Why I started Consciously Creative and my introduction!

girl standing by the sea

Hi everyone! I’m Romita. You’re probably here from my very recently started page called Consciously Creative. Social media can be so one-sided sometimes (I honestly have a love-hate relationship with Instagram). So I thought of writing a blog for you, though you could think of this as a letter or a note. I thought this could be a great way to pour my heart out to all of you. With no character limits! More importantly, I hope to build a more meaningful relationship with everyone here and maybe get to know you on a deeper level. If you’d allow me. Since Consciously Creative is a pretty new page, in its infancy really, I know a lot of you might be wondering who in the world I am 😀

I totally get it, Instagram is constantly trying to sell each one of us something. A new face oil, an aspirational lifestyle or a new dream. If I had a lottery ticket for every time I’ve seen the ‘I quit my job to travel the world’ kinda sponsored posts, I’d probably have made some pretty neat cash by now. Probably. So I get it if you’ve already slotted me as ‘one of those girls on IG who keep telling everyone to be vegan, mend their clothes and meditate’ 😊. Oh boy, that does sound like me haha though I’m not vegan. 

I didn’t start Consciously Creative to sell you anything. But instead of trying to justify that to you, I’ll tell you an incident that happened to me a while ago. I’ve been, knowingly and unknowingly, guided down the path of holistic living and spirituality for the last 6 years. I studied fashion in college and worked in retail for a few years but something always felt amiss. In 2016, I was introduced to the book called Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. Not to sound dramatic, but the book made a sea shift in the way I think and perceive the world. One thing led to another: I read many books, practised different forms of meditation, learnt ways of living a conscious and mindful life through Eastern traditional wisdom, continued to practise yoga and learnt about healing and homeopathy from my mother (she’s a homeopath).

I noticed a common pattern. Whenever I would stay on the path of spirituality and consciousness, not just through meditation but also through eating right, doing yoga and most importantly focusing on gratitude and happy thoughts, things would easily fall into place. Like a master jigsaw puzzle artist. (Is that a thing?! It totally should be.) But when I would slack, fall back into old ways of living the way we’ve been conditioned to, creating from matter instead of creating from the field (more on that some other day), that’s when I would fall flat on my face. Nothing seemed to ever go my way, it was like the cosmos was out to get me. *Did I mention I was dramatic?* Instead of being the master jigsaw artist, I was looking all over the house for a piece I’d left behind at my neighbour’s. Only to realise I shouldn’t have been making that puzzle in the first place.

Long story short there I was in 2020, trying to meditate. Telling myself I would dedicate more time and energy to further my meditation practice. I was tired and resentful when it came to my so-called professional life, with years of doing jobs and projects that my heart really wasn’t in. I was good at most of the things I did, not gonna lie, but something always felt off. More importantly, the few projects or opportunities I actually wanted to work on would fall through for strange inexplicable reasons. And this happened so many times that it wasn’t feeling like a coincidence anymore. And in spiritual speak, when stuff like that happens your higher self is trying to tell you something. So I got out of meditation and this line just came out of nowhere, “You don’t have to have it all figured out in this moment. Teach what you have to learn.”

Me: “Well umm ok… but what is it that I want to learn?”

Voice in my head (higher self): “Well, what lights up your eyes?”

Me: “Ok I know the answer to that… I love speaking about how to live in harmony with nature and our environment and most importantly to live in harmony with our soul, our purpose or higher calling. I want to show people that we CAN minimise our waste, both in our homes and our minds. I want to show people that we CAN live an efficient, affordable and holistic life by reducing the harmful substances we take in through air, food, water and clothing. I absolutely LOVE to be of help to people who are in despair, mentally, physically or spiritually, to show them hope, to show them their Grandest Self. And yes, in the process I’m going to be on the path of being My Grandest Self. 

Voice: *Silence*

Me: “So I guess that’s what I’m going to do then?”

I went to sleep, my mind exhausted with this weird download of information.

A couple weeks later, I was making my vision board; an activity I like to do and that’s given me positive results in the past. I decided to write on the board a gist of the info I’d received the other day. I wrote something like “Connecting with people on spirituality, slow living and ancient wisdom.” And next to that, quite mindlessly, in green coloured pen mind you, I wrote, CONSCIOUSLY CREATIVE. All caps. I even have a picture to prove it. A few seconds later I realised what I’d written and thought, “Ah! Ok… that’s an apt name I guess.” I didn’t know if it would be the final name or anything, but I left it on my vision board anyway.

