Once Upon a Time…
On my left is Aruna.
Where do I begin?
This shouldn’t be a very hard question to answer, and yet “once upon a time” always sounds like the most enchanting tale, but I think it’s appropriate to tell one’s story like looking in a mirror; not reliving it but rather telling their story like they are above it. The ambiguous nature of the following origin story should show the reader “her” drive to do what “she” loves.
Well, where does one start? I suppose they start at the beginning, of course, and of course, she had been a little girl at some point. She had felt a small sense of wonder back then but she desperately searched for avenues of expression. I think she felt stifled in a way. So, naturally, she took to art. Even in childhood, there was never a day that the little girl didn’t enjoy art and design like the little unspoken engineer that she was…this was her attempt to be seen and heard.
She was more than an artist. She became a maker; destined to make connections through innovation and wonder. Most importantly she wanted to be loud enough to bring awareness to the oppression of animal welfare and their habitat destruction. We share the world with incredible creatures and they don’t have a voice. Like her, their voices have fallen on deaf ears. The hardest part was the waiting game; waiting to be old enough in maturity to carry out her mission one day at a time. She pursued art in school first, but she could take those resources with her and so she learned how animals thrive in captivity next. She needed another avenue to reach people and make ends meet, so she learned how to care for animals from every source she could think of. In time, this knowledge she knew she could finally pass on so she went back to art. She created a studio space and now has nothing to stand in her way….
She found kindred spirits in animals. As she grew up, she wanted to help, but how could she? She was just one person. With every project, she knows it will make a small difference but it will mean the world to an animal in need because it will rally community effort. She knew that the life she wanted would be a hard one to flush out. To find the niche she belonged to to make the most difference would be the hardest thing she’ll have to do but she knows it will be worth it.
