this is aruinthehouse.

i was always an art kid. oil pastels, paint, pencils - you name it. i wanted my hands on every art medium to know if i wanted to go deeper than the surface.

arunima as a child, drawing at a table arunima as a teenager, painting at a desk

that curiosity is still how i work.

i do bharatanatyam, which is more than dance to me - it taught me how emotions are conveyed to an audience, and that the dancer is responsible for that. photography helps me capture people and moments the way i see them. somewhere in the intersection of culture, art and tech is where all of this meets.

close-up of a bharatanatyam costume arunima in bharatanatyam makeup and jewellery

things i've learned came from the rooms i've worked in:

  • a marketing agency - everyone should work in one at least once, to learn whether it is meant to be or not.
  • print and t-shirt design - colour systems and screen printing, and the joy of a medium i may never touch again.
  • nonprofits - that people showing up in spite of hardship is what makes the work strong and beautiful.
  • a 0-1 startup - to own leadership, and to make as many mistakes, because making them later costs more.
  • a series-a sports broadcasting company - that an unfamiliar, technical domain is daunting until you step into it, and then it teaches you what your own field can't.
collage of arunima in mumbai: a street portrait, a shadow self-portrait, a train interior, and a sketchbook drawing

will often find me somewhere in a mumbai local with a sketchbook and a good playlist.

my aim is simple - to get my hands dirty without thinking 10 times, because all risk is creative.