Timestamp	Summary
0:00	Introduction and Recording Challenges
2:28	Overwhelm and Disruptions
4:53	Reflecting on Personal Chaos
5:53	Remembering and Coping with Loss
8:20	Achievements and Creative Projects
11:24	Valuing Community Connections

**** – (): Charuka (00:02.582)

**** – (): Okay, so I’m recording this episode because I was supposed to interview someone for today’s episode, but my guest didn’t show up and I thought I would take this as a sign that I should basically come back again and do some thought sharing and something. You know what? The biggest problem is that a lot of times when I record these solo episodes, I feel like there’s a lot of expectation I should be doing in the sense of, I should be sharing something very valuable. I should have something very insightful to say.

**** – (): or something like, you know, just I should have a cleaner background, the perfect light, or even I should have been, you know, I don’t know, look better, all of those things. And I think that is a few of the reasons why I often I’m not able to do these because my life is so scattered at the moment where I find very few alone moments and I have so many calls to other day. And like, I just feel like a lot.

**** – (): lot of distractions to be able to come here and do that but I’m hoping I will cope up better with all of those things and for me 2025 is about you know removing the noise and the distractions and going deeper and truly just keeping what I really want and letting go of things that I think I should have wanted or I think I need them but I have to ask myself do I really need them?

**** – (): So when I was thinking of recording this episode, was like, okay, I don’t even know what should I say? Do I even have anything relevant? I don’t even know. And I don’t even want to record this as formally. I want the podcast to become more and more casual, more and more real, so that I also am able to remove a layer from my own self, the pressure, and can show up more. So I don’t even know what this podcast.

**** – (): by now is about. There a couple of things on my mind. I’ve been thinking of course the year end is coming and year ends are very anxious for me. Not because I have a lot of expectations but I think in general it feels like I think November and December in general for me feel very disruptive like you know in India we have Diwali which is like a major celebration then there’s like

**** – (): Charuka (02:28.974)

**** – (): Black Friday and then there’s like, it’s Christmas and then the festive like there’s so many things that happen and like the changing weather and like all of those things happen and I feel like, God, it’s just so hard to put myself in a rhythm sometimes. And so I have been very overwhelmed, honestly, very overwhelmed, overwhelmed with so many things that’s happening in the sense that I find

**** – (): too many movements. My own personal life is so scattered at the moment. I just packed up another studio. So literally right now, where I’m recording is a desk, a wall that you often see on Instagram is where I’m recording from. I don’t have a studio right now, my studio here in Agra where my mom’s and my friend’s house is. I had to pack that up because my landlord, you know, they basically needed the apartment.

**** – (): So we vacated that apartment, then my studio in Delhi. We also had to vacate that office space. So I had to vacate that also from studio to studio basically. I have come to zero, but honestly, like this place where I have here in my room, which is also practically a lot of mess. I don’t want to show you, but I’m sure you can see. It’s a lot of mess, but this place gives me a lot of peace.

**** – (): my room and you know the table here that I have which I often paint, read and write on. I think it gives me a lot of peace so I’m grateful for that. Very very grateful because if I wouldn’t have that right now I don’t think what I would do. And I don’t know why I’m even sharing all of these things but I’m also telling myself constantly that no I don’t I don’t necessarily have to put up a facade or I have to come and just look all put together because I’m far from being put together.

**** – (): A lot of times what we see online is that we are very put together, but that’s far from true. My life is such a big mess and so much happens and so many confusions and coordinations. But I’m hoping to get better. I really am, because I understand that how much all of these things bother me. It really bothers me that I’m not able to follow a structure which I really like.

**** – (): Charuka (04:53.254)

**** – (): and have like you know just have more calm and patience. I’m a person by nature who really resonates with things that are slow but I think the work of the nature, the life that I’ve lived for the last five seven years has been so fast and with so much happening that now I’m tossed between these two ideas. I am that girl who often thinks that I should leave everything.

**** – (): and then go to the mountains, find a beautiful studio, take my dogs and just never come back and never pick up a call or things like that. But maybe I’ll do that one day. Maybe I won’t. Who knows? mean, but I’m sure that I will figure something out that makes me feel more grounded for sure. Yeah, so 2025 is coming. I don’t even believe like how 2024 has already ended. For me, year ends are more

**** – (): Charuka (05:53.792)

**** – (): like you know ever since my mom’s passing I keep on thinking with another year that another year has gone by and I hate that fact because I feel like how fast and quick this all of this is happening while I think of her every day but also I just feel like like you know how we’ve already spent three years without her life has moved so much changed so much which I I still

**** – (): struggle to cope up with but also the fear that as I am also growing and time is passing that I’m also moving far and far away from all those memories and I fear that how I mean with time what if they start to fade and that I will never have new ones so yeah

**** – (): I think that is something that really bothers me specifically towards the end of these years because it’s it’s something I completely always think about but I’m trying to I’m trying to work on it. I’m trying to work on it. On a brighter note I think I have been working on a vision board for a couple of years. I think it’s been there for me. This year I intend to take off a few things and elevate it.

**** – (): and change it and make it brighter and bigger but more calmer and grounding. I think that’s what I want to add in my own vision board this year. But then, I don’t know, I mean, what else has been on my mind? We published a lot of books that I’m very, very excited for. We published the Studio Visit book and the Women Artists on the Rise, which was the Emerging Women Artists Award book.

