Dreaming a Dream

If I could capture the moon

And paint a sky full of blue

Fight scattered storms

To light the night

If I could skip along clouds

And hear the wind sing out loud

Rewrite the rhyme

And slow down time

I see a world

Where every boy and girl

Has all they need

To live free

Where everyone

Could share the sun

Life is only a dream

Dream with me.

-Jackie Evancho

A storm has been brewing, and I have been killing myself keeping it from you ! But the time has finally come when I can tell you all about what I've been up to the past year .

You know all about my love for Pondicherry. So many of my first posts were written while I lived there and drew inspiration from people and places in that little town.

But before I left Pondi, another thought was born. The simple lifestyle there, the magic in cycling down a cobbled street, the time we all had to appreciate every little thing, the love the people in the town have for the sea and its wild unpredictability - these were what made it beautiful - the little pleasures.
I remember sitting by the sea, with my sketchbook and pencil -scribbling away, wondering how I could turn my illustrations into an experience. Bring this magic and whimsy into peoples lives, maybe their homes.

And so a year later I get to tell you about Olie. Olie meaning light in tamil launches in Bangalore in a few weeks with its first collections of carecrafted accessories and lighting. My inspiration translated into reality. Now a mood, an ethereal beauty for you to experience in your homes and spaces. And I am so excited about it ! The illustration above is a mindmap of sorts, mapping the journey and thought process that led to Olie. But the real journey has been in the learning, and the people I've met and the good and bad experiences I've had the past couple of months. It already is such a long, rich story to tell - and I'm going to tell you all about it, between scribbles and pictures.

More soon !
much love to you !

Above Your Head

Hello!! Im going through a crazy time in life, sometimes big decisions seem so massively huge and i spend half my life worrying over things but I know that later, i am going to look back and think : silly me, what a thing to worry about. So thats what Im doing these days. not very productive. But lately ive been doing a lot of identity design ! And loving it. I love the process of creating a face for a client and then taking it forward. Its just so interesting ! Also, my little story is over ! Here are the five. Theyre soon going to be printed and framed and be adorning the walls of Annikas nursery :) 

And let me tell you of the little story that goes alongwith these illustrations.
Once upon a time there lived a little girl, (lets call her Annika after her new owner to be) She found this door in her home and it was one big circular door.She wondered what was behind it, and one day decided to find out. But this door was locked! And annika suddenly remembered the key necklace she always wore ! She tried it in the lock and it turned. Her eyes grew big with excitement and she opened the door to see this incredible scene in front of her eyes, toadstools with peeping squirrels, magical pink horses that floated along strange grassy lands which were in steps and had ladders to go up to the next grassy land and trees with all kinds of fruit growing at the same time.. and even a tree of stars! She walked along the little bridge that popped up and entered the little world. And did she have the time of her life there! She came across this little party and joined the fairy folk and little creatures there and had some delicious pink cake that melted in her mouth and all this under a tree of lights and stars. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
And then a big bird swooped in and annika climbed on her back and they flew amongst the stars till they reached her home. It wasnt long before she fell asleep, a happy smile on her face.

i love ze magical lands !
Also, i forgot to mention, and now im back and actually editing the post to say this - that between the five illustrations, annikas date of birth, time of birth, weight when she was born and her name are hidden somewhere :)