The Tamil Creator Ara Ehamparam

Thiviyaa Sehasothy, aka Art By Thiviyaa, is a Toronto artist and painter whose specialty is creating magic on canvas with custom & original work for clients.  She joins Ara to discuss various topics including her first sale, how exhibitions built her confidence, the simultaneous balance between being an artist and a small business owner, and the personal legacy she wants to leave behind.

Connect with Thiviyaa - https://www.instagram.com/artbythiviyaa/

Timestamps:

01:06 - Introducing Thiviyaa Sehasothy aka Art By Thiviyaa
04:05 - Thiviyaa credits her brother for her success
07:41 - Ara’s brother impersonates him in public
09:15 - How Art By Thiviyaa came to be
14:15 - How exhibitions built Thiviyaa’s confidence
19:03 - Thiviyaa’s first sale
23:30 - How Thiviyaa balances being an artist and a small business owner 
26:36 - The difference between an original piece and a print
29:59 - Thiviyaa’s most popular art pieces
31:40 - The concept of doing something once and being paid for it repeatedly
34:20 - NFTs
40:58 - Thiviyaa’s biggest insecurity
46:59 - Where Thiviyaa sees herself in the next 3-5 years
50:35 - How Thiviyaa views money, the importance of valuing your work
58:55 - The personal legacy Thiviyaa wants to leave behind
59:52 - Advice Thiviyaa would give to other Tamil creators
1:02:02 - Creator Confessions
1:07:35 - The wrap up

Yanchan is a Scarborough-raised producer who blends hip-hop with Carnatic music. He joins Ara for what could be considered the Scarborough episode, to discuss how he fell in love with music and achieved his childhood dreams of performing on tour, his recently released Scarborough Beat Tape, how to make money off of music, why he doesn’t turn down opportunities anymore, and a lot more!

Connect with Yanchan - https://www.instagram.com/yanchanproduced/

Timestamps:

01:06 - Introducing Yanchan
03:37 - Studying economics at Laurier, family’s view on his career ambitions
07:08 - The Scarborough Beat Tape, nostalgia for the city
14:13 - Achieving his childhood dream of performing on tour
18:22 - Shan Vincent de Paul and the track “best friend”
20:39 - The Tamil music scene, artists who Yanchan wants to collaborate with
21:56 - Being inspired by another music producers, and wanting to give back in a similar way
23:14 - How does Yanchan make money (Spotify, selling beats, artist development)
28:11 - COVID-inspired business ideas
30:14 - Why Yanchan takes every shot he gets
32:28 - Networking as an introvert, wanting to connect the Indian and American markets
34:56 - Yanchan’s admiration for Drake, and wanting to mimic his career
36:26 - Financial freedom
38:14 - How has the Tamil community impacted Yanchan
39:14 - Beliefs and behaviours which have improved Yanchan’s life
42:03 - How Yanchan decompresses from work, prioritization of family/friends
43:29 - Yanchan’s advice for other creators
44:06 - Creator Confessions
46:16 - The wrap up

Tanya Yoganathan is a mother of two, and the creator of Her Sun & Stars Co. She joins Ara to discuss how she started a business during the start of the pandemic and was able to quit her full-time job because of it. They also discuss Maitreyi Ramakrishnan shouting out Tanya’s company, impostor syndrome, and the importance of financial literacy before jumping into the new segment Creator Confessions.

Connecting with Tanya - https://www.instagram.com/tanya.yoganathan/
Visit Her Sun And Stars Co. - https://www.instagram.com/hersunandstars.co/

Timestamps:
01:06 - Tanya starts the podcast
01:53 - Ara starts the podcast
03:17 - How Tanya and Ara met, and can Ara speak Tamil?
06:17 - Introducing Tanya Yoganathan, being Instagram famous, how Her Sun & Stars came to be
20:05 - Starting and successfully growing her business (during the pandemic) while working a full-time job
28:13 - Previously work as an advisor in analytics, struggling to celebrate milestones
32:47 - Getting her first celebrity shoutout from Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
37:26 - Why Ara started the podcast
40:17 - Tanya’s first sale, quality vs. time
51:24 - Balancing insecurities and confidence, impostor syndrome
56:37 - Starting a business with kids
59:53 - Viewing money as a tool, the importance of financial literacy
1:00:07 - The FIRE movement
1:08:49 - Personal legacy, Nick Offerman, Ernest Hemmingway, and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
1:11:51 - The lost art of being able to disagree with someone
1:13:20 - The importance of starting
1:15:57 - Creator Confessions (Tanya’s favourite Tamil creators, when she wants to retire, and more)
1:30:13 - The wrap up

 Dayalan Mahesan is the owner of Joseph Property Group, which specializes in property development, management and sales in the UK. He joins Ara to discuss growing up in an entrepreneurial environment, how he raised money with his wife for the Sri Lanka Easter bombing victims, having Burrito Boyz delivered by plane, why ketchup was created, being of a big fan of the Liverpool Football Club, and much more. 

