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Passion To Profession — Meet The Social Media Influencers Pursuing Their Passion Projects As Full-Time Profession!

Written By: Sonali
December 6, 2020
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Remember the time when the term social media influencer started to pick up? Today, it has turned into a full-fledged profession, and people are doing exactly what they love in the name of it.

Today in our #PassionToProfession series, I’m happy to introduce three such social media influencers from the industry of food, film, and fashion who are not only doing what they love but also inspiring their thousands of followers to follow their dreams — for them, this is not some side project but their passion which they are living and enjoying wholeheartedly!

Shikha Shetty

Who doesn’t love food? But for Shikha, her clear passion was in the food space, and thus she started her venture Chief Foodie Officer (CFO) three years back, with which she is pursuing her passion project.

“I belong to a family of hoteliers, and the creativity one can get to your food has always amazed me. I like to enjoy food styling and like to innovate with various ingredients and cuisines,” says the Mumbai food influencer.

“The three-year journey of CFO has been terrific and has inspired me to the next level. I have connected with hotels, food brands, institutions, corporates, media publications, and so many wonderful people. My followers on my page drive me and inspire me to try out various avenues in the food space,” she continues.

On asking about the type of investment one might have to make while entering this industry, she says that financial investment for any business can be subjective. Still, the investment of time, effort, passion and consistency is what one should make while venturing into any industry.

And every investment brings an ROI. The business process is cyclic. It starts with investments and grows with the product, information and knowledge one offers. Collaborations, partnerships and deal with food brands, restaurants, products are good marketing avenues which create a win-win situation and are strong pillars for success for any influencer.

Shikha, today, has more than 54k followers on her Instagram page, and her venture has already completed three whopping years of success. The major regret she holds though is that she should have started this more early, and should not have held herself back fearing the results and consequences.

In the end, she says, “women, you know, can do miracles! They could be the best in everything, and the sky is the limit for them. All they need to do is push themselves a little more!”

Supriya Mishra

I know her as a beautiful human, adorable daughter, lovely sister and an amazing poet — she is known for her writings and poetry recitations. And probably the zeal and passion for writing made her start Whitebirdtrails which is a platform to celebrate a cross-cultural conclave of artforms that reach us in forms of literature, film, music, etc.

“Our platform brings the struggles and stories of individuals from the various fields of the medium that bring light to the creative process and the idea behind finding an artistic voice, to provide a path of guidance for the youth trying to find their way into the industry, while also celebrating the craft and love associated with these mediums,” says the 27YO founder who started this wonder in April 2020 with her friend Ankit Tiwari.

In just eight months, Whitebirdtrails have got an unexpected response from the speakers and the audience. From notable people like Rajat Kapoor, Sudhir Mishra, Jameel Gulrayz, to the team of Mirzapur, Leslee Udwin, Alokanand Das Gupta, the list is very long. And the Mumbai girl is giving her best to make it a hit.

Few suggestions that Supriya would like to share with our readers are,

“Be yourself and choose & grab your opportunities. Learn from your failures, and keep working hard.”

“Manage your finances well. Don’t overspend. Don’t underspend too. This was a digital initiative, so initially, we only invested in buying a premium plan for Zoom. And now on social media. But before you get into it, find what’s important for your venture and remember: money only comes when you are dedicated and passionate about it. Choose a good team. People who believe in you and your mission,” she further continues.

Once you start getting viewers/ traction on your page/ content, you can consider generating revenues out of it too. Supriya suggests monetizing your content or organizing paid events could be one of those options. But, before that, quality content and dedication is what it demands.

In the end, she says, “all you need to have is dedication, time management, planning, and execution. Believe in yourself, and your dream and things will start falling in place.”

Pooja Motwani

A fashion influencer & designer by profession and a social activist by heart, Delhi-based Pooja is a perfect inspiration for people who want to start their passion project from scratch.

“I started working just after finishing my school in 2004, and I always wanted to do something different and creative in life,” says Pooja who was always fond of fancy jewellery and trendy clothes. She knew what was in trend, and what wasn’t in fashion.

It has been 15 years since Pooja stepped into this industry and with multiple exhibitions in more than 16 countries, people love her work — both online and offline. Her brand offers a complete range of Indian wear including suits, sarees, lehengas, and costume jewellery designed by herself and handcrafted by skilled craftsmen. Apart from this, she also owns My Rajasthan Concept and Moh Essentials Rose Gold Oil.

“Always believe in giving 100% to your work, and you will definitely get a positive result,” says the fashion influencer. “Investment could be the second part; the most important thing is to have the courage and ability to do something different. And this can only be achieved by believing in yourself more than anything else. And yes, invest in creativity and hard work.”

Pooja says that being a fashion influencer has its own perks — one can earn by setting up an exhibition or by affiliate marketing or by selling through shops, social media collaboration etc. and can make up to INR 2-3 lakhs per month. But she also mentions the fact that it takes time and patience to reach that stage.

