Poulami Bhowmick — Interview #2
Poulami Bhowmick is the founder of an art-startup called The Bomway, a curated platform for art, artworks, photographs and designs where artists can showcase and sell their art.
WWC-D: Hi! Please tell us a little about yourself and your work.
PB: Hi! I’m Poulami Bhowmick, founder of an art-startup called ‘The Bomway’ based out of Mumbai, India. It’s a curated platform for art, artworks, photographs and designs where anyone who is an independent yet professional and/or emerging artists can come forward to showcase and sell their creatives.
I first moved out of home for my Bachelor’s degree at Ferguson College in Pune and later to London for my post-grad at LSE. Through these years of learning to become independent, I was lucky to get to experience the world through totally new eyes. Where people saw language and cultural boundaries, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the similarities. Art was one of them..
It is only post my post-grad when I came back to India, I realized how much I wanted to express it all. All those amazing things that I discovered, learned and observed through all these years. I started to look at the local art scene and observed a huge gap in the market. There were these fantastic independent artists but no portal to help them commercialize. I wanted to be that channel which connects these artists to the world.
WWC-D: What or who was your motivation behind Bomway?
PB: While it is hard to point to any one particular thing that motivated me, I guess it was several things that came together and it just all fell in line. I was always inclined towards world/ local art, culture, music, travel etc. I would go buy souvenirs regularly and it didn’t take much for me to realize that in India art is clustered with one type of category which wasn’t personally appealing to me.
The millennial were looking for something more in terms of aesthetics. And that isn’t only true of India, but globally. It’s a huge non-catered market. I went to work on it, did my research, surveys only to realize my hunches were right and someone needed to do something about it. I haven’t looked back ever since.
WWC-D: How has pursuing entrepreneurship shaped you as an individual?
PB: I have always been very persistent and patient. But now, it has manifolded. That said, there are days I panic and get impatient, but overall it has evolved me into a fuller individual.
I take each day as it comes. There are only a few gains but numerous rejections on a daily basis so I don’t wallow when the next rejection hits. I just directly go into the problem-solving mode. This has had a direct impact on my personal and professional interactions. It has made me more direct in saying whats on my mind instead of lingering on any conversation. I think that kind of honesty is essential for the growth of any startup.
WWC-D: What makes your start-up stand out from the rest?
PB: Our artworks are typically categorized as affordable in the art market. We have a range which is as low as Rs. 1000 to as high as INR 1 lac for original art. We have art suited for both Indian and global audience with local as well as international artists who sell on our platform.
WWC-D: How has art influenced you?
PB: Art was always an integral part of my existence, in one way or the other. I’m an ardent music lover. As a child, I used to paint, and learnt classical dance form. Art is like sugar, it’s much needed for me.
When you are looking at a photograph/painting or listening to a good piece of music, it makes you ponder, think, imagine, create abstractions than consuming something like news driven by other people’s agenda. You get the point!!
When we were kids, our parents always insisted us to read books over watching television because there is a different kind of charm in letting your imagination run wild. How would that set look like, what would the lead character be like.. You can imagine the details of someone and something you’ve never seen.. Its fascinating. However, we are too impatient to read these days.
Art is like that booster to your imagination and existence.
WWC-D: What suggestion would you like to give to budding startups?
PB: Just keep at it. When you start out, people might not support or understand you and it’s okay. Some might ridicule you. Don’t think too much about it. Of course you ought to be a little practical if things aren’t working out for a really long time — you might need to go back to drawing board and see if there is a real demand of what you are offering. But that said, most start-ups do take time.
Take things with a pinch of salt. You can’t succeed without doing ground work (or beta testing) — simply launching an app/ website and expecting10 X growth on month by month basis. It doesn’t happen that way, atleast not usually. And when they don’t, be your biggest cheerleader. Cherish those who support you always. People who helped you in your hard times are keepers for life.
WWC-D: One word to describe your journey
Incredible!!