Connecting with Dayalan - https://www.instagram.com/lifeofdayalan/

Timestamps:

00:15 - Introducing Dayalan Mahesan
02:26 - How Ara and Dayalan were both influenced by entrepreneurial fathers
05:22 - Connecting with the Tamil community in London before Facebook
07:27 - Who is DJ Biznus?
08:56 - COVID’s impact on Dayalan’s life and London
10:48 - Fusing Sri Lankan / Caribbean food to raise money for Easter bombing victims
12:31 - Supporting his wife’s entrepreneurial efforts
14:07 - Passion for property, working with the South Asian forum
16:13 - Wanting to mentor people and help the underprivileged
18:52 - Previously being very shy, developing public speaking skills and reading more
20:06 - Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
23:10 - Ara confesses to bribing Dayalan
23:54 - The time Ara delivered Burrito Boyz from Canada to Dayalan in England
24:47 - How a funeral in 2017 changed Dayalan’s perspective
26:24 - Wanting to be remembered in same light as his late father
28:50 - The impact of the London-Tamil community on Dayalan
30:52 - Who inspires Dayalan? Why was ketchup created?
35:07 - The importance of surrounding yourself with likeminded people
37:11 - Speed round

Jyothee Murali, better known as JYXDI, is a 25 year old Tamil self-taught artist from Toronto who has found massive success on Instagram over the last half-decade. She joins Ara to discuss what it was like dropping out of university to chase her childhood passion for art, being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach, creating art for Noah “OVO40” Shebib, and how her work has turned family skepticism to family support.

Connecting with JYXDI - https://www.instagram.com/

Timestamps:

00:15 - Introducing Jyothee Murali aka JYXDI
01:06 - How death note sparked her interest in anime
03:17 - Dropping out of school to pursue her passion and dealing with the pressure of south asian parents
04:33 - Being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach
05:50 - Thoughts on NFTs and decision to release two pieces recently
07:18 - How her work has turned family skepticism to family support
09:01 - Using social media to create exposure, how she came up with the moniker JYXDI, and how anime has helped grow her brand
11:15 - Playing in chess tournaments growing up, and her love for hiking and Bali
12:31 - The types of people she surrounds herself with, being an introvert during COVID
14:05 - Plans to move out of Canada and to build an art school
15:23 - Teaching Tamil seniors how to paint
16:41 - Favourite books/podcasts
17:51 - Practicing discipline and meditation
18:56 - Growing up in Sri Lanka during the genocide, still visiting frequently
20:49 - The impact of the Toronto-Tamil community, being contacted to teach art 1-on-1
22:24 - Oil paintings being her favourite art-type to produce
22:56 - OVO40 (Drake’s Producer) and La Mar C. Taylor (Creative Director for The Weeknd) reaching out for art pieces
24:09 - Wanting to be known for taking a leap of faith and going against the grain
24:34 - From selling paintings at $100 a piece to now sometimes getting $10,000 per piece
26:36 - Being inspired by A.R. Rahman, OVO40
28:21 - Advice she would give to young aspiring artists
29:56 - Speed Round

Vijay Sappani is a Tamil cannabis entrepreneur and investor who co-founded a billion-dollar company called TerrAscend.  He joins Ara to speak about biryani, biryani, and more biryani. They also cover topics such as why he entered the medical cannabis industry, the process of taking a company public and receiving a billion dollar evaluation, and if money can buy happiness.

Connect with Vijay - https://www.instagram.com/elacapital/

Timestamps:
00:15 - Introducing Vijay Sappani
01:53 - Nuanced opinions in the Tamil community
05:17 - Vijay’s obsession with biryani, and where to find the best kind
08:16 - Why Vijay entered the medical cannabis industry
12:20 - The biggest challenges Vijay faced upon starting his business
14:13 - Skepticism that Vijay faced early on, and important mentors
17:19 - Taking TerrAscend public and receiving a billion dollar evaluation
22:47 - The importance of knowing when it’s time to step aside
24:51 - Can money buy happiness? Has money changed Vijay?
28:52 - Ela Capital
30:45 - Companies that Vijay has invested in
35:12 - Money being a taboo subject in the Tamil community
39:10 - Vijay’s daughter having a rare genetic disorder, starting a foundation in her name
43:34 - How Vijay balances work and life
46:28 - Wanting to be remembered as “Mr. Troublemaker”
47:44 - Growing into his Tamil identity, and funding projects in Sri Lanka with his wife
53:08 - Ara asks for one piece of advice for Tamil creators; Vijay gives way more
57:31 - Would you rather speed round