In this episode of the Arts to Hearts Podcast, 3D Artist Shubhangi Raheja takes us on a journey of exploration into the creative paths available to us, including how to build a successful career in NFT art. She shares her experiences in animation, freelancing, and NFT art, as well as the power of art and social media.

Shubhangi discusses her story of selling an NFT for 80000 INR and offers tips for promoting artwork and taking risks for creative pursuits. Charuka Arora and Shubhangi also talk about overcoming fear, building a sustainable career in the evolving job market, and refilling the creative cup.

Through this interview, viewers can gain valuable insight into the creative paths available to them and the rewards of pursuing them. They can also learn about the keys to a successful career and get inspired to take their own creative journey.

So, tune in to this inspiring conversation and embark on your own creative journey! With Shubhangi’s experience, knowledge, and inspiration, you’ll be sure to gain insight into the creative industry and the potential opportunities available to you.

Topics covered in this podcast

• 00:02: Interview with 3D Artist Shubhangi Raheja: Exploring Creative Paths in India
• 04:23: Exploring the Power of Art and Social Media: A Conversation with Shubhangi
• 07:32: Exploring Freelancing: A Journey of Self-Discovery
• 08:45: The Journey of Animation: An Interview with Shubhangi
• 11:40: Conversation on Experiencing Self-Doubt and Feeling Lost in Creative Careers
• 16:34: Conversation on Building a Sustainable Career in the Evolving Job Market
• 18:27: Conversation on Experiences in the Creative Industry
• 22:18: Exploring 3D Animation: A Journey of Patience and Dedication
• 23:40: Conversation between Charuka Arora and Shubhangi on 3D Animation and Visual Effects
• 25:43: Exploring the FD World: Challenges, Visibility Opportunities, and Being a Woman in It
• 27:00: Exploring the Challenges of Becoming an NFT Artist: A Conversation with Shubhangi
• 32:34: Success Story of an Artist: Selling an NFT for 80000 INR”
• 34:23: Conversation on the Importance of Promoting Artwork and Sharing Creative Thoughts
• 37:16: Conversation between Charuka Arora and Shubhangi on Selling Artwork as a Career
• 38:58: Exploring the World of NFTs: A Conversation with Artist Shubhangi
• 44:58: Navigating the NFT Art World: A Conversation with Shubhangi on Her Biggest Struggles and How She Has Overcome Them
• 47:31: Conversation on Overcoming Fear and Promoting Artwork as an Artist
• 55:10: Exploring the Ups and Downs of Creative Work: A Conversation with Charuka Arora and Shubhangi

About Shubhangi Raheja

My name is Shubhangi Raheja and I am a thriving Illustrator as well as Animator with a diversified skill set. From Graphic Design to Product Branding and Packaging, I have expanded my creative abilities in numerous fields.

My passion for art is palpable and manifests itself in my everyday life. You can often find me engrossed in the art of doodling, clay modeling, or painting, whiling away my hours with creative endeavors that fuel my inner drive.

With a keen eye for detail and a knack for creating aesthetically pleasing designs, I am adept at producing the very best visual creations. My dedication and drive for the industry are unparalleled, which shine through my work consistently.

Through my work, I take pride in showcasing my unique style, wherein I combine bold new ideas with classic design principles that make my work stand out in a diverse range of fields. With unparalleled talent and a work ethic that is second to none, I am committed to creating visual art that inspires and moves the viewer.

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Key Highlights from the Episode

Q. Charuka: Can you take us through your journey and also mention something very important: very few women are in the industry where you are right now? So let’s talk a little bit about how hard or easy it has been to explore the NFT world. The challenges, the visibility opportunities, and you being a woman in it

A. Subhangi Raheja: Yeah, so um, I think as an artist I am in a constant habit of creating personal projects that happened when I was working in an advertising agency because I had a lot of time in my hands where there was a gap between projects.

So I am in court every time. Yeah, as you mentioned, the dance series is going on, so I love to play with my work in some way or another. However busy I am with the client work I am into, I try to be really disciplined with one of these things because I think that has helped me, you know, come a long way as an artist because I’m in a constant mode of creating and creating with fun. I make sure it is not that strenuous to create when you are under pressure and then also keep the ball going with other projects that are not bad but may not be the best.

I think having creative freedom Actually, even you are not even given what you call the freedom to choose your own colors in a client project. you can’t; you know you don’t get that freedom.

So um, about the challenges that you are asking in NFT, ah yeah, visibility is one thing that sometimes I do feel that the NFT project rather than having You know the art is not so valued, but your marketing of the full project or how much you talk about it is more important.

Sometimes I do feel that way, but you know if your art is good. Somebody is going to relate one day or another.

So, um, the challenges that I faced Ah, it was very easy for me to get into NFT because there was this artist who had posted online at that time. These platforms were wide-based, so you could just go up one day and decide that you wanted to be an NFT artist.

When it just started and at the end of 2020 and the start of 2201 ah, where these platforms were a little rigid, you needed that invite, so one artist who has made it big in entertainment in India had put up a post that I’m looking for some works that you know and I would give you an invite if I liked your work, I just pasted the link to one of my personal projects, which was just ah, I was learning three at that time.

So this was the first or second project where I made these two cute planters with mustaches, and at that time I was actually gardening and I had recently learned the names. Okay, this is the jade plant. This is the fighter’s plan. So, I thought I’d just write the caption, as you know, even in COVID. Um, your plants are your friends because you know you can’t actually meet your friends.

So ah, that really clicked with him, and he really loved it, and he wrote a mailbag saying, “You know, this project is really good, and please have this invite. I would like you to join as an NFT artist on this platform. So that’s how I started my Journey as an NFT artist.

