About Us
1 initiative.
1 purpose.
40 products.
19 months.
60+ customers.
25+ girls supported.
Artizen is a creative initiative that offers an array of personalized items that are designed and hand-painted by Jiya Gupta, a high school student from Mumbai.
The initiative started amidst the Covid-19 lockdown to provide people, especially senior citizens, a means to connect with their near & dear through personalized, hand-painted e-cards. Over time, Artizen added hand-painted items like family portraits, mobile, and laptop accessories, and personalized stationery to cheer during the first wave of COVID lockdown. Amidst the tension of the pandemic and ineffective communication, the personal portraits, e-cards, and videos sought to ‘use art as zen’. Grandparents were able to keep up with their technologically superior grandchildren, the teenagers’ fear of missing out was averted, and despite no physical interactions, festivals and occasions remained special.
As months progressed, I tried to understand the emotions and thoughts of my customers and the recipients of the gift. What did they want to convey? What was the recipient of the gift looking for? What would make some body smile? Slowly but steadily, the initiative grew into something close to my heart. As orders poured in, I questioned the long term impact and relevance of my entrepreneurial initiative. In August 2020, I worked with Kinnari Foundation, an N.G.O. based in Mumbai, who promotes welfare of children by sponsoring school fees of needy children to donate all proceeds raised through the initiative to support higher education of lesser-privileged girls. The Kinnari Foundation has used the proceeds from Artizen to pay the school tuition fees and school books for the girls. The parents of these children are daily wagers and household help. Due to poverty these girls are often forced to give up studying and sit at home or get employed as domestic servants or worst get married at a young age.
Artizen by Jiya Gupta strives to continue supporting education and provide opportunities to underprivileged girls for holistic growth and development, which will put them on the path toward breaking the pervasive cycles of poverty in their slum communities and also have bright future in their career.