Meet Arunima Agarwal | Disruptive Designer and Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arunima Agarwal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arunima, how do you think about risk?
The capacity to take risks is an indicator of the presence of curiosity. Without curiosity, there is no growth, no innovation, no indulgence. If you aren’t open to few absolutely batshit crazy experiences, you might miss out on a lot of deeply fulfilling ones too.

A curious approach towards the unknown is the key to living an experientially rich life. Richer experiences bring deeper connections, fostering joy, playfulness, love and surrender. It’s a life lived in abandon, in full devotion to oneself and others.

Risk only breeds resilience and a capacity for a life of freedom. We can’t live in our authenticity without a fondness for taking risks. It’s an immersive approach to life.

I have always moved very unconventionally in my personal and professional life. Navigating childhood traumas and chronic illnesses while also chasing all work experiences that called out to me in my 20s, irrespective of my qualifications, has given me innate shape shifting capabilities.

My diverse work experience and critical life experiences have made me question the boundaries of what is considered art, design, tech or business. Risk is how we move this boundary, and create bigger jumps. Interconnectedness is nothing but a byproduct of risk and failures.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I graduated as an architect and soon diversified into various other art, design, marketing and business roles. I was always working at least 2 jobs at once, just for the sake of experience. I have worked with corporate, design studios, artists, government, communities and social workers alike. I have also volunteered to help friends with their processes, purely out of curiosity about their expertise.

I have also solo traveled since I was a teenager, enriching my understanding of people and cultures. I have in the process also done odd jobs like travel hostel management and moonlighting as a travel guide. Since most of my experience has been in a heritage rich country like India, my understanding of complexity and chaos has amplified.

It’s given me a strong vision for bringing together unseemly ideas and people together into a unified experience. I would like to believe I am an artist in my vision and a strategist in my expression, which is the creative process I want to slowly build into various business models for the growing market within creative economy.

It hasn’t been easy to navigate this idea, as the field doesn’t exist yet, and my vision has been tough to comprehend by linear practices. It’s been a relentless pursuit of an idea through various jobs and projects over the last 8 years. There have been a fair share of failures and successes on the way. But I am finally in a place where I can start moving towards the end goal of integrated creative practice that goes beyond aesthetics.

I have also worked within cultural research, storytelling and exhibition narratives. I am a teacher in training for the ancient spiritual science of Tantra, as well as for Vagus Nerve healing and Art Therapy. I am integrating that with my interest in Tantra artwork, and native art and rituals. It’s an open exploration and I would be intrigued if it leads to a business at a junction of culture, education and design.

Though my work experience sounds chaotic on the surface, it has sharpened my T skills, as well as my strategy and management skills. It’s also deepened my art and design practice. It gives me a deeper understanding of what disruption actually is and my work grows more and more experiential with it. My goal is for my work to be a living entity and not just a product or service.

Multitasking also brings a bigger vision for integrative interdisciplinary collaborations. It’s creativity in its purest essence. It goes beyond the current understanding of design as a passive aesthetic or a limited composition. It rather positions design as the main dynamic tool behind all work and existence.

Every decision in life is a sensorial dance between creativity and logic. If we learn to start dwelling at the center of it, we can create new frameworks of perception and cultural experiences. I play with design, art, research, business strategies and technology in the hope it keeps leading me to a new way of thinking and working.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Delhi is a very rich city to explore in India. It’s also the gateway to some beautiful ancient cities around, as well as to the Himalayas. Depending on the season, I would take my friend to Kasar Devi in Uttrakhand for forest baths, or to Varanasi which is the main spiritual center in India and also has some amazing food, eccentric rituals and an experience of the occult, or to Jaipur for some old palaces and the shopping. Within the city, I would take them to Lutyen’s Delhi and Mehrauli for monuments and good cocktails and fancy dining. I would also take them to Chandni Chowk, Nizamuddin and Khan Market for some amazing kebabs and traditional Mughal food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Everyone who has ever been a part of my life deserves a shoutout. But if I have to name a few, it has to be my parents for their constant support, my closest friend for nominating me, and all my mentors for the wisdom they have imparted. I would give the biggest shoutout to Anthony Bourdain for the life he lived, and the inspiration he’s been through my childhood and even now. To give me a glimpse into what magic can come out of your own curiosity and explorations. Also to my mentor Amitabh from Shivashaktivigyan for helping me integrate my authenticity and personal power with a regulated nervous system, and strong professional explorations.

Website: www.pulladot.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arunimagarwal/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunimagarwal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arunimagarwal/

Other: Blog – iorenda.wordpress.com