Rhea Gupta: Finding Creativity In The Everyday

Not every drawing begins with a carefully planned idea. Sometimes it starts with a passing observation, a line on paper or a thought that seems worth exploring. For Rhea Gupta, sketching has gradually become a way of documenting those moments of curiosity and giving them space to take shape.

Rhea Gupta’s relationship with art has developed alongside a professional career that has little obvious connection to sketching. She has worked as a chocolatier for around 13 years and is a partner at Windsor Chocolatier in Gurugram. Her more focused engagement with art, however, began only about two to three years ago.

Since then, she has explored a range of creative practices, including calligraphy, Byzantine icon painting, jewellery-related work, ink and paint making, watercolour, knitting and journaling. Her travels have also introduced her to different artistic traditions, materials and techniques.

Rather than settling on one medium, Rhea has moved between disciplines. Some of these interests have influenced the way she looks at materials and processes, while others have simply provided different ways of approaching creativity. This experimentation has become an important part of how she engages with art.

For Rhea, creativity does not necessarily begin with a technically elaborate process. The starting point can be something much simpler: an observation, an unusual thought or an everyday object viewed differently. The process of putting that idea on paper becomes as important as the final image.

Her approach to creativity is also reflected in the way she works across different forms. Chocolatiering, for example, involves working with ingredients, textures, shapes and presentation, while drawing involves a different set of materials and techniques. Yet both require attention to detail and a willingness to experiment. The contrast between the two fields also highlights Rhea’s ability to find creative possibilities in very different kinds of work.

This exploratory approach has resulted in Sketchy Art, a book that brings together a selection of colourful sketches created around different subjects and ideas. Rather than following a single theme, the collection reflects the varied ways in which Rhea has approached art during the past few years.

The sketches are deliberately varied, moving between subjects and styles rather than attempting to create a tightly structured visual narrative. In that sense, the book serves as a record of Rhea’s recent artistic practice and the experimentation that has shaped it.

The uncomplicated character of Sketchy Art also reflects Rhea’s broader view that art does not necessarily require specialised training or elaborate materials. Creativity can begin with basic curiosity and develop through the willingness to explore an idea.

Rhea sees this aspect of her work as particularly relevant to younger readers. Through Sketchy Art, she hopes to encourage them to experiment with ideas and discover their own ways of expressing them, rather than focusing only on the outcome.

Her recent recognition in literary and creative circles has brought additional attention to her work. Rhea was among the recipients of the Sahitya Sparsh Awards 2026 and the Golden Wings Awards 2026. Sketchy Art has also been associated with the Ukiyoto Sueños Author 40 Under 40 recognition and the Dickens Medal for Literary Excellence 2026.

For Rhea, however, the book represents less of a conclusion than a record of an ongoing creative process. Her interests continue to move between different forms, materials and techniques, with each offering another way to look at an idea.

At its simplest, Rhea’s creative journey reflects the possibility that inspiration can begin with something ordinary—a line, a thought or a moment of observation—and develop simply by giving it the space to take shape. Sketchy Art is one expression of that process, but her wider exploration of creativity continues beyond the pages of the book.