I opened up my copy of Conversations with God the same evening, just to do a few minutes of reading. This is something I do often to align my thoughts and emotions and gear me up for meditation. I guess it just puts me in a positive state of mind. One thing I’ve noticed about this book is that often when I have an issue or a question in my mind, the book opens to a page that holds the answer to my current dilemma. So this time I opened the book to a random page, not even knowing what my current dilemma really was, and declared, “Show me a sign. Anything.”

And there it was, right on that page, the only phrase written in italics, Consciously Creative.

So no, not trying to sell you anything. Just learning along the way, trying to maximise the little harmony and happiness that I’ve achieved through this wonderful (though fleeting) state called consciousness. I hope BOTH you and me can benefit from it and be our Grandest Self. I hope you join me.

Listen to your Mother when she says you have enough clothes & easy steps to be a responsible consumer

how to be a responsible consumer

I often undertake what I call a ‘wardrobe organisational exercise’ every 2 months (read half-yearly) to make the interiors of my cupboard neat and orderly. This almost always results in three things:

a. my room looks like it’s been hit by a tornado,

b. I get a mini panic attack when I realise the new jeans I assumed would be hidden under a pile are still missing, and

c. I discover an item from 5 years ago that I thought I’d wear when I find an appropriate occasion/ item to go with.

The last situation is particularly important as well as detrimental. The daydreamer I am, I would leave the current task to dream up of occasions where the particular embroidered coat in my hand would be appropriate to wear (fellow mind-stylists, raise your hand). When will Halloween become mainstream here? Because I have a Mary Poppins-themed party to throw.

  • Clothes look best when worn

Halloween or no Halloween, you can make clothes work with a little creativity and a lot of YouTube styling videos. Sustainability in Style, combines my two loves: fashion and our planet, with innovative courses. Don’t be afraid of those jazzy trousers, they might just garner compliments from colleagues. At the very least you can always dress it down with your boring black sweater. Jokes apart, I believe there is a maximalist inside all of us who can find an occasion to wear that particular ‘difficult’ item. Remind yourself why you bought it in the first place. If you’ve outgrown it, upcycle or donate! Takeaway: If it’s in regular usage, it’s not waste.

  • Ask questions

Do I really need it? What is the long-term use of this product? Is there an alternative? Does it harm the environment? It’s important to atleast start a dialogue by engaging in questions. There’s a wonderful app (of which I’m hoping an Indian version comes out soon) called Good On You. With the aim of helping people make better purchase decisions, the app rates brands basis the transparency of information they share with their customers. Takeaway: Read the fine print, and there’s no harm in asking a brand to disclose their supply chain details.

  • Don’t leave the tap on while brushing

Concern for the planet is holistic: apart from making informed decisions about your wardrobe, be mindful about the small actions of your daily routine. Eat local as much as you can, save water, grow your own herbs and switch off the lights when not in use. Fact: A best-out-of-waste Diwali lantern competition at my office revealed that the maximum waste generated at work was not factory waste, (I work at a jewelry manufacturing company) but used paper cups. This resulted in the company gifting each employee their own ceramic mug to drink from! Takeaway: Sustainability begins at home, there’s a world of a difference an individual can make.

  • Make it fun and creative for your tribe

Scroll Instagram and you’ll find so much good work being done and you’ll come back inspired. Why don’t you return the favour? Next festive season, make a gift list that helps your loved ones reduce waste! A low carbon impact birthday party? Why not? Or bring out your Breaking Bad skills and cook up a lip balm recipe for you and your friends. Head on to Em Ehlers Instagram profile @ecowithem_ for some killer inspo. A Bsc. in Sustainability, she knows her stuff. Takeaway: leading by example not only makes being eco-friendly easy on others, but drives the point without being preachy.

  • Support Small

Next time you go shopping, research fair trade organisations, local artisans and NGOs. Try to ensure that the proceeds go back to supporting the livelihood of whoever wove, embroidered, knitted or sewed your product. Chances are you won’t be skimping on quality or price, and the slight markup would be the handmade cost. In the long run it all adds to its longevity and exclusiveness. Your local Hunar Haat is a good place to begin. Here’s a wonderful intensive guide to India’s farmers markets. Takeaway: You know your money is going to the right place if atleast a part of it is directly returned to the artisan or manufacturer.

  • Don’t be quick to judge

Everyone has been the cause or victim of ‘eco-judgement’ now and then. If you don’t want the zero-waste police to crack down on you, make sure you don’t sound like one either. It’s more likely to ‘convert’ people tactfully through example than by laying on a guilt-tripping tone. Watch how Lindsay Miles does it. Change is tough on anyone, and it’s not like there’s a Bible out there for the eco-friendly (yet). However, be sure to stand by your choices and opinions and be vocal about what works for you! Takeaway: Build a network of people interested in similar stuff, that way you can inspire and stay inspired.