From "Slow Progress" to Soulful Purpose

As I walked up the steps of ASHA recently, a "Thought of the Day" caught my eye: "Slow progress is better than no progress." I felt a sudden pang of recognition. For over a decade, I’ve wrestled with a singular question: What do I do with my inclination toward music? I cycled through the options—performing, teaching, picking up new instruments—doing a bit of everything before finally arriving at the doorstep of Artbeat.

Starting Over in a World of Unicorns

Starting a new venture in your 40s is a quiet act of rebellion. I am surrounded by a world where twenty-somethings are busy building "unicorns," and here I am, launching my second act. My first company still exists, but it drifted away from the direction I intended, leaving me to start over.

I’ve always had an impulsive streak, but this journey has forced me to be slow and steady. During those "slow" years, I didn't just wait; I learned. My time in the education space introduced me to stellar, inspiring mentors. From them, I absorbed the values I needed to build something sturdy and sustainable.

The Birth of Artbeat and Aaroh

Artbeat is the culmination of that decade of wandering. Through our music-based pedagogy, Aaroh, I want to help children navigate a question that is often ignored: What is your personal relationship with art?

Before we ask if a child wants to pursue art for a living, we must ask how it serves their soul. For me, music was everything—it soothed, saved, and salvaged me. Our programs are structured to help children "reflect in action." We use art as a non-verbal tool, but we want the child to validate that through their own lived experience. Even if a child says, "No, this doesn't help me," that honesty is a giant leap forward.

Breaking the Box

We spend years telling children to stay inside the box:

• Abide by the rules.
• Be the "all-rounder" model student.
• Study, study, study.

And then, the moment they hit adulthood, the world demands they "think outside the box." How can we expect them to find an exit they were never allowed to look for?

Creative arts allow a child to dream of the world outside that box—and more importantly, to shape it. With Artbeat, that is exactly what I intend to achieve.