‘An eye for art and a heart that yearns to make the world a better place for artists world over’ – this was exactly the train of thought behind 25-year-old city-based entrepreneur Rohaan Dang, when he began with, Make my Canvas, a venture that financially aids 1200 artists across 47 countries by giving them the opportunity to hand paint photographs. The enterprising lad, with his sight set on bigger things, tells us more...
Wanting the graph between time spent and the money made linear in art, Rohaan tells us how the idea sprouted. “I observed that art has always been a field of extremes. Artists either make a lot of money or nothing at all. This was truly saddening as a lot of people steer away from treading the path because of the same reason. Hence, the idea was to get artistically inclined people to do a job they love while simultaneously immortalising memories,” enthuses Rohaan, who goes on to add, “I was travelling across Cambodia, looking at poverty and then the talent, which existed in handicrafts/arts. It was deeply inspiring to see talented individuals who don’t know how to market themselves. I wanted to be the voice for them, which is how my team adapted a model to customise art from photos.”
While the venture has quite served as an intersection between art and technology, Rohaan reiterates how there’s a charitable angle, which will always remain an integral part of all his ventures. “A good 75 percent of our artists come from non-affluent backgrounds where they hold two jobs and paint over the weekends at home studios. The amount we pay them for the painting sometimes is their monthly wage.” And that’s not all, this young entrepreneur’s work has caught the fancy of celebs alike. “It’s heartening to see people encouraging new art," he states.
With a sound social media presence, this mechanical engineering graduate from PESIT tells us how starting early as an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but doesn’t come in the way of indulging his other interests. “I love hitting the gym, playing golf and cooking. In fact, I make amazing Thai and Vietnamese food. Those and even travelling. In fact, every artist who’s on board with us has been handpicked by our team during our team tours,” shares Rohaan.
Albeit he has probably does not have a POA charted out for the immediate future, Rohaan is persistent on making it big and most importantly, making a difference in the art scene – in the city and world over. “I wish to set up galleries at airports, so that the concept and the efforts of our artists get visibility. Where people who appreciate art can place orders on the go, while checking out the artwork in person,” he signs off.
