Backstory

In 2017, Vanaja was teaching Counselling Skills at FECAT, an Expressive Arts Therapy program where I was the Student Advisor. Our interaction was minimal, mainly around her course material. Then on one graduation day, I had worn a Malaylee Onam white sari with gold border and I think that evoked Vanaja’s Kerala roots and we got talking. She knew I was the design and publicity force behind SMArT and asked me if I would be willing to help her put together a website. She had a few images in mind and left the rest of the website design structure to me. She approved what I presented the first time round, I executed the website and forgot about it. Then in 2020, during the pandemic, when I was actually supposed to clean the floors, I decided to clean the website instead.

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The website that I had designed was so crap. What was I thinking making the navigation so complicated. I called Vanaja, said I was redoing the design, she said Ok. So the thing about clients who respect the ownership that you bring to the table, trust you so deeply, well, it is terrible to work with them. Because you are constantly changing and making your work better. Without them ever asking. Because it is yours as much as it is theirs. And then you feel liberated and thrilled in the creative process, and also strangely overworked and exhausted and irritable and want to seek counsel and the therapist you had in mind won’t see you because she is your client.

Like I said, I never wanted to work for Vanaja.

But she does offer and hold space for a good rant.