Meet – Aradhana Dalmia the Founder of the Artemist

There are times when you see an art and you instantly recognize the story it is trying to depict. You get engrossed in it and before you know it you have spent a good few hours in the exhibition. But you wouldn’t leave. You fall in love with the place and wish if you could recreate the same kind of vibe at your home or office space. Well, now you can, thanks to The Artemist.

The Artemist is an art consulting company dealing in buying, selling and commissioning of paintings, sculptures and installations. It specialise in bespoke artwork catering to the requirements of prices and spaces. The Artemist strives to bridge the gap between the buyer and the artist or art seller by understanding the customer’s requirements, their emotions and the mood they want to create in their spaces. They design and customize the services accordingly, working backwards from the brief of the designers or clients. The Artemist is not just a consulting company, it’s a storyteller that creates stories through the various forms of art. 

We at Bangalore Insider got in touch with Aradhana, the founder of The Artemist. She speaks about how she got the whole idea and how she started working towards it. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

 

Give a brief info about your company?

The Artemist is an art consulting company dealing in buying, selling and commissioning of paintings, sculptures and installations. We specialise in bespoke artwork catering to the requirements of prices and spaces. We strive to bridge the gap between the buyer and the artist or art seller by understanding our customer’s requirements, their emotions and the mood they want to create in their spaces. We design and customize our services accordingly, working backwards from the brief of the designers or clients. We help them create a story through the various forms of art. 

 

What made you start Artemist and what problem does it solve?

I saw a gap in the market between the client and the artist or galleries when it came to customising a piece of art. Some thought it was risky while others didn’t want to get into it and take up the challenge. By helping my family and friends create art for their spaces which had meaning in their lives, I realised the potential within this niche segment. I wanted people to feel safe and trust they are buying original work and not getting overwhelmed or cheated in the process. Hence, The Artemist was born- a sole proprietorship company with a vision to be the one stop shop solution for all art requirements.  

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

After completing my BFA in the UK I thought I wanted to be an artist. I returned to India and started creating and selling my artworks and also explored different creative avenues like photography, art therapy, pottery and glass sculpting. Conducting workshops in photography and art therapy at different art studios in Kolkata was a great experience for me and made me realise how much I loved educating and guiding people. I naturally followed the path towards art consulting which was more instinctive and possible only because of the opportunities that came my way. 

 

 

Where is your company based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

Our main studio and office is in Calcutta, that is where we started from. We also have another office in Bangalore. I think our base is in one of the most talented and cultured regions of India, Bengal and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We definitely want to grow and aspire to have local offices in cities like Bombay and eventually Delhi too. We already have projects running pan India even now, I think usage of digital tools bring us closer together in today’s day and age. 

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

I have always been extremely attracted towards educating myself about art as there is too much out there, so many talented artists and creators. I keep feeling that I need to do more research and grow faster so that I always have something new and exciting to offer my clients. Another thing I am paranoid about is achieving a high quality and finesse in each and every project I work on, I am not ok or done until my client is happy and satisfied.  

 

Who are your competitors and how are you better than them?

Potentially a gallery would be my competitor as someone can directly go and buy from them. Having said that I don’t feel that way as I am being able to bring a very different personalised experience to the table, collaborating with such galleries and artists, to make buying art a seamless process. 

 

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

Sometimes I feel work happens more than life and sometimes life happens more than work, according to me that is OK! Truth being told, my work is my life along with my family and friends of course! I never feel this major struggle to balance work and life because I love what I do and probably don’t feel the need to “balance” it.

 

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

 

We haven’t ever raised or plan to raise any funding in the near future. You never know what the future has in store for us, we might want to add another vertical.  

 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

Since we work with a lot of HNIs and corporates, some people see the quality of our work and feel we might be too expensive for them. This is not true at all, we are working backwards from our clients budget, space and requirement. It is a bespoke experience that they aren’t paying anything additionally for, it’s actually a win-win situation for them! 

 

What gets you excited about this company?

The most exciting part about this company is the potential it has to customise pieces of art and create something meaningful for our clients. We are also catering to clients for wedding and corporate gifts, if you think about it there is no end to our scope of work. The various avenues within art are so exciting and keeps our creative juices flowing, we can never get bored. It is most fulfilling for me as a founder to see the finished piece up in the space and the sparkle in my clients eyes. It makes the entire journey completely worth it! 

 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

Honestly, there is no real routine that is set in stone for me. A creative person’s life shouldn’t be either, every day is a new day which comes with its own challenges. I do wake up and like some “ME” time where recently I have taken to meditating and yoga or an online workout class. I then get ready and rush to my office with my Dad. Once I reach my studio it is like a whirlwind of site visits, phone calls, research, feedback, brainstorming and making presentations. I like to spend some time with my team and love giving feedback to my artists on what they are working on that day. Before I know it, it’s already 7pm and I don’t know where the day has gone! I usually get back home, spend time with family or go out for dinner and then retire to bed, doing research, recapping and watching something online.

 

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

Our creative team comprises 8 artists, designers and researchers working out of our studio. I was fortunate to find an extremely talented bunch of artists through the tight knit creative community when they were graduating from their Fine Art colleges. My design team was built through recommendations and sieving through online applications. My head of Sales and Marketing, Ravina was pure luck or as I like to call it, my destiny. We went to boarding school together and had no idea we would end up working together for a common passion. Fun fact about our team is that we are all 30 years and under, making us an energetic lot!