art and yoga as tools for corporates.
This dream isn’t a dream anymore! It is a creative business startup! And it all started with these pages! Please share your thoughts and feel free to share scripts or pictures of your dreams that have either turned into reality or are waiting to turn into a reality.
If you fear sharing your dreams, I urge you to at least start keeping a log, a private diary, a scribbling pad, or some notes on your iPad/phone/laptop. Why? Because in Dr.Wayne Dyer’s words “the time for your dream to turn into reality has come!”
