Building a Creative Business: The Loneliness No One Talks About
- Muskan Agarwal
- Jan 6
- 4 min read
Running a business teaches you many things, but one of the quieter lessons is this: freedom and loneliness often arrive together.
For a long time, my work life looked exactly the way I had designed it. Just me, my studio, my ideas, and the freedom to do things at my own pace. There is a lot of beauty in that kind of independence. You get to build something of your own, learn by making mistakes, and make decisions that feel aligned with who you are and what you want to create.
But somewhere along the way, the quiet started to feel heavier than I expected. Days would pass where the only voices I heard were my own. My racing thoughts, the sound of my tools, my Instagram notifications, and my to-do list reminders that never seemed to shrink.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. This is the life I chose, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But there were moments when I’d hear my friends talk about their corporate lives, about office parties and shared deadlines, team members and the camaraderie that comes with it, and I’d feel myself drift out of the conversation. I didn’t relate. I didn’t know what to add.
It was like a low, persistent pull, the feeling that something was missing, even if I couldn’t name it yet.
A Sense of Community
Everything changed three years ago when Ashima, the founder of Joy Art (my go-to resin brand), invited me to a Meet-&-Greet.
I had never met so many artists in one place before, and truthfully, I was nervous. I am an introvert (even if Instagram says otherwise), and walking into that room as the youngest person there made me feel intimidated.
But with every passing minute, something began to shift. I found myself relating to the experiences, learning new things, and even initiating conversations (me. initiating a conversation. can you imagine?). We talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Materials that didn’t behave, ideas that looked better in our head, raw material sourcing struggles, client stories that went sideways, and small victories that feel enormous when shared with someone who truly gets it.
At some point, this became the one day I block on my calendar and never question. I adjust deadlines, cancel other plans without overthinking it, and show up even when I’m exhausted or unwell.
The Feeling
How do I put it? Walking into a space like this feels like exhaling after holding your breath for months.
Artists arrive from different cities, each carrying their own unique journeys and experiences. Some are just starting out, unsure but hopeful. Others have been doing this for years, carrying the quiet fatigue of showing up for their art every day. No one has to explain themselves. Everyone already understands. And the relief of that understanding, of being truly seen without explanation, hits differently every single time.
Over the years, this space has become more than a networking event. Somewhere along the way, the Joy Art Meet-&-Greet became my anchor, and these people became my chosen family.
Collaboration Over Competition
I no longer work with resin (more on this in another blog), but this community still shapes my work profoundly. I have found customers here, collaborators, sounding boards, and people who help me untangle thoughts without excepting anything in return.
When I was experimenting with air-dry clay for my Valentine’s Day launch a few days ago, Gauri sent me links to the material I needed and walked me through the process without a second thought.
When hiring began to feel intimidating, Ashima and Dushyant broke it down for me step by step, helping me understand what to look for, where to start, and how to move forward.
Surabhi and I met at the last Meet-&-Greet, and now we’re planning our 2026 goals together!
I met Saba at the third edition of the Meet-&-Greet, expecting nothing more than a polite introduction. Yet last year, she called me on Diwali just to wish me well. The year before that, when I was setting up my stall at Horn OK Please, she called to wish me luck. Who does thatt?
These moments might seem small and simple, but as someone who has worked alone for the longest time, this support meant everything.
Richa and Anjali, whom I met at the very first event, are not just fellow artists today, they are also my customers. I once made a custom magazine for Shruti, and when we met again at the Meet-&-Greet, everything clicked in a way that felt effortless and wholesome. Geeta, Palak, Shweta, Aishwarya, and honestly, every single person in that room has become part of my world. Every artist who shows up is on their own journey, but what connects us is the shared love for creating.
Alone but Not Lonely
Coming home after these days, I can still hear the echoes of laughter, the encouragement, the ideas shared, and the inspiration that lingers. And in that moment, I realize what it truly means to be seen.
Most of my days are still spent alone in my studio. That hasn’t changed. But days like these remind me that I’m not really doing this alone. The loneliness doesn’t vanish, but it eases.
This one day every year reminds me why community matters, not as a concept, not as a buzzword, but as real people.
My people.
To The Ones Who Made It Happen
Watching Ashima and Dushyant grow Joy Art Resin over the years has been quietly inspiring. And now, seeing them launch Maison Joy, their new perfume brand, fills my heart completely.
What I’m most grateful for, even more than their success, is the space they’ve created for all of us. A space where artists can show up, share without judgment, learn from one another, and feel truly seen.
Thank you, Ashima and Dushyant, for building something so real, so warm, and so alive. For me, and for all of us, it’s more than a community. It’s home.
So the plan, really, is simple: show up.
Share what you wish.
Take what you need.
Leave a little lighter than when you arrived.
And come back next year.
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