Janhavee Shailesh Dawada

Growing up in a typical Indian household, many life choices are already set for you since the time you are born. One of them is career path, of course. Both of my parents dreamt of me, becoming a doctor. Hence, after high school, I started preparing for entrance exams for medical colleges and I failed miserably. I wasn’t much shocked as I knew the result all along. While studying, my mind would thoughtlessly drift to art and in no time I would start drawing designs at the back of my notebook. I would lose myself for hours drawing sketches and forget the track of time. Instead of practicing equations of physics, I was obsessed with monochrome art, like charcoal paintings and polychrome art  too, like make-up using a variety of colors. I had always known my passion, but it was tough to convince my parents that a respectful career can still be made by following my passion.

So, after that, I got enrolled in BSc Biology as my choice of career was still unacceptable. I got along with the course just fine but couldn’t leave my love for art. I kept practicing and learning on my own. I knew if I worked hard enough, someday my parents will get convinced. I started out as a free-lancing make-up artist. As I was worked independently, it was tough to start out and get clients. Also, there was often a schedule problem which conflicted with my classes. It was tough to manage but then I had to make it happen. And slowly my hard work started to pay off. My work grew, and I started getting more business proposals. My cousins had more acceptable career choices as per society standards, so there was always a comparison. I didn’t pay much attention to it because I believed myself and had the courage to prove everyone wrong. Then there was a time where people who had discouraged me for choosing art as an occupation would request me for sketches, portraits etc. Finally, my parents realized my hustles and gave me their un-conditional support. The step-up in my career was when I got a scholarship from a Delhi based institute to learn professional make-up in 2020. Since then, there is no turning back. Now I have started giving make-up tutorials on my social media handles and have a lot more dreams which I plan to achieve one day.

Total Work Experience : 2 Years (Freelance Sketch)

[Certified Make-Up Artist]