#15: Bhoomika’s artistic side hustle generates sustainable income for her as a medical student

Today's hustler is an inspiring young woman hustling to keep her passion alive and spread its joy to many.

🎨 Painted more than six murals all over Bangalore

💰Earning substantial income and is not dependent on anyone financially

😍 Teaching many people through her art workshops

Bhoomika has made her passion for art into a sustainable side hustle

Bhoomika Ananth, a third-year medical student at Raja Rajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, is unlike most students around her. She will paint vibrant murals or take painting workshops between classes and exams. At 20, she is not dependent financially on her parents because of her side hustle.

Holding on to her childhood passion

As children, we all have dabbled in painting & crafts. But there have always been few children who would love it to the extremes—drawing on the walls, painting on the floor, and cutting newspapers all over. You can imagine the scene, right?

Bhoomika was one of those kids. From a very early age, she recognized her passion for painting. And Rob running the MAD (Music.Art.Dance) TV show, became her most significant influence.

Soon, she started to complete the half-drawn sketches of her classmates. But no amount of art seemed to be enough for her. She wanted to do more! Her school spotted her talent, and she was enrolled in art competitions across the country.

"By the end of 10th grade, I had won more than 60 awards, including two national awards and multiple state-level awards."

But the turning point in her life came when she hosted her first workshop.She was still in school when through her best friend she happened to get an opportunity to conduct a painting workshop. It was for an American NGO working on an awareness drive in Bangalore.

She was new to conducting workshops and hence she reached out to few artist friends who had conducted workshops earlier. One of them guided her through the process of conducting a successful art workshop.

"The workshop was attended by 15, which was overwhelming because I did not expect more than four people to turn up for an amateur's workshop."

It turned out she was not so much of an amateur. The workshop participants loved the way she conducted the sessions. Word of mouth was powerful, and she got invited to many private events. She even ran some exhibitions at that time.

Bhoomika soon cleared her Class 12 with flying colours and knew that painting was her passion. But hailing from a family of doctors, she had to pursue her MBBS degree. She decided to continue her passion for art as a side hustle.

Painting her way to financial independence

After her first workshop, most of her following workshops were in alliances with Rotary clubs and NGOs. She was happy making everyone experience art. And she cultivated a way to teach & inspire people. Her unique skill of teaching art made more and more people come to her workshops.

Bhoomika did not monetize her work until about a year ago. When she started working on commissioned murals, she found a way to make a sustainable side income. While hosting workshops, she would charge a nominal amount to cover only the venue and the materials.

The first mural was commissioned by one of her friend's father. She painted 12ft tall sketch of Steve Jobs in an IT office in Bangalore. It took almost a week, but she loved the process. Bhoomika's second project was an apparel designer's store and then a restaurant. With each project, she became faster and better.

With the workshops and murals, she has earned enough not to depend financially on her parents anymore. She has also built a team to help her with marketing and logistics. Today, she charges about $2 per square foot plus an hourly rate (excluding materials cost).

Finding an artistic and sustainable way to do social good

And very recently, she started hosting mural painting workshops too! It started with her not getting funding to paint a government school in Bangalore. She decided to experiment and see if she could get people to buy tickets to a mural workshop. And voila! Almost 15 people attended the workshop and painted the school in colours of inspiration.

Bhoomika plans to finish her medical degree and take a year off. She plans to pursue a fine arts course during her sabbatical. After that, she will decide if she wants to pursue medicine full-time. But teaching people how to paint is something she is very sure about. Full-time or on the side, at the end of the day, she is an artist and wants to spread colours in everyone's lives.

Hustlers insights of the week

Bhoomika is an inspiration that tells us there is an artistic side in each of us. And side hustles are a great way to keep the artist in you alive.

🤩 Do things that give your joy: Find your side hustle in activities that bring you joy. Bhoomika kept doing painting workshops despite a gruelling college timetable because it gave her immense joy. Things that feel like play eventually lead to something sustainable and potentially turn into more.

🔍Seek help from the community: You don’t have to feel alone in your journey. When you start anything with passion, you will find a community to support you. Bhoomika needed help for her first workshop and did not hesitate to ask.

💫Dive Right in: When you get an opportunity to explore one of your interests, take that shot. You may not know what to do, but you can always figure that out. Bhoomika took her shot as a 15-year-old, which made all the difference.

We discovered Bhoomika's story when we attended her mural workshop a few days back. The half-day event was not only a lot of fun but felt even more special because we could contribute to bringing some colours into the lives of young underprivileged children. If you are in Bangalore, you can attend Bhoomika's workshop this Sunday (27th November 2022).

Build team with other participants of the workshop along with Bhoomika & Team

Did you learn something new about side hustles reading this? If yes, share it with a friend to increase the surface area of knowledge so that more people can know how to make money. You will also unlock a special discount by referring a friend.

Also, know anyone (who is making money from their side hustle while having a full-time job) we should feature? Let us know by replying, and we will get chatting!

Want to get started with your side hustle? Check out our initiatives.

Build: A 4 weeks cohort to build and launch a side project.

BuildOnChain: Learn, build & launch a Web3 side hustle in 5 Weeks

BuildCamps Dharamshala: Build a side project while vacationing with like-minded individuals and seasoned hustlers.