I have always been fascinated by our abundantly creative universe and how magick unfurls both within and around us at all times. Growing up in Mumbai, India – a land of spirituality, art and a hub for beautiful textiles – I was exposed to a rich blend of colors, textures, signs and symbols. It was my own spiritual journey that opened me to creating art and textiles. Every piece of art I create is the physical manifestation of my visions or my imagination rather. They begin life in the spiritual where I, like a shaman in full creation mode, freely roam the infinite depths of my imagination constructing stories, and giving these adventures physical shape and form with every brush stroke on a canvas. My art is a creation – born of the spiritual, magickal and physical that is my very being.

Mother Earth or Gaea, as she is also known, is living proof that material things can be manifested from the divine. As the universal archetype of the divine feminine, Gaea represents the inexhaustible spirit of creation and is associated with abundance and strength. It’s her energy, her magick and her essence that created the planet we inhabit – hence she is in everything. Gaea’s energy weaves through every blade of grass, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the oceans, the deserts, the caves, the animals, the minerals.

Naturally, I see the world as art and creation. Art and creation is present in every lifeform, every industry and every craftsmanship – architecture, interiors, textiles, graphic design, automotive design, carpet design, to name but a few. Everything we use and wear is a creation. Every piece of art is born from within, from one’s imagination. Just like every fiber on this planet begins life as a seed in Gaea’s very own imagination before it begins to sprout and take physical shape and form. It’s the soul in a plant that allows me to feel Gaea, to reach out and touch her, and to know her and the raw materials she gives us which are used to create textiles. Different fibers make us experience different things through their touch, their taste, their smell, their appearance and their comfort level. Working with textiles, there’s never a dull moment – creating patterns, playing with composition, adding colors, and incorporating every elemental is fun, innovative and magickal. Matching colors with the elements and giving texture to fibers with a complementary weave creates the perfect balance. Every design is within me and I am in each design. It always brings me joy when a design is completed.

By embracing the magick within me, developing the special bond that I have with Gaea and recognizing the story of creation itself within everything that I do, it has shown me that I can create anything I want. The concept that nothing is impossible has not only helped me to grow as an artist but to truly be the architect of my own life.

— Nisha Desai, Artist, Textile Designer