A disclaimer is always a good place to start. So here is mine. I am not entirely sure what I’m doing here, but, like everything else I do, I am going to make it look intentional. That’s been my secret weapon in life and in design. I am Saheba Singh – the above-mentioned creative Misfit. A self-proclaimed master of a few creative trades, and the kind of person who will sit with an idea until everything starts talking to everything else. I then spend a fair amount of time sorting everything out, layer by layer until it’s perfect. It’s not indecision; it’s evolution. (At least, that’s what I tell myself.)
The Design Misfit
I’ve spent years designing spaces. Restaurants and hotels places where people eat, drink, fall in love, and occasionally spill wine (or their heart out) on expensive upholstery. There is much beauty in balanced imperfection. My spaces have always leaned toward boldness, but with a whisper of maximalist vintage. Like a rebel in a black leather jacket who still sends handwritten notes and loves earthy fragrances.
I mean, the earth after the first rain, what could be more perfect than that? I like things that have lived enough to have stories and hold memories. These days, I’m also designing a lot of homes, which is both thrilling and mildly terrifying. There’s something intimate about designing someone’s sanctuary. One can flirt with a hotel; a home is a ring out, down on your knees kind of commitment.
| I guess a home that I design, would say: Yes, a slightly chaotic but passionate human lives here.
A hotel would say: Yes, a slightly chaotic but passionate human would like to stay here. A restaurant/bar would say: Yes, a slightly chaotic but passionate human would like to hang out here. |
The Brand Misfit
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And then there’s Kinaray. It’s not just a brand; it’s a mood, a manifesto for all that has been loved forever and will be loved in times to come. Kind of like an heirloom of tomorrow. Kinaray is where design meets emotion.
Where facts and fabrics carry stories alike, and where we celebrate work that can hold its own forever. It’s about creating beauty that isn’t sterile, because honestly, the world has enough beige. It’s the messy, mischievous cousin of conventional design, and we love it that way.
The Author Misfit
If you’ve read my book ‘All Kinds of Stupid’, you will know that my writing is a perfect extension of my DNA. A yummy cocktail of chaos and clarity, shaken, also stirred when I feel like it, and garnished with some quintessential heartbreak. Writing, for me, is how I process the noise. It’s therapy, minus the therapist. ‘All Kinds of Stupid’ was my way of saying, “Yes, I’ve made some outrageous choices. But at least I’ve made them with my trademark sass and style.” The truth is, I don’t think stupidity is a flaw. It’s the courage to leap at the plan and sometimes, that’s the only way you’ll add some unique ‘tadka’ to your life.
The Artist Misfit
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And then, my art. The relationship I have with charcoal is beautiful. It’s messy, unpredictable, and claims everything it touches. I’ve been doing more live art lately, and there’s something magical about watching people respond in real time. Charcoal is raw. If you choose to be too careful with it, you will not be able to work with it. Every smudge, every line, and all the strokes have a mind of their own. It’s honest and bold in a way most things aren’t anymore.
The Creative Misfit
There’s a kind of through-line in all of this Design, Kinaray, Writing, Art, and how amicably they all exist in one brain with each other. Believe me, I’ve tried. But the minute I start feeling like I belong somewhere, I get itchy. I think it’s the curse (or blessing) of the creatively restless. And I guess that’s me curated chaos with a side of self-awareness. Of course, being a ‘creative misfit’ sounds romantic until you’re knee-deep in deadlines, doubting every other choice you make, and wondering if any of us have a clue about what they’re doing. (Not always). We’re all improvising. Some of us just make it look effortlessly chic.
If I had to sum myself up, I’d say I’m someone who thrives in contradictions. I like beauty, but I also like flaws. I crave structure, but only so I can break it. I believe in art that makes you feel before it makes you think. And I believe in spaces literal and emotional. So here’s to the kind chaos. To the designs that don’t match but somehow belong. To art that you can feel on your fingers and in the soft, little corners of your heart. To the words that embarrass you a little but tell the truth just beautifully. To All Kinds of Stupid. The kind that gets you in teeny, tiny bits of trouble and the kind that makes life worth writing. I’d like to think that’s where the magic lives. In the glorious, unpredictable, ink-and-charcoal-streaked mess of it all. Welcome to my world. Bring your curiosity, your contradictions, and maybe a drop cloth. Things are about to get beautifully messy.