International Women’s Day 2026: Exclusive Interview With Neha Varma on Art, Ambition and Redefining Success

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026, read the exclusive interview with the artist and creative entrepreneur Neha Varma, whose journey reflects a thoughtful shift from corporate leadership to creative expression. After years of working in brand strategy and marketing, she is now exploring art more deeply while balancing family, ambition, and personal growth. 

In this exclusive conversation, Neha shares her thoughts on creativity, career reinvention, motherhood, and why giving children the freedom to explore imagination can shape a more innovative future.

1. For many years, your days were filled with brand strategies and marketing leadership while art quietly lived in the background. Did it ever feel like you were living two parallel lives (corporate vs creative)? And at what point did the creative life start demanding centre stage?

Neha Varma:- “ Not really. I’ve always felt that creativity is simply a part of how one lives their life. The expression of that creativity may change, it could be a deck for a brand campaign launch or a landscape on a canvas, but both are creative outcomes. Because of that, I have never felt like creativity was a completely separate stream from my corporate work. They were just different ways of expressing the same instinct to create and communicate ideas.

 2. We're at a time where traditional career paths are becoming less predictable. Looking back at your own shift from corporate leadership to building a creative enterprise, how do you envision the future of work? And is constant reinvention a part of it?

Neha Varma:- “ My shift into the creative space is still very recent, and I’m honestly still figuring out how my creative expressions will eventually take shape. I do see myself doing a lot of mural work, especially for children, schools, and perhaps co-working spaces designed for working parents and their kids. I’d also love to eventually exhibit a line of my work in a gallery.

Reinvention, in many ways, is at the heart of any creative pursuit. For me, it usually happens while I’m in the middle of a process rather than as a big, planned shift. So right now, I see a lot of these ideas slowly coming together.”

 3. Do you remember the first time it hit you that your painting or creative flair is something transformative? Perhaps a child's reaction to some workshop or any mural moment?

Neha Varma:- “ I started scribbling with watercolours on paper about ten years ago. One thing I have always made a point of doing was sharing my work by giving paintings away as gifts and seeing how people responded to them. Over time, I also learnt more about paper, brushes, and the technical side of building a composition. 

The truly transformative moment for me was when I began to feel confident about what I wanted to paint. External validation always helps, of course, but the real shift happens when you start believing that you can create something meaningful for yourself.”

 4. It's often an assumption that creative entrepreneurs "leave" the corporate world behind. But years of building brands must have shaped how you think about creativity, impact and scale. What is that one pristine lesson from your corporate life that unexpectedly made you a better artist or educator?

Neha Varma:- “ I genuinely love building a brand, and that will always remain a core part of who I am. If I ever get the chance to build my own brand or work with one that combines strategy and creativity, while also collaborating with people I can learn from, I would happily do that again.

One thing corporate life definitely gave me is the discipline and rigour to get things done. Even when there isn't a hard deadline in the creative world, having that structured approach helps you stay consistent and committed to the work.”

 5. Many women say that after becoming mothers, society sometimes begins to measure their ambitions only through their children’s achievements. As a young entrepreneur and a mother, do you think this narrative is ready for a rethink? What does ambition look like for women today?

Neha Varma:- “ Thankfully, I haven’t personally experienced those kinds of judgements, I think that narrative only takes hold if we attach all of our self-worth to our family’s achievements. My child is her own individual, and of course, I celebrate her curiosity and achievements. I also feel proud of what my husband achieves, but those successes are the result of their own effort and ambition. For me, it’s really about supporting each other as a family.

Today, ambition looks like balance, being able to nurture work, family, and health without losing yourself in the process. Being present for the smaller moments in life matters just as much as professional milestones.”

6. We both belong to the millennial generation. And I've often observed that the system around us rewards memorisation more than imagination. Do you feel that children today are experiencing any sort of "creativity deficit"? And what happens when a child is finally given a blank wall and freedom to create?

Neha Varma:- “ I don’t think there’s a creativity deficit in children at all. I see my own child approach everyday activities with a lot of creativity and curiosity.

The real key is allowing children the space to explore. Let them make mistakes and learn from them. Give them a blank sheet of paper and see what they come up with instead of asking them to colour within predefined lines. When children are given that freedom, the results can be surprisingly imaginative.”

7. If a young woman today feels stuck in a career that feels safe but not fulfilling, what would you tell her about listening to that quiet voice that asks for something more?

Neha Varma:- “ I wouldn’t advise anyone to make drastic decisions overnight. In the real world, people have financial commitments, responsibilities, and long-term plans to consider.

Everyone is driven by different motivations, so the first step is figuring out what truly drives you. What excites you? What feels meaningful?

If you can pursue that interest without putting your financial stability at risk, then by all means explore it. If not, take the time to plan carefully. Career shifts don’t have to be dramatic leaps- sometimes the smarter approach is to move thoughtfully and build something alongside what you already have."

Rapid Fire Questions

• A song that captures how you feel when you're painting?

Answer:- “I love listening to Aruarian Dance by Nujabes. His music has a calm, flowing rhythm that helps me focus.”

• One colour you instinctively reach out for on a blank wall? 

Answer:- Blue

• If art had a superpower, what would it be?

Answer:- Spreading joy

• One medium through which you can paint for life?

Answers:- Watercolours on paper

• A childhood memory that still inspires your art today?

Answer:- “ I had an art teacher in my early years who always encouraged the strange or unusual things I would draw. He never judged the outcome, he cared more about the process of putting something on paper. That sense of freedom stayed with me and still shapes how I approach art today.

Stories like Neha Varma’s reflect a broader shift in how careers and creativity intersect today. Reinvention is no longer an exception but an evolving part of modern professional life. On International Women’s Day, her journey is a reminder that ambition can take many forms, sometimes in boardrooms, sometimes on a canvas, and sometimes somewhere in between.

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