Anusha Suresh

Wanderlust Boutique, Artist

“It took a while for me to call myself an Artist as all my life, I’ve heard, “Art is just a passion and not a career.” Despite being a straight-A Masters student, A professional Yakshagana Dancer and having worked as a professor in a reputed college, I am now a Jewellery Designer and an Artist.

Creativity is not celebrated in our culture and the rat-race of doctors and engineers has us keeping our passion tucked away because we are scared to be different. We are scared to know or even accept ourselves. A creative mind is free from all the boundaries and rules and when it is devoid of worldly perceptions, we choose to expand and open our minds to various possibilities, options, knowledge, ideas!

Wanderlust Art Boutique - customising jewellery is a means to express my creativity and to sell the idea that each piece is unique, personalised and epitomizing. Customisation is a flow and a process of learning, empowering each other, inspiring and uniting us in the best possible way. Sometimes a concept materialises into something entirely different and that is the beauty of this!

I am currently working on a collection - Sthree, based on 9 different women who fill out a questionnaire and inspired by their lives, I create artful jewellery pieces. Whoever can relate to these traits, chooses these jewellery pieces. I am very passionate about this collection. We try to find ourselves in the things we own and wish to have our mark on them. If something is available everywhere, how is that any special?

We are so bogged down by the world of mass production that we do not realise that the world of fast fashion consists of unethical work environments and harmful practices and consumerism toward these giants is indirectly supporting this unscrupulousness.

We need to be able to appreciate and accept the individuality of Creativity. It does not matter if someone does not paint or sketch, the rules are non-existent when there is an appreciation for being passionate about something. There IS no comparison to adhere to! India has been a land of beauty and creativity and yet, we stress on running on a hamster wheel scared to get off. This cycle needs to break and for people to be appreciated and be successful in their journeys, creativity and quirkiness needs to be set-free. Let people define their own terms of success, of happiness!

Success in terms of money-making is not my goal, the niche nature of my brand lies with the expansion of the idea of customisation. I would like for it to reach a point where I can tell a story with my Art. Wanderlust Art Boutique accessories are more of conversation-starters right from conception to completion, it represents the beauty of knowing ourselves and being able to express this peculiarity is where I am headed and I don’t intend to stop.”

Interviewed and transcribed by Maryam Syed