Q. Charuka: What was it for you? Did you think, “Oh my God?” This could become something I could, you know, really make a living out of. This could be my profession, or, like, “Oh my God, I don’t know if I’ve sold one, I don’t know if I can ever sell another one, or should I do this? What did you do about it?

A. Shubhangi Raheja: So at that time, I was really happy that this happened. I did not think much that this could be a career because, at the time, I was just creating a channel where I could express myself, and ah, so

what happened is When your first sale happens, you come in with a lot of eyes, and then you’re supposed to pick out the second one because you can’t lose this time because everything’s watching you even if you take out your second one then.

People are watching you, so that was ah, immediately, like next week only, I made another jar, and it was ah, the peak of winter, and I had done snow, and ah, that kind of a more of a setup. So ah, that one, I think, sold even faster than the last one. Because people were watching me, I completed about 18 of them up to this point, 15 of which have been sold and three of which have not. Yeah, so I had to constantly do these.

Q. Charuka: I think something I truly feel is that artists are always exploring ways that they can transform their work into, let’s say, a painting. How can I monetize this? Of course, I’m selling my painting, but can I also make a print? Or can I also convert it into, let’s say, a screen print? Or a wall print? Or, you know, be an artist? These are viable options for us NFT is, on the contrary, something that people feel. I don’t know if it’s how they navigate. How do they find collectors? How do they sell? How do they upload? How much do they cost? What has been your biggest struggle? Um, so far, let’s first talk about that.

A. Shubhangi Raheja: Before that, if you may allow Charuka I would like to address spam and the insecurity and fear associated with it, so I will see whenever anything involves money. There is a little risk that comes if you see PTM if you say Google Pay, if you see the method of their transactions, and that is Web 2. Okay, when you’re transacting money through all these platforms, net bagging and everything on Web 2 and Web 3, that’s when it involves Ah, tiptoe, or you know, entities and everything like that is happening on a blockchain.

So for Web 2, Also, if you see, um, ah, you know, if you don’t have the correct knowledge, you are bound to, you know, get cheated, or there are some messages. Come on pm like I’m your friend Swathhi and I require this is my please through transfer. These things can happen in WebP 2 also, and similarly, these things can happen in Web3.

In fact, I’ll tell you about a very important thing that happened to me last month that I was about to get. I came in because there was this one person who came through me through Twitter, and we artists do get literally sold out when somebody’s praising our work, like when they’re constantly saying you’re so good, and that we tend to have a very meaningful conversation with that person. Regarding Nigel and the future and everything, they kept on mentioning, “I need to buy your art. So I said, “Okay, go ahead; I wouldn’t pay much attention to it,” and the normal conversation was going on. Ultimately, one day they’ll be like, “I’ve just decided that I want to. Buy these 2 art pieces of yours, and you know, you can just transfer this amount of money into my wallet, and then I’ll buy this.

This is so shady every time a collector is spying on you. They would never ask for anything from you or accept your artwork. They would never. You know it’s like in the real world that somebody would say something so nonsense in order to scam you. You just have to be aware, but I was also falling into the trap because I thought that person was so smart.

What he did was create a Twitter profile, and the foundation profile is where you list your art books to be sold. So the Twitter profile he had for this person and the foundation profile showed that they have collected a lot of books from different artists, which means they’ve spent a lot of money, so they were looking very genuine at that time.

So I have an API who I was working with on another Nft project, so I just copied and pasted this conversation and sent it to them, and they just because he is a little senior to me in this all. He just caught this thing in an instant and said, “You know, this is a scam, but I was. Because I was in a deep and meaningful conversation with that person if I couldn’t, I was okay. Take care. It’s just a little amount that I need to transfer.

These risks can happen, but you just have to be very careful. Nobody on Earth will ask you for money before buying your stuff.

Really doesn’t have, so I wanted to address this point because this is a very nice platform for me to say this because it was happening with me also and it can happen in other sources of transaction. Only you can, um, you know, protect yourself by being more aware. And, as you know, paying attention is something that’s just required.

Q. Charuka:  “What has been your biggest struggle?” I think there are a lot of things that you have to figure out for yourself. No matter what market you’re working in, whether it’s NFT, illustration or fine art (I mean gallery self-representation), you know Finding. Um. A community, I think, is the key to everything, then finding your collectors, knowing who those people are, where to find them, how to promote yourself, and then how to price yourself—all of these things and, I think, a lot of other industries. Even if they’re not organized. You can still know.

I think today there are so many books and podcasts, but with NFTs, I think the reliability is very low because there are so many different opinions. Nobody and everything is so new that people really do not know how to come forward, and, you know, start what was your biggest. Out of all of these, what is your biggest struggle, and how have you navigated this world for yourself?

A: Shubhangi Raheja: So my biggest struggles in NFTs or generally as an artist have been, um, getting my work noticed. I think this is something everybody faces: you create something out of your heart that is beautiful, but how do you know, get it to People?

Instagram has its own weird algorithm, and this is why what has worked for me is shamelessly sharing every method you know somewhere or another. You will definitely get noticed.

“Oh my God, am I pushing too much? Am I being too So to say, “Why am I doing this?” I like that there were so many questions that we pushed.

So in fact, I was telling about this artist who has made it big as an NFT artist; he had written the post. Sorry, I’m going to share this a lot this month because I’m going to have a solar exhibition. So I’m already apologizing that you’re going to see a lot of my art posts this month.

This is the attitude I was feeling so sad that this big guy was feeling.

I wrote, “We can’t get enough of what you’re doing. We have to have a mindset like that: “No, it’s okay; this is us. We Get to claim it.

Why are we so scared? It’s like it’s not. You’re not spamming anybody; you’re just creating. You’re just showing what you created, and why is there a gift attached to it? I don’t understand why there shouldn’t be one.

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