The artpreneur is upon us: How different kinds of artists are taking over 2025

No longer are artists sacrificing material comforts for their artRather in 2025 artistled brands and businesses have mushroomed And instead of struggling artists are acquiring skills they need to run and grow a businessYashashri Shildhankar studied ceramics at Sir JJ School of Art at a time when few chose the style When she graduated there were only three other ceramic artists in Mumbai she says Her brand and studio Clay Explore in W is built on two decades of practising and teaching the art form ldquoI love to create pieces and leave them rawrdquo says the artist while showing us her latest collection of contemporary cups and mugsWhen Shildhankar graduated avenues for artists were few Apart from participating in exhibits and showcasing your art at galleries you could set up your own studiomdashan expensive affair for fresh graduates Or you could teach So Shildhankar chose the latter It was only in 2010 that she got a studio space ldquoBack then art schools didnrsquot teach you how to sell or market yourself as an artist Now courses have that aspect The younger generation have started studios immediately after graduating They donrsquot want to work under somebody they want to make things and start sellingrdquo she saysArchitects looking to get bespoke pieces made for their clients and clients valuing handmade artistic pieces have helped Shildhankarrsquos business bloom But scaling the business is still a challenge ldquoI focus on unique pieces because I handpaint wall plates vases and other items So you will find only single pieces on my website And I keep changing the collectionrdquo says Shildhankar who blocks time in her day to simply sit and create She splits her time between creating pieces for art exhibits her brand and also runs workshops for hobbyists beginners and advanced potters ldquoI have two studio assistants Everything else including admin and backoffice work and marketing all aspects of the business are taken care of by merdquoThe Piko Shop by Pranita Kocharekar sells illustrated stationery including journals planners calendars totes caps and tshirtsWorking on their brand as oneperson teams is not uncommon for artists as budgets are tight and they are the face and the hands of the brand But if the daytoday running of a business is impinging on creation then help is required Founder of The Studio Project Kanika Ranka Adani works with a small team that handles all the other departments of the business After graduating in fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago she worked in advertising and textiles Until one day she spent time painting a canvas shoe at a friendrsquos studioPainting wearable art and posting about it on Snapchat woke the ldquoartpreneurrdquo within her It led to more wearable art orders from relatives and friends eventually pushing Adani to launch The Studio Project While there were already other artists creating and selling wearable art Adani says ldquoThe quality and the finishing I provide no one can compete with thatrdquoRachna Takawale is a calligrapher and engraver and takes up bulk orders offers onsite services for events sells tools and notebooks through her online stationery shopUnder her brand Adani transforms luxury accessories into bespoke wear Her creations include handpainted bags wallets shoes or jackets Her list of clients includes the likes of Virat Kohli who was snapped at the airport carrying a Louis Vuitton duffle bag handpainted by AdaniWhat does it take for an art brand to become successful ldquoSocial media Therersquos always a fine line between content and art but it goes handinhandrdquo she saysBut making content is tiring Given a choice Pranita Kocharekar would keep her phone away ldquoItrsquos exhausting to think of content a lot of insecurities come up when yoursquore facing the screenmdashbut itrsquos not possible to love every aspect of businessrdquo she says Kocharekar admits that for artists who donrsquot have an investor backing them there are limited avenues ldquoInstagram ads are very helpful to scalerdquo says the illustrator who launched her brand The Piko Shop a yearandahalf ago out of passion Her illustrated stationerymdashincluding journals planners calendars totes caps tshirts and several other lifestyle products are centre around wellness Kocharekar who studied at Rachana Sansad in Prabhadevi stresses on the need to create multiple streams of income Along with her brand Kocharekar continues to illustrate for brands and offers design consultations as wellRanka Adani transforms luxury accessories into bespoke wear Her list of clients includes the likes of Virat Kohli who was snapped at the airport carrying a Louis Vuitton duffle bag handpainted by AdaniAnd thatrsquos what Rachna Takawale does as wellmdashbuilding multiple streams of income and products As a calligrapher and engraver she takes up bulk orders offers onsite services for events sells tools and notebooks through her online stationery shop and offers workshops and digital courses on calligraphy and engravingIt might seem like Takawale has built this over decades but it was only during the pandemic that she worked on scaling her business in this manner After a sixyearlong corporate job Takawale taught herself calligraphy and engraving to soon become one of Mumbairsquos goto calligraphy artists She is now sought after by brands such as Dior Adidas BMW YouTube and Diego which found her via social media ldquoI often have to justify my price to clients even now But gradually people are becoming more accepting I think itrsquos also because a lot of people are now going back to art even if itrsquos as a hobbyrdquo