The soft-hearted social activist also mentions that she regrets trusting people who cheated her for goods/ money. She believes in women empowerment and has encouraged and helped many women in establishing their business by giving innovative ideas. She has also contributed tremendously during Kashmir floods, Nepal earthquake, Chennai floods, St Marteen Hurricane, Kerela floods, and has given ration to more than 3000 families in COVID-19 relief.

In the end, she says, “follow your dreams. Please study hard and trust yourself. Do not give up easily as anything takes time to bring a positive result. But if you remain focussed, you can achieve anything and everything.”

Nothing comes easy, but then who wants it easy? Do you know any social media influencer or an entrepreneur or are you one? Write your #PassionToProfession story to us and let the world get inspired by your wonderful journey!

FashioninspirationInspirational womanLifestylePassion To Professionsocial mediasocial media influencerstartupswomen empowerment

Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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Infano Care

This Lady Designs Adaptive Clothing For People With Disabilities

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
October 4, 2020 | 12:51 PM |
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When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This is what Suomita Basu did. When psoriatic arthritis got the better of her affecting over 80% of her mobility, and she had to give up her work and career because of this chronic illness, she decided to start a brand of her own. And thus was born Zyenika, a range of adaptive and inclusive clothing for those with disabilities and physical challenges who found dressing up difficult or needed assistance.

“Zyenika is a house of trendy, fashionable, and functional clothing which is easy to wear, and comfortable. My aim was to increase the independence and dignity in dressing”, says Soumita who is based in Kolkata.

The clothing industry does not cater to this section of people in society. Chronic pain sufferers, people with physical disabilities, senior citizens, autistic people can find it difficult to dress up or maybe semi or totally dependent on a caregiver. Being wheelchair-bound or bed-bound can also mean that wearing regular clothes is a challenge. But this should not mean having to wear boring ill-fitting clothes. When her own illness progressed, Soumita found it more and more difficult to manage on her own.

“My wardrobe discouraged me from meeting people or even getting on a video call. Missing my cousin’s wedding became the turning point: I refused to be locked in anymore. And I refused to dress in pain every single day”, she reminisces.

“A person with physical challenges knows how difficult or cumbersome and even painful something as basic and necessary as clothing can be. These challenges may be mild, moderate, or severe”, says Soumita who is a wheelchair user herself. But she feels that this should not compromise on the sense of dressing or fashion. “Your style and dressing speak volumes about you. It defines you. It’s a form of expression of who you are. When you are deprived of that it can lead you feeling low, sad, depressed and that doesn’t help any more than what you are going through already”. Soumita wants to empower them with the freedom to choose and wear what they want to by providing them with a label of bespoke wear because why not?!


Uniquely designed traditional men’s kurta, with no buttons or fasteners

After enough research, identifying a vacuum in the market for inclusive wear, and her own body for trials, Zyenika was born. It sure hasn’t been easy but Soumita is happy with the support and response she has received. A wrap-up saree which can be worn lying down, a kurta without buttons, pre draped sarees which can be worn effortlessly, and adaptive innerwear for men and women are the kind of clothes she is working on.  

Sourcing the fabric, conceptualizing the designs, explaining it to the tailoring team, and overlooking the execution are all done by her. With no formal training in this industry, Soumita is self-taught and spent a lot of time learning the art and the trade. Not having formal training also came as a blessing because that gives her a space to think outside of the norms and comfort zone of the art form and that’s where most of her designs come from.

Easy to slip on top made with handloom cotton, No need to raise arms easy for poor grip/low fine motor skills

“It’s important to have that space where one is not told to ‘adjust’. When people ask me, “is it possible to design that way?” Yes, it is. It’s always possible to be thoughtful. That’s all it takes for good design, I say”. Adapting to the challenges of Cerebral Palsy for a customer, the clothing Soumita designed has many hidden features like a knee pad to support her when she crawls with the zips on both sides of the palazzo to transform it to shorts for easier wear and washroom use.

Also, Soumita wants to make sure that her team at Zyenika involves the deserving section of the society, and hence it is a women-led organization. “We strive to have a more inclusive team and ensure more dignified livelihood opportunities for marginalized sections of the society as our suppliers and workers. We are supported by GIAN (Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network), Ahmedabad at the ideation stage.”

Zyenika is also conscious about not adding to the landfill and believes in reusing and recycling. “Give us your old clothes and we will create your new restyled clothes”, says Soumita.

For Soumita, Zyenika is more than a brand or a vocation. It’s her desire to move forward in life despite her disability. It is her hope and wish that she is greater than that and no matter however small her effort may be today, she is consciously making an effort to better someone’s life and that feeling is not a small one.

Zyenika clothing is available at zyenika.com

adaptive clothingchronic disorderchronic illnessinclusive clothinginfanopassionto professionsoumita basuzyenika

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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