Foraging Color - A Sustainable Dye Project

Last few weeks have given me a lot to think - personally and professionally. Life has slowed down in true sense. I was always a strong believer in slow living but somehow was always running around, trying to get million things done at the same time. Working non-stop is in my DNA but I never hardly took a moment to be grateful for so many things I am blessed with. While my heart bleeds for so many people who are suffering physically, emotionally and financially due to the current crisis, I feel grateful for the good health of my family and friends, spending quality time with my husband at home, ability to have blocks of time to myself and nurture the ever itching creative side of me.

I have been dreaming about the world of natural dyes and plant pigments for a while now but always found it a bit intimidating. Given my finance background and no formal education in design, I also felt that apart from a reasonable sense of aesthetics, I did not know a technique to create something with my own hands. I usually work with artisans in India who are masters of their own skill. During the Co-VID crisis, when my small business took a massive hit, I wanted to find a distraction to manage my anxiety. Learning a new skill (and a challenging one) seemed a good solution. I am a hoarder collector of books so I already had few books on natural dyes but what really got me deep into it was a class by a beautiful artist - Cara Marie Piazza , whose work I find inspirational. Since that day, something has changed within me. Creating something with my own hands is giving me immense sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. I value handmade goods even more than before. I find joy in admiring the stillness in making hand-dyed textiles. While this is just the beginning of my journey on this beautiful path, I wanted to share my excitement with you all. I am blessed to have so much love and appreciation for my work and that keeps me happy and motivated.

For more updates on my journey as an artist and related experiments with plant dyes, you can find me on instagram @foragingcolor