My Creative Journey

A glimpse into the grace-filled path that taught me to embrace the storyteller within and shaped the designer I’ve become.

Still That Girl

Some things never change, even when everything else does.

I initially struggled to find a title that could fully capture the essence of my journey as a creative, but then I remembered the name of the song I made a music video for in my first filmmaking class at university.

Still That Girl by Britt Nicole has comforted me since I first heard it in 2013 because it beautifully reflects the “golden thread” woven through my life:

The endless grace of an unchanging God in the unpredictable life of a girl who believed she could change the world.

Change has been such a constant in my life that I didn’t realize it until others pointed it out to me. These numbers might paint a clearer picture for you:

  • 6 - The number of cities I’ve lived in.

  • 7 - The number of houses I’ve called home.

  • 8 - The number of schools I’ve been to.

I recently discovered I’m what people call a Third Culture Kid. I was born in Chennai, raised in Oman, and moved to Canada in 2017. My life can be summed up in one word:

Surprising.

Countless people, places, and memories have made a home in my heart. After all the change, the few constants that remain, especially my relationship with God and my love for my family, have become precious gifts I don’t take for granted.

So instead of focusing on the role of change, I thought it would be more meaningful to share the significance of what has stayed the same:

The surprising constants in this creative journey that God has taken me on:

Empathy

Where storytelling and imagination meet to help me see the world through another’s eyes.

Ideation

Creating like my Creator, bringing beauty, truth, and something new into the world.

Multi-Passions

Pursuing the many callings God placed in me through lifelong learning and curiosity.

1. Storytelling + Imagination = Empathy

When I was twelve, a close friend emailed me after moving to another country, asking me to finish a story I had been telling her during our daily van rides to school. I used to make up stories on the spot: little episodes filled with characters, quests, and entire worlds that lasted only as long as the drive.

I’m afraid I never followed up. Sorry for the cliffhanger, Harshaa.

I’ve always had a limitless imagination. Swaying tree branches became fairy colonies. Scarred, dried leaves became injured patients needing urgent care. Small patches of nature became worlds filled with characters whose lives I felt responsible for. Sharing these stories soon became just as enjoyable as creating them.

My love for storytelling and using my imagination has blossomed into unexpected strengths: public speaking, design, writing, photography, and more. But most importantly, it’s given me empathy.

Empathy is like a deeper form of playing pretend. We place ourselves in someone else’s story long enough to understand what their experience actually costs and means. It lends us a new worldview and reminds us that strangers are profound, priceless creations shaped by stories we may never fully know.

2. Originality & Ideation

When I was four, we were asked to draw a cartoon character for an art assignment. My mom taught me how to draw Noddy, one of my favourite characters at the time. But on the day of the test, I ignored the instructions and drew something entirely different: a series of boxes, each holding a tiny character, all connected by lines.

My teacher had to call my home to ask what I had drawn, and my mom still laughs when she tells the story.

I don’t remember this moment, but it sounds exactly like me.

I’ve always felt an irresistible desire to give the most unique and original response to every creative prompt. I’ve never been able to “just do what everyone else is doing.”

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people.”
Colossians 3:23

Ideation is my favourite part of the creative process. It helps me tune out the world long enough to ask what new thing I can offer it. It brings me back to those younger, freer days when anything was possible.

3. Multi-Passions

On the last page of my diary, written when I was thirteen, you’ll find a list of all the things I wanted to be if I could be anything.

I had a vague memory of what I had written on this page, but when I actually took a look at it after all these years, I was surprised to see what was first on the list:

Multi-Professionalist (#1)

I couldn’t have planned that if I tried.

My handwriting has changed quite a bit since then, but one thing hasn’t:
I am still a dreamer.

My original plan of becoming an astrophysicist vanished in grade twelve when I discovered I was created to create. Since then, every semester of university introduced a new interest: graphic design, linguistics, game design, UX. It used to stress me out, but I stopped resisting it and started calling it what it is:

I'm a multi-passionist.

A forever learner who pursues and brings her many passions into her work to bring glory to the God who put them there.

God knew my desire to be a “multi-professional” long before I did. He placed all those opportunities in my path to reveal what I’m passionate about and what He’s designed me for.

So now I dream with the freedom that comes from surrendering every dream to the Writer of my story. His plans have been far better than anything I could imagine (no small thing, considering the imagination He’s given me).

The Golden Thread

Remember that “golden thread” I mentioned at the beginning?

My grandfather always reminds me that there is a “golden thread” woven into every page of the Bible, one that connects all the stories to paint a bigger picture of a grander narrative more beautiful than we could ever imagine. But I don’t just see it in Scripture. I see it in the world around me and in every single one of us:

The golden thread of divine design and storytelling.

Recognizing that thread has brought me closer to God and to my purpose. It’s helped me see:

  • Empathy flows from recognizing that thread in each of us: we are God’s beloved creation.

  • Creativity expresses the beauty of that thread in our lives and in others.

  • Passion tugs on that thread, drawing us closer to God’s intention for humanity: to live purposefully, faithfully, and for His glory.

Yes, I’m still that girl.
Still a dreamer who wants to change the world.
But I know I can’t do it alone.

So now, I dream with Jesus.
Because with God, all things are possible.

“What if the picture is bigger than you see?
And God has you right where He wants you to be.
Just listen to your heart. He’s telling you with every beat.
You’re still that girl.”
Britt Nicole