By Aarna Patel
When someone says “Patel,” a lot of things come to my mind: hotels, Patel Brothers grocery store, maybe doctors or lawyers—but an artist? That’s not something you see every day.
Kyan Patel is a rising sophomore at Wake Forest University, planning to double major in studio art and business or economics, with a minor in entrepreneurship. His goal? To combine his artistic skills with business to create a sustainable career. “I’ve been doing art my whole life because my mom went to an art school in New York, so she was always pushing us to be creative outside of school. I kind of realized I had a natural talent for it… it just came easy to me,” Kyan shared.
They say everyone has a moment when everything just clicks, when all the pieces fall into place. For Kyan, that moment happened in 8th grade. “My first big painting was for the Scholastic Arts Competition. It’s a nationwide competition, and I won a Gold Key for my self-portrait. That was the first time I realized, ‘Okay, I’ve got something different, something not everyone has.’”
A few years later, Kyan’s career took off when he painted his first athlete for a friend’s commitment day at high school. “One of my good friends, a high-level athlete, wanted to do something different for his commitment day. We were talking, and I said, ‘What if I paint you in your new jersey, and you put the hat on, then rip the paper off and we see you in your new jersey?’ At the time, I’d never painted a person before… but he ripped off the paper on national television, and so many people saw it. I ended up painting everyone at UNC (since he committed to UNC), including the basketball team.”
(Photo courtesy: Kyan Patel and Aarna Patel)
That moment on national TV gave Kyan tons of exposure, and clients started reaching out. Social media became Kyan’s greatest tool for building his business and getting his name out there. “Social media is the most powerful thing. If I didn’t have social media, none of this would be possible."
If you’ve seen Kyan’s feed (and if you haven’t, go check it out now—it’s amazing), you know he does a lot of collaboration posts. [A collaboration post is when two or more creators, brands, or influencers work together on a project] Kyan’s approach is smart: “I’ll charge you this price, but instead of full price, I’ll give you a discount, and we’ll do a collaboration post.” It helps him promote his work while giving clients a deal. “That’s why every piece I do is a collaboration post. It gets my name out there, and that’s how I get so many new clients.”
But art isn’t the only thing driving Kyan. “Soccer is the biggest aspect of my life. Art was always something I was good at, but I didn’t get passionate about it until I started painting athletes. That’s when I realized there was something more to it. I always saw art as something I could do on the side, and soccer was my main thing. Soccer has been a huge part of my life, and I still play intramural at Wake. It was a big deal before college, too.”
People and players can have a huge impact on someone’s life, so I asked Kyan who his biggest influence is off the field. “My mom is my biggest drive. She was into art growing up, dancing throughout her childhood, and went to Pratt in New York for graphic design. She did graphic design, wedding invitations, cards—stuff like that—and now she does fine jewelry.” Her support and artistic legacy have not only inspired him to pursue his passions but have also instilled in him the belief that art and sports can coexist harmoniously, driving him to carve out his unique path in both worlds.
-------------------------
(Aarna Patel is a high school senior from Grand Blanc, Michigan with an interest in studying neuroscience or human biology and pursuing a career in medicine.
Article submission coordinated by Krishiv Shah. Please visit www.thesouthasiantimes.info for more Kaleidoscope publications)
