Through the artistic lens

Upcycled products

By expressing creativity, one can experience freedom, according to Grishma, the founder of a ‘twisted desi’ start-up called ‘Ingenious Imaginoes’ (i2). There is a healing power in her creativity as her products are not only beautiful but also eco-friendly.

“At i2, we are preserving the environment in style by making beautiful things from scrap,” says Grishma. Bottle lamps, paper lamp shades, plastic jewellery, plastic lamp shades, paper coasters, paper print art, wall hangings... the creativity here knows no limits. Apart from these, i2 also sells homemade chocolates that are rich in both taste and nutrients.

“I am a dance movement psychotherapist certified from London and currently pursuing certificate courses from the USA, which require me to shuttle between India and USA. The stall culture in the City has risen to provide a platform to budding talents and this in a way gave birth to i2,” she says. Her firm was initially started to encourage her mother, Lakshmi, to showcase her talent. “My mother makes delicious chocolates and after years of shying away, she finally agreed to put up her own stall of homemade chocolates,” she says. But unfortunately, it did not do very well the and she says, “Customers showed less interest in homemade products. But I realised that the jewellery stalls were more fortunate and that is when I decided to make jewellery to help my mother attract more customers. It clicked and now we have clients, both for our jewellery and homemade chocolates,” she explains.

The journey that began as a support to her mother let her explore more of her creative skills and she says, “My interest to learn only kept growing. Gradually, I began to learn quilling jewellery through online blogs and videos. I let my imagination go wild and loved every bit of what I was making and learning at the same time. I started selling and taking customised orders and the business just grew.” Her exploration made her realise how expensive the raw materials were.

“I saw a lot of unused products at home from newspapers to books and bottles, which would soon make their way to the scrapstores. I collected them and experimented with everything that I could lay my hands on. Slowly, I saw an abundant flow of raw materials.”

The bottles were turned into lamp holders, papers into quirky earrings. Scrap was ‘reincarnated’ in a beautiful way and she added a ‘desi twist’ to all her creations, which reflected Indian tradition and culture. She says, “I completely enjoy the process of creating new products and am happy that they reflect our culture. ‘i2’ ships its products to the US too. I have to thank my mother for steering me in the direction of freedom and creativity.”

Now an active participant in the City’s flea markets, she reasons, “Not every venue appreciates upcycled and handmade products. Keeping a stall means living up to the ever-changing trends to compete with the other vendors. This I feel inhibits my freedom of creativity. Hence, I do not exhibit at many flea markets. Instead, I take customised orders over the phone or e-mails.” With her artistic glasses on, Grishma works towards making products that puts a smile on her clients’ face.

For details, visit her Facebook page ‘Ingenious Imaginoes’ or email her at [e-mail]