Today we’d like to introduce you to Iyswarya Abayamani.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Iyswarya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always enjoyed writing and have held the role of a contributing press correspondent for a magazine group which has a circulation of 2 Million & 10+ magazines in India. My articles mainly covered women’s empowerment, fashion, career building, youth empowerment etc. even though I was an Engineer by profession!
Once I graduated, I went on to do my MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore one of the premier institutes of Asia, after which I joined a global fashion brand in a managerial role in the Middle East! When I worked there, I traveled quite extensively for work and pleasure! Travel and Fashion have been my two great passions and last year I started a blog which would help me bring all my passions together!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I moved to the US in June 2016 just after my marriage in India! I had just moved from the Middle East to India for my wedding and shortly I moved to the US! I was doing my research based on the USA as my base, but I had to move to India for six months for my work in an Edu-Tech startup as a Business Consultant, so I decided to start my blog based in India at that point!
Since I blog on Indian Fashion, mostly handloom focused I felt that would still be a good starting point for me! When the blog gained traction, around May 2017 I had to come to the US again and travel back to India, so there was a lot of moving around! This constant traveling makes blogging tough since you have to generate content consistently! But it has also helped me evolve as a Lifestyle blogger since in this process helped me understand my personal style in Fashion and Writing!
The Surreal Sagittarian – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My blog started as a travel blog one reaches out to, to get the best travel experience with value for time and money, filled with itinerary ideas & travel plans like a normal travel blog, but I used to write about Sarees too because I absolutely love them!
Saree, the 6-yard draping garment of Indian women, which was once worn by all women of all age groups every day is slowly becoming an occasional wear amongst the younger generation due to multiple reasons! Other than my saree travels, I also write about the handloom weaves of India! Since I mostly wear Indian handwoven/handprinted sarees I aim to create awareness of the beauty and value of handmad/ sustainable fashion to make whatever impact it could make to the livelihoods of weavers and artisans who more often than not, hail from impoverished backgrounds struggling to make ends meet!
So my blog has evolved as the blog of an Indian woman who loves to travel draped in Sarees! There are only a couple of saree travel blogs right now and they are also mostly based in India!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As a blogger who aims to create awareness of the ‘Value of handmade’ which I feel, doesn’t get the value it deserves, I would define success as a by-product of increased awareness of small and sustainable brands that are striving to make a difference! When I start collaborating with more such value-driven brands I would know that I am on the right path!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesurrealsagittarian/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesurrealsagittarian/
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