**** – (): A lot of these books that we’ve published this year have been very, very beautiful and so well made. And I just feel so proud sometimes because I am obsessed with design and art and all of those things. And when we make products that make me want to be a part of them and make me feel proud, which is I’m not an easy person when it comes to all of these things, then I feel like, my God.

**** – (): Charuka (08:20.986)

**** – (): There’s something really like I really I mean just I love the books that they are just so beautiful I’m sure every artist when they open there’s like this butterfly that comes in their stomach looking at their work being published like this and being distributed all over the world and I only hope that I know that we’re still small and it’s just we’re on the tip of like we’re just a tiny baby at the moment and I hope that I don’t know what we’ll grow into and I only hope that whatever we do in the future

**** – (): We bring value to all our community members, to all our artists, to everyone else actually. So yeah, that’s about it. I’m a big mess. This episode is about that. Just sharing my random thoughts and putting them out there and also showing you my cool light. Yeah, you can see them. You can also see my wall in the background here if you’re watching this on YouTube.

**** – (): So yeah, it’s a candid chat. I want to hear who you are. I actually want to one day I really want to do something where I want to hear who’s listening to these episodes. Who are these people? Who’s I want to meet you guys. want to like I really like over the years I love the internet, but I love the intimacy of meeting people and I love knowing people who these faces are, what their voices are, what their names are, where they come from.

**** – (): So I want to know each one of you and I wish there was a way to do that and maybe there is. I haven’t just figured it yet. But if you know me and if you are listening to this and you want to say me a hi, you can say me a hi on Instagram. You can send me an email at charcaror23 or you can email me at info at archduartsproject.com. There several ways you can find me. But just say me hi. You found me from the podcast and

**** – (): Just tell me about you and I will get back to you for sure because I think anything and everything that we do and where my heart absolutely lies like you know with the arts also is the connections that we make and they are just they’re just the most valuable thing for me and yes I’ll come back soon once another guest ditches me next time so that’ll be a story to tell later okay see you bye bye

.

About the Guest(s):

Charuka Arora is the founder of the Arts to Hearts Project and Host of the Arts to Hearts Podcast. She is also an acclaimed Indian artist known for her contemporary embellished paintings. Her unique blend of gouache, collage, embroidery, painting, and drawing explores the intersection of art, culture, heritage, and womanhood. Through her work, she tells stories of female strength and encapsulates them in pieces that can be treasured for generations.

Episode Summary:

In this introspective episode, Charuka shares her candid thoughts amidst a solo recording session after a guest’s last-minute cancellation. She opens up about the pressures and expectations of producing valuable content and the challenges of finding solitude in a life filled with distractions and transitions. Charuka’s reflections on her fast-paced years and her yearning for calmness and grounding set the stage for this thought-provoking and genuine episode.

As the, year-end approaches, Charuka finds herself overwhelmed by the festive season’s disruptions and scatter of her personal life, including relocating her studios. She emphasizes the importance of letting go of unnecessary distractions in 2025 and moving towards a more intentional and mindful space. The narrative weaves through her gratitude for the simple joys and spaces that bring her peace, alongside her aspirations for a grounding vision for her future. The episode closes with Charuka encouraging her listeners to reach out and share their stories, championing the connections that truly resonate with her in the art community.

Key Takeaways

he importance of letting go of unnecessary distractions to create a more intentional and meaningful space in life.

How personal transitions, such as relocating creative workspaces, can both disrupt and inspire a reflection on what truly brings peace and joy.

The challenges of maintaining authenticity online amidst pressures to appear polished and composed.

Charuka’s dedication to enhancing her vision board with elements that promote calmness and grounding.

The value Charuka places on community connections and engaging personally with her podcast listeners.

Notable Quotes:

“For me, 2025 is about removing the noise and the distractions and going deeper and truly just keeping what I really want.”

“I’m a person by nature who really resonates with things that are slow, but the work of the nature, the life that I’ve lived for the last five seven years has been so fast.”

“I don’t necessarily have to put up a facade or I have to come and just look all put together because I’m far from being put together.”

“I want the podcast to become more and more casual, more and more real, so that I also am able to remove a layer from my own self.”

“I love the books that they are just so beautiful. I’m sure every artist, when they open, there’s like this butterfly that comes in their stomach looking at their work being published like this.”

Charuka Arora is the founder of the Arts to Hearts Project and Host of the Arts to Hearts Podcast. She is also an acclaimed Indian artist known for her contemporary embellished paintings. Her unique blend of gouache, collage, embroidery, painting, and drawing explores the intersection of art, culture, heritage, and womanhood. Through her work, she tells stories of female strength and encapsulates them in pieces that can be treasured for generations.

Charuka’s work draws inspiration from Hindu mythology, recognizing women as vessels of Shakti, the cosmic energy. She beautifully portrays powerful goddesses like Durga Maa riding a tiger or lion, symbolizing their unlimited power to protect virtue and combat evil.

Through her art, Charuka invites us into the world of women, showcasing their beauty, strength, and resilience. Her creations not only exhibit exceptional talent but also serve as an inspiration and a symbol of hope for those challenging societal norms.

Arts to Hearts Podcast is a show delving into the lives and passions of renowned artists. From running creative businesses and studio art practices to cultivating a successful mindset, Charuka Arora engages in heartfelt conversations with her guests. Experience your personal happy hour with your favorite artists right in your studio.

Through candid discussions, Charuka and her guests reveal the joys and challenges of a vibrant creative life, both within and beyond our studios. Get ready to be inspired and uplifted as you tune in.