Today we’d like to introduce you to Vidhi Dattani.
Vidhi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Rajkot, a small city in India. Very early on, my parents recognized and nurtured my artistic skills and inherent talent. I loved to create – I drew, painted, sewed, cooked. I was never quite satisfied with anything that already existed and had to find ways to personalize and customize it to my tastes. I painted birthday cards for my family and friends, sewed custom outfits for all my Barbie dolls, helped my mom make perfectly round rotis for dinner… on goes the list. I would finish all my homework during recess at school so I could spend the rest of the day at home being creative. I developed a passion for watercolor painting, drawing and illustrating. It was for this and other artistic disciplines that, at the age of 15, I won the coveted National Bal Shree Honor in Creative Arts, one of the three highest national honors for children of India. I promised myself that I would always find a way to make a living in the arts.I went on to study graphic design in college. After graduating, I worked as a graphic designer for various Fortune 500 companies illustrating chalkboards, making animated ads for Google and Facebook, coding websites and designing high-end luxury invitations.
When I got married in 2017 and created my own wedding invitations, I realized that stationery design was the perfect mix of graphic design and fine-art that I was looking for and fell in love. Although I learned a lot from my prior jobs and had gained invaluable experience, I wanted more. I wanted to have my own voice in the world and to live life on my own terms. So while I was scared about going out on my own, I finally took the big leap of faith.
I founded Vidhi Dattani Designs – an artisan design studio that focuses on the fine-art event and corporate branding and began my journey as a #creativepreneur.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Things have not been easy for me. My parents and I immigrated to the United States in 2006. My parents were in their 40s and I was 17, a high school senior. We struggled. I knew I wanted to go to art school in New York City – and was admitted to the School of Visual Arts – but was instead urged by my parents to attend Rutgers University to pursue more “marketable” and “practical” studies. I grew very depressed and my parents finally relented, at which point I promptly transferred to the Mason Gross School of the Arts after my sophomore year.My late start and the economy made it difficult to land a design job after graduation. I worked retail while looking for opportunities. I hustled to talk to various professional artists and designers for advice. I did free design work to gain experience. I even parlayed one of my retail jobs (working at the Chanel make-up counter at Macy’s) into an art opportunity by convincing my manager to let me create promotional materials such as flyers, brochures, posters, for free. Slowly but surely, I built a portfolio – and a website – which I used to land my first job as a designer.
I also had no mentors. For one reason or another, very few graphic design professionals were willing to grab coffee and chat. Today, I try to be a mentor in any way I can. I truly believe in community over competition.
When I think back, I strongly believe that it was my perseverance and resilience that enabled me to overcome all of my struggles to get to where I am now. My advice for young women just starting their journey is to dream big and to be relentless in achieving those dreams. Find your focus but don’t limit yourself to it – learn as many ancillary skills as possible to set yourself apart from the crowd – because “ancillary” is only relative – you never know when you will find inspiration, fall in love, or find your voice. And that’s what happened to me. Even though my early focus was on watercolor painting, I picked up other skills like calligraphy, web design, animation, and photography by taking workshops, online classes and sometimes just googling it – and by doing a lot of it, whether or not I was being paid for it. Today, these skills allow me to be a unique and versatile stationery designer. It is important to know as much about your industry as possible. Most of all, believe in yourself, no matter what other people say!
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Today, I specialize in hand painted watercolor stationery and invitations, personal and corporate branding and identity. My work is very classic and timeless, but with a hint of the whimsical. My studio combines original artistry and graphic design with the details of each client’s story to create a bespoke experience. From save-the-dates to invitations, day-of accessories and thank you cards, I work hand-in-hand with them to craft a cohesive suite that seamlessly tells their story through design that reflects their taste and vision.What sets me apart is my ability to mix multiple printing techniques, like flat printing, letterpress and foil printing, to create a work that holds dimension and makes a statement. My background in print, digital and web allows me to take what I create on paper and translate it to multiple different platforms.I also really value integrity. I take the utmost pride in creating all artwork by hand in my studio, custom for my clients. I use very high-quality products and have a network of trusted and reputable suppliers and vendors that I work with in order to do the best work possible that will last for a lifetime.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said that she views her role in relation to her colleagues on the Supreme Court as that of a teacher because they “haven’t had the experience of growing up female and don’t fully appreciate the arbitrary barriers that have been put in women’s way.” From the fight for women’s right to control their bodies to the #metoo movement, it’s especially obvious in these times how women are uniquely positioned to advance the cause of social justice.Yet, it goes beyond that. Every aspect of human civilization has been designed by men, for men, despite the fact that women make up 50% of the world’s population. It’s impossible to think of an opportunity in any field that wouldn’t benefit from including the female perspective. For any of those jobs, a woman would be better positioned than an otherwise equally credentialed male. The question is whether the decision-makers in power recognize this fact. That’s where the challenge comes in.
Contact Info:
- Website: vidhidattani.com
- Email: hello@vidhidattani.com
- Instagram: @vidhidattanidesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidhiDattaniDesigns
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
