Corporate Professionals Transfer to Careers In Artistic Fields
The average 9-to-5 job is definitely not for everyone, especially for those who have a greater leaning towards artistic endeavours.
Former HR professional, Samantha Lazaro is one such person. Quitting her job in 2016, Lazaro is now a full-time patisserie and cake decorator. Selling 200 cakes in the past year alone, apart from baking for numerous events run by NGOs, Lazaro is happy in her new calling. The journey as a patisserie started with her baking customised cakes on a part-time basis. She soon realised that it was far more satisfying than her corporate job, especially given her passion for community service.
“I wanted to, even then, to make the world a better place. And I’ve realised that my cakes do that,” said Lazaro.
Being a cake decorator comes with its own set of challenges.
“Converting food into art is quite challenging because you need to convey a lot of aspects visually rather than verbally or textually,” said Lazaro. “Most of the time people just tell me that their girlfriend or their husband likes certain things and ask whether I can come up with something.”
She draws her inspiration from other cakes, her individual customer’s passions and internet images. A recently created Harry Potter themed cake was only possible with help from the internet, which helped her recreate the ‘golden snitch’ with as much accuracy as possible.
The internet has also helped her market her product far beyond the reach of her friends. Her Facebook page “The Sweet Affair” has garnered 1,000 likes till date. She highly recommends the use of social media to any newcomers in the field. Her future plans include expanding her business but not necessarily in terms of bulk. At the end of the day, individually customising each cake is her priority.
“There is nothing compared to the satisfaction you get out of doing this. I wait for feedback for every cake I make. And I am proud to say that is very rare that someone ever comes back with negative feedback.”
Diana Robert is another such person, who decided to give up a job at Target to find a new vocation. Starting out with painting and pottery, Robert now runs “Just About Art” with her husband Nitesh Mathew. They specialise in home decor art.
“I haven’t regretted leaving my job. I feel like it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” said Robert who initially starting out as a freelancer in 2015, but quickly established herself in the handmade home decor industry.
A few of her pieces have even found their way to a home in the UK.
“We customise according to our client’s needs. Before we create a piece we talk to the person and understand their background, especially their likes and dislikes. Based on those characteristics we come up with a product. We create a concept that they can, ideally, relate to.”
Robert’s USP is that she doesn’t use stencils in any of her work. Everything, from sourcing the wood, to shaping, sanding and painting it is done exclusively by hand.
Stand-up comedian Rupen Paul took quite a few years to make the move from part-time to full time. While he started performing while still in college it was just as recent as May 2018 that he decided to quit his job in a software company to pursue his dream as a performing artist.
He now performs on a regular basis, sometimes doing even up to two shows a day, in addition to creating his own podcasts. However, being a performing artist in Bangalore isn’t easy.
“It’s a struggle,” said Paul, “Especially since around 100 new comics come out every year in India. So it’s up to you to work that much harder, and be that much more dedicated, committed and professional.”
Choosing to follow their passion has made their work very personal to them. For Lazaro, ensuring that her cakes can be enjoyed by everyone is important.
“I’ve recently moved into specialised baking, which is creating cakes for people who are on the keto diet, as well as vegans, diabetics and those who are gluten or lactose intolerant, My inspiration to do this was my mum, who had a huge sweet tooth but who was diabetic. So I’ve been very keen to ensure that there is a dessert for everyone.”
For Paul, comedy has helped him cope through a lot of dark days, causing him to understand the value of comedy personally.
All of them, following their shift from their corporate careers, have had to come to terms that a steady paycheck would not be waiting for them at the end of every month.
“It is difficult to adapt from getting a fixed monthly salary to earning based off each completed work,” explains Lazaro.
However, all of them are firm in their decision that they would never return back to their old professions.
“At the end of the day, you sleep in peace, knowing that you are doing what you love to do,” said Robert.
