In a world where feeling out of place often overshadows our sense of belonging, Aishwarya's “Life Imitates Art” project shines a beacon of hope and beauty. As a brown woman navigating diverse and often isolating experiences in London, Aishwarya found solace and purpose in transforming her challenges into a celebration of art and life. Her journey of self-discovery and connection resonates deeply with many, offering a unique perspective on finding beauty in everyday moments. Through her project, she creates a space for women of color and anyone searching for a sense of belonging to see their lives through a lens of creativity and hope. This interview dives into the inspirations, challenges, and aspirations behind her impactful work.
1. What inspired you to start the “Life Imitates Art” project?
I’d moved to London as a 23 y/old and was studying a course with a bunch of people who
came from different personal backgrounds- different cultures, ethnicities, experiences, ages,
and geographies. I knew I was signing up for it, but I did not know how isolating the
experience could be as a brown woman with no prolonged support system from a South
Asian community. I always felt a little out of place, even as a kid when I was back in my
home country, in India. I’ve lived in around 6 cities before moving to the UK, and I always
saw myself trying to fit in, everywhere. When I realised that was never going to happen, I
knew I needed to change the way I looked at life around me, I needed to find a purpose that
came from deep within me. This project was bigger than something just for myself. It is for
countless other women of colour who also feel out of place, and struggle with a sense of
belonging. Often, when a lot of us start rising above what we were expected to do from our
communities, we lose a sense of grounding and parts of ourselves, especially true for women
with no immediate family or community around them. This sense of belongingness came
from conversations, art, poetry, beauty, and experiences of life, and how ‘we’ feel about it all,
outside of social norms or roles we were supposed to fill as women. I found places of
belonging amongst very different people- it was unfamiliar yet beautiful; but what did remain
familiar was this life, and the little and great moments that we all experience, that cut across
communities, ethnicities, and experiences, and ages. A cosmic thread of experiences that
brings us together. This account became that sense of purpose for me.
2. Can you describe a personal experience that deepened your appreciation for finding
beauty in everyday life?
Weirdly, it hasn’t been just one day. It is multiple days, but I’ll talk about two of them. One
was a grim February morning running late to school, when on the tube, I saw a woman’s bag
that had a picture of hands (it’s a post on my profile) – and it was so beautiful. Looking at an
artwork of hands, of intimacy, of love was hopeful for a day like that.
The second was in the summer this year when I was walking on Waterloo Bridge in London–
I didn’t know if I would continue doing the things and the work I wanted to do due to
circumstances completely out of my control, which is when I saw a little card tied to the
railing that said: “No matter how long it may seem, there’s always light at the end of a
tunnel”. It is a quote I’d used in my newsletter during the global pandemic when people were
dying, and it felt like all that hope and prayers I sent out to the world was making its way
back to me. Being generous, and open-hearted never fails, and it comes back, 10 times
multiplied.
3. How do you handle moments when you struggle to find beauty or inspiration?
There were days when I logged off my account completely and days when inspiration was
very low. Deep down, however, I knew I had to come back to it. It is a creative process- to
keep persisting regardless of the odds. Regardless of the lack of inspiration. Moments when I
couldn’t find beauty or inspiration had less to do with my surroundings and more to do with
my mental health. On those days, reminding myself that ‘this too shall pass’, and that there’s
more to life than what I’m going through was the key to it. There were hard days, but what
mattered was getting up, accepting that it would pass, and doing whatever I was capable of
doing at the moment. Sometimes it meant writing a piece, other times it meant posting
pictures, and sometimes it was simply trying to be, to exist, for that is beauty in itself.
“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”- so some days were about feeling that beauty in
myself.
4. What impact do you hope “Life Imitates Art” has on your audience?
Often in life, we fail to look at it from a higher, third-person perspective. We’re stuck in a
narrative of where we are and the situation right now. While feeling that is innately human,
the way we look at it can change, and a microscopic view of life helps in changing the way
we look at our lives and situations. Life imitates art was started with just one of those
purposes, to find people who need to see just that- sometimes it means a message of hope
when you least expect to hear or see it. Social media has become such an integral part of our
lives - we spend so much of our time on it, there needs to be spaces or accounts that make us
feel differently, or make us look at life differently. Life imitates art aims to have that impact
on people.
5. What practices or routines help you maintain a positive mindset and creative flow?
To maintain my creative flow, taking breaks and not thinking about the project all the time
helps me immensely. I’ve noticed that I intuitively get most ideas and inspiration from the
most mundane moments, when I’m in bed watching a show, when I’m running, or when I’m
on the train. Having an active lifestyle where I’m taking care of myself - physically, mentally,
and spiritually nourishes my soul and keeps my creative flow going. While this might sound
generic, having a positive mindset is a practise that I undertake every single day, especially
on days that are not the best. Making peace with the ebb and flow, the fact that moments,
when I feel low, are gonna come anyway, but it passes- has helped me cope better. And
knowing that life is always bigger than what it looks to me. In a way, this project is a loop in
itself- it inspires me to keep going, and I keep going when I’m inspired!
6. How do you address and overcome any self-doubt that arises during your project?
As someone who’s had a lot of setbacks, while being a perfectionist, ghosts of self-doubt
always are around me. Most days I get up, and fight them, some days these ghosts are darker
and lurk around more than usual, other days I’m shining brighter, and I tell myself I cannot
let them dim my light. It is about reminding myself every single day that I’m bigger than my
fears, insecurities, and self-doubt- it is not mine, it is a part of me that I have to let go of.
Reminding myself that I am bigger than all of this– and to meet the person I want to become,
this fight is inevitable. Somedays it is about reminding myself of difficult situations I’ve been
through in the past. It is about an inherent knowing, a belief and a faith that I will come out
stronger, and wiser. We all have moments like these, but not giving up regardless, is the key.
7. What are your future goals or plans for “Life Imitates Art”?
I want to continue looking at life through this lens of art, no matter where I am, or even when
life is stagnant and mundane. I want to continue expressing it in words, through pictures and
artwork. A lot of creative ideas come out of me when I’m travelling, and I can’t wait to work
on them when I am travelling.
IG: @lifeimitatesart
Blog: https://substack.com/@bloomingdale
