Women with Dual Professions - It's hard enough as it is to master one art. But when you master two, you find your way to iDiva’s Hall of Fame. Celebrating International Women's Day, we salute multi-tasking women with dual professions.
Dual role: National Brand Manager, Red Bull and travel writer
Starting out: I did an MBA in marketing, and since my first job became addicted to the FMCG sector. The wonderful part about sales and marketing is that it takes you from the little towns of Andhra to the markets of Lucknow, and so on. Travel became part of the job. The other thing that came with the job was an amazing amount of stress. So, my love for travel combined with the need to take a break every once in a while led me to take off on trips often. I then started blogging about my travels and slowly entered the world of freelance travel journalism.
One vs. two: I am passionate about everything I do. I love my marketing job and I love travel writing. More than anything, I love the fact that I can do justice to both. I would never leave one of them for the other.
Double dealing: Honestly, I just sleep less! Not because I drink a lot of Red Bull, but I'm just restless that there are only 24 hours in a day and there is so much to do. I work on weekends too. I'm a stationery addict who writes to-do lists all the time and ticks it off. I feel the pressure sometimes, but I thrive under it.
Challenges: The toughest challenge for me between both professions is actually giving time to my family. Be it is my husband, mother or sister; I've been lousy at spending time at home. My busy life just rips that away. I'm still struggling with this, but I try to take a trip or two with them to make up for it.
Two sides of a coin: To me, both my jobs compliment each other. The way I look at it, I was hired in my current job because I'm not just a conventional MBA marketer, but one who has many hobbies and an adventurous streak. Likewise, I can travel only because my current job gives me the flexibility to do so. It's all interwoven beautifully.
Dual role: Graphic designer and Co-founder, Big Red Tent (a camping company)
Starting out: As a graphic designer, I run a boutique design studio called SIXOFUS design. And about two years ago, I co-founded Big Red Tent with my then boyfriend, and now husband, Rahil Mehta in a bid to explore our love for the outdoors and our passion to bring the camping culture to India. It also proved to be a fantastic design opportunity to create a new brand that is so close to my heart.
One vs. two: Design is my first love; I would be lost without it in my life. But design to me is omnipresent. Whether it is branding for websites or even the campsites that need outdoor signage and BBQs, design is everywhere.
Double dealing: I can manage both thanks to a crucial factor—having the right team; recruiting, training and understanding them. We don't bite more than we can chew and stress on delivering quality. That way everything gets the attention it deserves.
Challenges: Finding the right collaborators who share our vision and philosophy has been the single most challenging thing for me.
Two sides of a coin: We are boutique organisations; both Big Red Tent and Sixofus design. So, our teams overlap, work overlaps and so do priorities. Sometimes even our clients overlap! I can't imagine that it will work like this forever, but right now it has all been great fun.
Pancham Hariharan
Dual role: Makeup artist and dancer
Starting out: Taking up makeup was inevitable. It was something that came from my mother. I was always intrigued by the bold colour matches of cosmetic giants like Lancôme, YSL, Chanel and Dior. And since I had a great liking towards colour and a terrible hand at painting, the more convenient canvas was the face. A while ago, I watched this show called So You Think You Can Dance and asked myself why I couldn't do all those things. Thats when I found The Danceworx. The artistic director, Ashley Lobo's approach to dance and ethos about the art showed me a future in dance. When I look back at my journey in dance so far, everything just fell into place. It was almost like it chose me and not the other way around.
Challenges: To be a dancer you need to have incredible rotation and plie technique and unless you have been dancing from the age of three, it's difficult to achieve. So I wouldn't say I've overcome this, but I'm on the right track. And in makeup, it's all about blending. That is one skill I had to really work on. It seems simple but it is really hard to master.
One vs. two: Doing two different things that you are equally passionate about definitely adds colour to a person's palate. Multitasking helps a person's personality evolve only if they indulge in things they are interested in and things they see as an investment in shaping them as a complete individual. I can't choose between dancing and makeup because it's like asking a mother to choose between her two kids. Both are equally a huge part of me. I am an artist and these are just two different art forms.
Double dealing: It does get tough, but thank god for a phone. I get most of my work done over the phone, when I am travelling for a shoot or a performance. I get really busy but I love what I do, so I couldn't be happier.
Two sides of a coin: I believe that every person has more than one side to them, but very few exercise both sides. I feel blessed that I've been given the opportunity to explore both sides.
Priti Gupta
Dual role: Dancer and physiotherapist
Starting out: After I acquired my Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy, I practiced under a Sports Physiotherapist in Mumbai for about a year and half. But I guess dancing was my true calling. Even while I was studying, opportunities in the field of dance kept knocking at my door. It gave me a different high in life. I'm so grateful to God and my parents who encouraged me to pursue dance. It was an extreme step, but not a tough one.
One vs. two: I believe it was destined to do both, as the knowledge of the human body, movements and kinesiology that I attained from my medical background definitely came handy in getting a better understanding of dance as well. Dancing has helped me emerge as a person and I am able to use it as a tool to make myself and the people around me happy.
Double dealing: I think beyond a point you stop juggling because you learn to merge things and use the best of both. I make sure I enjoy whatever I do, because without that there is no point in pursuing it.
Challenges: My biggest challenge has been to create awareness amongst the masses about dances that are unconventional. The only way to overcome it is to keep trying and let your work speak for itself. Networking also helps.
Two sides of a coin: People always do their best at what they enjoy. Hence, there has to be some link or connection between these different things that they pursue. So, instead of considering it a challenge to do justice to both, I believe in using the best of both. In my case, I term it dance therapy. ( idiva.com )
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