Amrutam Contributors x Gopi Vadsak

Meet Gopi Vadsak

Gopi Vadsak is best known by her Instagram username @aawaari. A mysterious personality behind the exotic blend of colors and designs, she’s a celebrated brand in herself. 7 April 2020 was the night of the supermoon and Gopi just got free capturing the moon’s cinematic sight. “As a photographer, I always try to keep an eye on these things,” she says. What began as a fascination towards experimenting with shades and abstract ideas, soon led Gopi to pursue a career in photography!

“Photographers are magicians,” I tell her and hear her blushing. It is a fact, she already knows.

A big fan of masaledaar Gujarati food, Gopi currently lives in Surat, Gujarat. Though she often makes trips to Mumbai for projects and collaborations, she is not particularly fond of the big city life and all the hassle that comes with it. All the travel that one has to do to sustain in a city like Mumbai doesn’t quite work well for Gopi. Surat is slow and comfortable and I feel so much healthier and calmer here, she explains.

Curator of Dreamy Aesthetics

It was back in 2018 that Gopi became an irreplaceable part of #AmrutamFamily. Her work was just a treat to sore eyes. And when our in-house Mental Health Ninja aka Stuti Ashok Gupta came across her handle, she proposed a collaboration on Brainkey Gold Malt to Gopi. However, it was only after Gopi tried and experienced the magnificent results first-hand, she agreed to collaborate. It was the beginning of a journey that would result in a lifetime’s worth of bonds!

“I started experiencing the wonderful benefits of Brainkey [Gold Malt] within a week and it has helped me with my anxiety. I’ve been consuming it for a long time and now it has become an indispensable part of my life.”

Interestingly, Gopi has never received any formal education in photography or multimedia. She’s a self-taught artist. And yet, her aesthetics are to die for. Flatlays, portraits – everything is so exquisitely put together and captured, it almost appears like a dream. Resolute about her passion for photography, Gopi, too has had her fair share of struggles. From convincing her parents to let her pursue photography to managing her finances to buy a professional camera and laptop to doing odd jobs to sustain herself – Gopi has been a fighter in the truest sense.

Bringing Comfort through Visual Art

“My mother knew that I was determined to do what I wanted. But it was only when my cousins and distant relatives started lauding my work, my parents started coming around the idea of my taking up photography professionally.”

When I ask her if she always knew she wanted to be a photographer, she chuckles and says, “I was previously interested in Journalism. I don’t even know why but back when I was younger, I just wanted to go to Mumbai and study Journalism.” Gopi had been a CA student in the past but later realized she wasn’t cut out for it. She felt this palpable sense of calm when she held a camera even when she simply did it for the ‘Gram.

Although she has been photographing for over five years now, she has only recently started taking up commercial projects. Gopi’s latest project was an album art for musician Zaeden’s latest album. She has also worked with fashion influencers like Usaamah Siddiqui, and her work has been featured in magazines like Vogue India. Having gone through her profile several times, I have developed an inclination for muted colors that she manages to bring to life. Gopi has this amazing ability to comfort people through her photos. I try to do my groundwork beforehand and get clarity about the kind of visuals I want, I never skim out on the tough parts of my job, adds Gopi.

An Interminable Loyalty

“I was never a good painter so whenever I had a vision or an abstract idea, I could never paint it well. I could never do justice to my vision. But when I started photography, I was able to bring my ideas to life. I would imitate my concepts in real life and capture them as photographs. It was a very liberating feeling.”

Gopi is confident about the brand she has established. Certainly, she’s given all her heart and soul to her work and ideas. And to see it all come to life has been more than freeing. It has been empowering.

At Amrutam, her role is that of an Editorial Photographer, as Team Amrutam likes to call it! Gopi creates fine art photos and implements abstract ideas that match the product’s vibe. Her first project for Amrutam was for Brainkey where she blended the organic feel of the product by the beach. It came out so neat and well-refined that now the Team wants to explore more beach-related ideas!

Often described as short-tempered and emotional by friends, Gopi has this interminable loyalty for Amrutam. And fairly so. The Team has always exhibited immeasurable faith in her work and vision and continues to do so. The creative autonomy and liberty to express my thoughts into photos have been really rewarding, she adds.

Lover of Soft Pop

“I feel at my creative best when I am working for Amrutam. Mostly, because I am very relaxed. And that is because the Team is always very open and appreciative of my ideas. Amrutam was my first commercial project and it gave me a chance to establish myself as a fine arts photographer. I am really grateful for that.”

People who follow her are well aware of her love for music, especially soft pop. Artists like Billie Eilish, The 1975, Lany and Prateek Kuhad are ones whose music she loves listening to. Like most freelancers, Gopi does not have a specific routine that she sticks, too. Most times, she is so involved in her shoots that she forgets to have her meals! But black coffee is always a part of her day, no matter the season.

For 2020, her primary goals are to shoot for influencers and artists whose work she looks up to, buying an iPad and learning the art of visual illustrations. She is also looking forward to shooting underwater, though it still a rarity in India.

On being part of #AmrutamFamily

When I ask her why should people be part of #AmrutamFamily, she simply says –

“What I truly love about Amrutam is that they do not rush into things for the sake of making profits. If a product is taking longer than expected, they continue to give it the time it needs. They do not compromise the quality of their products. It is unusual for companies to think beyond the monetary aspects and Amrutam keeps is a priority.”

It is evident from the current times, that the bridge between humans and nature is broken. The present-day lifestyle is fast and exhausting and most definitely not organic. Amrutam is trying to rebuild that bridge, trying to reconnect humans with nature, she concludes.

Amrutam is immensely grateful to Gopi and celebrates her as an integral part of our #AmrutamFamily!