Written by Sadhana Subramanian

I was about 6 months into working at my first full time job after graduating from NYU when I realized that I had become every 20-something’s worst nightmare: a boring adult, fallen victim to the monotonous 9-5 lifestyle. My daily schedule consisted of waking up, walking to work, staring at a computer for 8 hours, walking back home, staring at a tv for 3 hours, and eventually falling asleep out of sheer boredom. One day after binging the entire series of The Office for the 3rd time, I came to the realization that I needed a hobby.

I thought back to how I used to keep myself entertained when I was younger and remembered that being a part of the school band took up most of my time. Instead of trying to dig up my old clarinet, I strolled into Guitar Center and bought a guitar. I figured this could be my big quarter-life crisis purchase, but it ended up being a lot more than that. Rather than binging television shows after work, I started teaching myself how to play and within months I started a YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to :)) to document my progress. This turned out to be a really fun hobby for me, but something was still missing.

Another activity that I enjoyed when I was younger was dance class. I started learning Bharatanatyam when I was 7, and I always looked forward to the shows and competitions that I participated in every year. When I heard about auditions for a new dance group in the city called Ayana Arts, I instantly knew what had been missing in my life - a community that shared the same passion for the arts as I did. Joining Ayana allowed me to get back into something that I loved and gave me the opportunity to try new things. I choreographed a classical fusion piece for the first time, learned 2 new dance forms, and even performed guitar live at our last show, all while giving back to the community. I never realized how much I missed dancing and performing until the weekend dance practices started again. Being a part of Ayana allows me to channel my creativity in new and exciting ways and introduced me to a diverse community of talented artists who motivate and inspire me everyday.

Creativity in a Corporate World