My name is Jyotirmayee, also known as JP. I’m a lettering artist from India. I create art and products related to topics of self-love & wellness. My work is characterized by bold and quirky letterforms merged with bright, colorful & intricately illustrated botanicals.
I graduated from the National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad, India) as a graphic designer in the year 2012. Soon after which I started working at various companies like Samsung & MakeMyTrip while taking up small commissions on the side. During this period I also learned traditional calligraphy & various advanced lettering styles. Finally, in the year 2017, I decided to quit my day job to become a full-time freelance artist & have been living a content life ever since.
Although I’ve temporarily moved away from New Delhi, India to my hometown in Odisha. I’ll share my experiences living in the capital city, which has been my base for the most part. This city, in a nutshell, is all about its rich history, colorful bustling lanes, mouth-watering food & quirky fashion. It’s a beautiful chaos. With an extremely energetic vibe, Delhi has a charm of its own which one can’t let go of. The ever-evolving art scene also makes it a perfect home for artists like us.
This city, in a nutshell, is all about its rich history, colorful bustling lanes, mouth-watering food & quirky fashion. It’s a beautiful chaos.
Having lived in various parts of India, I can tell you that finding a strong public transportation system can be really challenging. However, the Delhi metros make commutation much easier & easily one of the best things about the city. The weather, on the other hand, can get pretty intense. It’s really difficult to cope up with the hottest summers and coldest winters at times.
Energetic, Overwhelming, Multi-faceted.
I have always loved drawing since childhood. In fact, growing up, I was that kid who used to get straight ’A’s in art classes & win all the inter-school competitions. I had also enrolled for a fine art program during my years in elementary school. So basically I took my hobby far too seriously. Haha…
Even though I was encouraged for art as a kid, it was a difficult task to convince my parents to pursue design education. Especially coming from a conservative Indian family, design was an “unconventional” career option. They thought my life was doomed! But I took a leap of faith anyway.
Not at first but they got around eventually. Despite having no clue about my profession till date they are happy with my progress & support me whole-heartedly. That’s all that matters.
I have an overall goal of getting better at my craft, cultivate a stronger creative voice & enjoy the learning process.
I have an overall goal of getting better at my craft, cultivate a stronger creative voice & enjoy the learning process.
I have a long list of lettering artists & illustrators who I admire. Lisa Congdon, Molly Jacques, Becca Clason, Jessi Raulet to name a few.
Inarguably one of the toughest questions but let me try. Well, I’m surrounded by women of such varied personalities & backgrounds, each special & unique in their own way. My mom is a homemaker who is pretty much self-sufficient even when stranded on a deserted island. My sister is a software engineer cum food blogger, an overachiever in all sense. My girl friends are a mix of geek, traveler, artist & fashion lovers. Difficult to describe them in a brief sentence but I’ll tell you this. Each one of them has inspired me to become the person that I am today.
Each one of them has inspired me to become the person that I am today.
Unfortunately for the longest time, no one. Maybe because of my lack of awareness or opportunities for females in our country in general. It’s strange because today most of the creatives I follow on social media are all women. In fact my love for lettering was born the day I came across the beautiful artworks of Kriti Monga from Turmeric Design, a Delhi based female letterer (also an Alumni of NID). So I think that there’s definitely a positive shift happening in the design industry with a lot more female creators taking over. But we still have a long way to go.
There definitely are. Having previously worked in various corporate environments, gender disparity and wage gap were some of the common discriminations. But instead of letting myself down, I’ve gotten stronger & wiser from those experiences. As a freelancer now, I’m aware of my worth & get evaluated/ paid simply on my talent basis.
Just get started. All you need is a pencil & paper.
Just get started. All you need is a pencil & paper. And don’t get intimidated by experienced artist’s work. They were once a beginner too. With daily practice & persistence, you’ll get there sooner than you think.
Photos courtesy of Jyotirmayee Patra.
June 10, 2019