#NTPeople: Sweta Ashit Parikh
Sweta at a first glance, looks like she just graduated from college, looking for an internship. Which is why we had to rope her in for this interview! Sweta juggles multiple roles – wife, mother, daughter-in-law, as well as four segments of business under Grafico – graphic design, brand conceptualization, photo styling and event styling. To say she has her hands full, is an understatement. Through our conversation, I picked up on the simplicity of her routines – which time and again has proved the most effective results.
Sweta and her talented photographer husband team up for their various businesses which all stem from the core of design. Their event styling has the perfect balance of delicate and grand, which reflects perfectly from their personalities. Her eye for detailing expands across all her work – each one a sample of breathtaking beauty, with underlying simplicity. There isn’t a question she cannot answer when it comes to creativity. She claims she cannot cook to save her life, but she bakes homemade pita bread and rolls for her daughter! Over the years, she has been my go-to for so many things, whether business, packaging, ideas, venting about life, and recipe exchanges.
Today, we find out how she wears many hats, yet stays sane!
Tell us your relationship with skincare and how it has evolved over time?
Skin care has become extremely important in recent years, especially since I’ve turned 40! As a teenager, I admit I was very carefree and didn’t really bother putting on a sunscreen. Over time I began to understand how important it is to moisturise your skin with products that suit my skin type, the regular clean ups and the why’s and how’s of keeping skin healthy. I have always had an extremely dry skin, which has been difficult.
What’s your typical morning and evening skincare routine?
My morning routine is a simple face wash followed by a light moisturising face cream. I always begin by drinking a large glass of water. In the evenings, it’s a basic make up removing wipes, face wash, followed by night cream and Vaseline on my lips.
Do you share skin care routines with your daughter?
Yes, I do! She knows she has to apply body lotion morning and evening after shower, chapstick for her lips and we have been applying your aromatic No. 02 Jasmine After Bath + Hair Oil morning and evening - it’s so soothing! We both have also started applying ghee on our soles (a tip from Rujuta Diwekar) :)
What’s the one beauty secret that you will pass down to her?
Cold pressed coconut oil is magic for hair and skin! And to drink a lot of water and sleep well.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
My mornings begin at 6:30am on regular school days. Unfortunately, the first thing I do is check my phone – a habit I need to change. A ritual I am trying to imbibe is to wake with a SMILE and start off with positivity.
What’s your daily morning beverage and breakfast?
Coconut water and tea in the morning and sometimes vegetable juice as well (carrot, spinach, beet root, tomatoes and bottle gourd)
#WomenOnTheGo: How do you balance your work and being a mother?
I don’t know if I balance it. But I try to finish all my meetings in the first half of the day so that I am there for my daughter when she returns from school. I finish my designs while she attends to her homework and classes. Of course, there are days when I’m busier, but I guess she understands that and over time she has become quite independent.
How often can you carve out your ‘me time’ and what does it entail?
Since my work line is hectic, ‘me time’ entails watching movies, getting a foot massage and meeting my girlfriends.
How did you choose a career in design? What inspired you to pursue this field?
I was always creatively inclined as a child. I studied interior design in college, during summer break I would take up classes in adobe photoshop and illustrator... so I started as a graphic designer and then event design and styling just happened to us as clients liked our aesthetics
You work closely with your husband on various projects – how do you manage differences in professionally and maintain your personal relationship?
Ha! We don’t!!! We do have our arguments and our differences, but we both don’t ever stretch it – we’ve somehow managed to find a level.
Who or what inspires you in your work?
Nature, sculptures big and small, interiors and there is a lot of great work from the field we are in. They inspire me! Sometimes I wonder how did they come to a particular brilliant idea. Ideas are so abstract and to be able to put it as an expression of art or design is amazing!
What has been the highlight of your business?
Ever since we started designing and event styling we have been blessed to always have had the best of the clients who are warm and welcoming. The best part is being able to execute a client’s dream and vision.
How do you deal with setbacks in/at work?
Rethink, restart, control from panicking and taking charge instantly. Sometimes we have to make last-minute changes, so it’s also very important to trust yourself and your gut instincts.
What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2020?
Oh well... as of now I hope to get back to normalcy. I aim every year to work hard and to come back with more growing creativity.
REACH OUT:
Follow Sweta and Grafico Events for eye-soothing detailed works at:
Instagram: @graficoevents
Facebook: @GraficoEvents