DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 57

Welcome to November!

Before we get into this month's newsletter, we wanted to take a second to thank all the Didis in media who came out to our very first Didihood Diwali. Last week we invited some of most influential South Asian women in journalism, from hosts to producers to managers.

We wanted to create an intentional space where we could talk about our industry, career and offer each other advice. Big shout out to The Host in Toronto for having us in their space and providing us dinner. 

Stay tuned for more get-togethers and a film event coming soon. 

Meet the Didi:
This month's Meet the Didi is queer visual artist Jag Nagra based in Vancouver. She is passionate about community development and ending the stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community.

Credit: Agata Matyszczuk

What interested you in art? Why did you start and why?
I worked as an in-house graphic design for a company for a number of years starting back in 2006 when I was 22 and found that job largely soul-sucking -- it just wasn’t what I had dreamt of as far as having a career in a creative field.  A few years into the job, I wanted to quit, but knew that if I did that, the only other kinds of jobs I could get based on my work experience would be similar to this job.  So I decided I would stay at that job (where I stayed until 2018 when they went out of business) and undertake a 365-day illustration project where I would draw something every day for a year.
It was an attempt to push myself out of my comfort zone and to build a new skill. At that point, everything I drew was directly on the computer using my mouse. I never drew by hand, and if you saw my portfolio back then, you wouldn’t know an Indian woman had created that art. 
It wasn’t until I got connected to the Punjabi Market Collective in 2019 that I first started to connect with my South Asian roots in any meaningful way. It opened up a new sense of confidence in my identities and now everything I create is inspired by my life experiences and what I observe around me. In many ways, I started my art journey in 2012 with my first 365 project, and then again in 2019 when I began my journey into the style of art I create now and that I’m known for.

Talk about some of your most recent artwork -- the Diwali jersey, the mural -- what is it like using art to create South Asian-inspired designs?
The only way I can describe it is that it feels like I’ve finally come home. I’ve finally found myself. Hearing feedback from people when they share that this representation means so much makes my heart flutter. In a million years, I wouldn’t have thought I would have any meaningful impact on anyone, and to see my art resonating with folks is the best surprise.  I love leaning on my roots to create art. I love introducing my kids to South Asian stories and art and giving them the sense of belonging I had needed from a young age.

Did you ever face any barriers being a South Asian woman in the art space?
The biggest barrier I faced was just not seeing the representation growing up.  Art spaces were largely white.  Even now, when you look at gallery spaces, they don’t always show South Asian art. They’re usually not frequented in any high numbers by South Asian people. 
When I would look at the graphic design spaces that I used to follow, they were full of white designers. No one seemed to pay attention to us.  I didn’t see myself represented anywhere and felt like I was carving out a space for myself in many ways.  I find that because of all of that history, to this day, when people buy my art or when they tell me how my art has an impact on them, I find it shocking because I felt devalued for so long in many ways. 
Here in Vancouver now at least, I feel very much part of this incredible creative community full of artists, musicians, storytellers and creatives of all types -- it’s so cool to be part of this community and I’m proud of each and every one of us for the work we put in. 

How do you come up with your concepts?
My concepts are usually based on my personal life experiences or things that are happening around me.  Often I find that my way to cope with things is to draw them.  During COVID, I found that art was my safe space and a way for me to meditate. 
I also do research into South Asian textiles, motifs, miniature paintings, Mughal art and take inspirations from all those areas.  There’s so much beauty and so much art in our history, and I lean from it and translate it in my own way in a contemporary context.

What would be your advice to Didis who want to create a career in art?
Experiment as much as you can.  I’ve spent so much time in the last 16 years creating self-initiated projects. I never wait for the perfect client to come along. I make up my own design or art briefs and 100 per cent of the time, those “made up projects” have turned into real life paying jobs.
I once created a line of hot sauce packaging and posted it in my online portfolios.  A few years later, someone reached out and wanted me to design his real hot sauce labels.  I once drew the Queen, King, Jack portraits from decks of cards in an Indian theme, and a couple months later, someone from a ski company reached out asking me to create art inspired by those for a line of skis for their company. 

In 2015, I worked on a personal illustration series where I drew dozens of landmarks from across the country, from each province and territory.  When I thought about what to draw for Vancouver, I thought of the bilingual Punjabi Market street signs. I drew those, posted them on Instagram, and a few months later, Gulzar Nanda saw those, reached out to me and told me about plans to revitalize Vancouver’s historic Punjabi Market. We met for coffee, talked about art and Punjabi Market and what the future of it would look like. That led me to helping start our non-profit, I became the creative director (now I’m the Vice-Chair) and I have a whole new life I never imagined before. It’s because of art and Punjabi Market that I’m so deeply connected to my South Asian roots now. It’s been life changing. Art has changed my life.  I put in the work even when no ones asking for it and it pays off at some point.

What are you working on next?
I have big dreams. I don’t think any of this for granted for even one second.  Basically the way I could sum up my current state of mind is that I’m realizing I can make my own dreams come true….so right now, I’m just thinking of all the things I want to work on and somehow, I’ll make them happen. 

What we're reading:

‘What is the best way for a man to manage a team of women?’ Start by actually listening

Diwali, Diaspora And The Battle Of The Desi Designers

I was supposed to grow up to be a ‘good Indian woman’. I chose freedom instead

— Arti Patel

Issue 57
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