Two Years of LOTA
And an answer to "What are you building?"
Two years ago, as I posted my first post on Instagram introducing the idea of LOTA, I was so nervous and unsure of what lay ahead. All I knew was I wanted to share stories of artists that inspired me and that’s what I did. Last year I shared more about what inspired me about the creatives that I was featuring on LOTA - how each of them were inspired by their unique heritage and personal story, but had re-contextualized what that meant in their current world.
Today, I’m clearer on what LOTA is and why it matters. LOTA is an agency and platform for emerging BIPOC artists. I’m building a market for art and design that honors tradition, has a modern edge, and challenges monoculture with a more inclusive, beautiful world.
Around the world, culture is being flattened into homogeneity, a phenomenon accelerating more rapidly than ever before due to social media, hyper-fast trend cycles, and retailers from Shein to Amazon driving consumption faster than we can even consume. Small businesses are shutting down, leaving our street soulless. We chase influencers and trends, erasing space for our own worn, colorful stories.
We have outsourced and optimized the core element of what fundamentally makes each of us, us. Our taste, our style, and even our desires are driven by algorithms, conversion rates, and viral trends. Today, we are at a crossroads. We can choose to succumb and let the machines (and people in hoodies) takeover leaving us with fast fashion, dupes, and endless consumption. Or we can choose to channel our own unique perspective, write our own stories, and express ourselves the way we want to be seen and remembered. The goal of art, in all its forms - be it design, architecture, fine art, or fashion - is to DEFINE culture. We are well aware of the reality of starving artists, but now we are also starving culture.
With LOTA, my goal is to support emerging artists and broaden the canon of culture for us, the consumers. I want to enable growth and stability for BIPOC artists, so they can breakthrough, focus on their art, and open the door for more to follow. I want to connect people to these artists to get inspired, feel seen, and deepen their sense of belonging in galleries, in culture, and importantly—at home.
That’s the end state I’m building towards and this past year I’ve been chipping away to make it a reality. For the past six months, I’ve been managing multidisciplinary artist Ragni Agarwal. Agarwal creates art that seamlessly juxtaposes the resilience of women against the backdrop of mental health challenges and broken societal constructs. Through her I have learned the ins and outs of what it means to run an art business and make space to create. Together, we also threw my first art show, Kitty Party, where we showcased her latest collection, The Begums, an ode to the quiet fight of our immigrant mothers and brought together over hundred people to dance the night away laying the foundation for a new community.
I launched an art advisory to help residential clients find art that tells their personal stories and grounds their spaces with the energy and vibe they desire, bringing their moodboards to life by working with local galleries and commissioning artists around the world (hope to be sharing more of the latest work here soon!).
And I’ve continued doing the work that LOTA started from - sourcing emerging artists who have stories that inspire me. I’ve interviewed artists across mediums from digital to 3D to ceramics and textiles, had my first piece published in Brown Girl Magazine, and put together a holiday gift guide with over twenty creators and small business owners.
Before LOTA, I spent my career in marketing and product development for large corporations and startups. I created digital advertising campaigns, built apps for YouTube stars, launched healthy restaurants in LA’s food desserts, and developed a digital bank for the Global South. A bunch of seemingly random things, where I followed my heart and interests, but also uniquely brought me to the place I am right now. This is my first time building something on my own and finding my way through it all has been a journey that has felt equal parts lonely, self-involved, and deeply purposeful.
Over the past two years, there have been many moments when I considered returning to a more “familiar” tech startup world - a path I veered from quite often, but always viewed as the safer option. Yet, deep down, I know my soul hasn’t felt this alive in a long time, compelling me to keep going. The rest of the year holds some wildly exciting projects that I can’t wait to share and with it more of all the feelings.
For now, thanks for being here; your support has meant the world.
So proud of you for following your heart! You are a rockstar.
two years! MASSIVE! kudos kudos kudos brava brava brava. it's hugely inspiring be witness to your journey and to know that all of your early work while in that unknowable / uncertain state has resulted in so much clarity for LOTA and for you 💪🏽