Eshita Nimje’s Colorful Side Hustle
Cybersecurity consultant by day, tribal artist by night; that is the life story of Eshita Nimje, founder of Agneesha Art Studio. During her nine-to-five, you will find Eshu, as she is known, figuring out ways to keep her clients’ websites and apps safe from malicious attacks. But during her spare time, she creates and curates some of the most amazing works of traditional Hindu art you’ve ever laid eyes on. Nimje’s side-hustle doesn’t just stop at creating and selling oeuvres d’art, it also involves holding workshops to spread awareness about the centuries-old techniques she uses.
Where it all began
So, did this IT professional simply wake up one day and decide to become an artist? Not quite. Nimje’s side-gig has been 15 years in the making. It was an itch passed on to her by her mother in her childhood. Her mother used to hold the same kind of workshops Nimje currently holds (now mostly online to limit the chances of coronavirus spread). And everywhere her mum organized workshops, there was little Eshu, soaking up all the knowledge she could. Consumed by the passion to learn, she spent most of her spare time at home practicing alongside her mother. They worked not only on refining their painting technique but also on sculpting, ceramics and jewelry. In fact, it can be said that Nimje’s desire to learn has inspired her mum to broaden her artistic skill set as well.
Seeking to further fan the flames of her daughter’s desire to learn, Nimje’s mother enrolled her to cultural arts programs. But still the fire was not quenched. This led her mother to sign Nimje up at one of Bhopal’s leading cultural centers. Here she would be exposed to greater learning opportunities and interactions with many different artists from across the country.
Courtesy of The City of Lakes
Glance through the Agneesha Art Studio Instagram posts and you will be immediately captivated by the multicolored works done in the traditional Gond pattern. You will find that most of them depict birds and animals draped in creatively dotted coats of color nestled in equally colorful flora. This is not by chance; Nimje was born and brought up in Bhopal (the city of Lakes), one of the greenest cities in India. Clearly, her mother, instrumental as she was, was not the only inspiration for Nimje’s artistic expressions. And in addition to being a manifestation of her love for nature, her works of art have been a means of catharsis through some of Nimje’s most difficult moments.
Agneesha has also been a vehicle through which Nimje has learnt many other cultural art forms from different parts of India besides Gond. She and her mother have now produced several works using Madhubani, Warli and Pithora among other techniques. Sharing this knowledge with students in different parts of India throughout the year has further ingrained these techniques in Nimje and given her another means by which to express her passion.
While she undoubtedly had the talent, getting her work out to admirers and potential buyers did not come automatically. She had to put one of her guiding principles into practice. “Just start doing it…don’t think about it.” She began taking her works of art with her to the flea market, not knowing how they would be received. But her talent soon won her a following and this is what would become Nimje’s initial customer base.
Spreading her wings
Not only did they buy her paintings and give her great feedback, they kept contact with her, continuously pressing her for new pieces. So by the time she opened an Instagram and Facebook account for Agneesha Art Studio, Nimje already had followers. Her social accounts enabled Nimje to spread her wings across the country. Requests for commissioned artworks began pouring in with some clients asking for Nimje’s colorful creations as fabric prints and others as posters. A number of these requests were from businesses and other organizations.
The Internet soon became more than a marketing tool for Nimje’s projects; it provided a platform through which she could teach more people her cherished forms of art. She began holding webinars to pass on the intricacies of Gond, Warli and other ancient art forms to willing learners. This avenue of training would become all the more critical to Agneesha Art Studio’s operations as restrictions on physical meeting were imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Now Nimje trains more than 250 aspiring artists online.
The overwhelmingly positive response she has received both offline and online has greatly motivated Nimje. Even on the days when she is down, the knowledge that the world appreciates and desires her creations and knowledge keeps her going.
Words of advice to aspiring side-hustlers
Seeing how successful Nimje has been in converting her childhood passion into a highly rewarding side-hustle, what lessons can we draw from her life? The first is, in essence, the mantra of the famous shoemaker Nike: just do it. Move from a place of thinking about your creative venture to making actual strides towards its realization. Don’t wait for the perfect time or the day when you have everything in place. That time may never come. Start from where you are with what you have and you will find what you need along the way.
Note from story author: Eshita’s advice on the importance of starting resonates greatly with the first step outlined in my 5-step manual on how to launch a creative career while keeping a day job.
Discipline is another of Nimje’s secrets to success. She advises budding artists, writers, musicians, etc. to set aside a fixed amount of time every day to perfect their craft. Even if it is just 15 minutes, the key here is consistency. Keep those 15 minutes sacred and don’t let anything distract you. Remember, you won’t produce perfection in every session, and there will be days you don’t feel like going into the studio. But just do it.
The unquenchable desire to learn all there is to know about her craft, right from when she was a child, is doubtlessly one of the reasons Nimje has reached where she has in the mastery of her trade. Picking tips from fellow artists and showcasing her work in order to get feedback have helped her both hone and broaden her skillset. Interactions with other artists have also blossomed into fruitful business partnerships, as you can deduce from the Agneesha Arts Studio Instagram account. So don’t keep your light under a bushel; go out into spaces where you can learn from others and network. The world is waiting for you.
Credits
- Writing: Kriti Sen Sharma (author of “The Creative Side Hustle”), Philip Kimonge
- Video: Shreya Bahirat
