Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimple Sidhpura.
Hi Dimple, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Picture an 8-year-old, just given a pencil and paper, sitting on the floor and engrossed in designing the tiniest of details, she starts to draw designs that resonate fabrics and prints with paisleys and stripes, creations of embroidery designs, and more, this fascination for designing never stopped. “Mehndi”, referred as Henna in English, has been a large part of my life growing up. There were many family weddings that we used to look forward to and dressing up for Indian weddings was a big deal! Mehndi (made from natural leaves of the Lawsonia Inermis plant) is applied with a cone filled with henna paste, it stains the body part that it is applied to and darkens, then fades away after a week or so. At weddings, as soon as I would have a cone in my hand, I’d be itching to try piping designs on my left hand. Through practice, to my amazement, the designs looked pretty decent after perfecting certain shapes over the years that are traditional and adored by many.
At around age 18, my mehndi designs started getting noticed in the community without me advertising, and amongst friends and family, and often I was asked to apply my freestyled mehndi (henna), which then, later on, turned into a passion. I decided to have a side business named “Dimpsi – Mehndi” (Dimpsi is my nickname) because I felt that I have a unique style in offering the San Diego community with very intricate mehndi (henna) for bridal work, parties, and festivals. You need patience for this art, as it can take hours for bridal work. I am very calm and project positive energy into all the work I do.
Only my homemade mehndi (henna) is used and preferred, which is made all by natural ingredients. In terms of client satisfaction, I believe that the person having their henna done by me will want to keep looking at their temporary tattoo and admire it for the next week or two and should love what they have on their hands. I also see a healing benefit henna application has to offer, as a relaxing form of meditation for the mind, since the person having it done, is focused on the application and forgets the world around them for that short time and that calming energy radiates in the space for hours and days to come, especially when they are receiving so many compliments, it brings a further smile on the face, which in return is very purposeful for me and so fulfilling to be able to make someone happy from my work that comes from within.
There is a sense of empowerment and feeling extra beautiful when the stain darkens. Mehndi (Henna) is for everyone. There are different types of henna offerings such as original, Jagua (juice from a fruit which makes a black stain, but is not black henna), and white temporary henna that lasts a day, popular with western weddings with the white dress.
I’ve always loved to create, and have been driven to be self-taught at many things, such as playing a wide selection of musical instruments and creating my own hairstyles. and make-up looks. I also did art at college because my family felt I had a knack for drawing and should not give up, even though I was pursuing business studies as my bachelor’s. I feel very unique. We are all here to co-create and give the world our gifts, I look forward to seeing yours!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There has definitely been a learning curve and there is always an evolution of changing things with the ever-changing world we are in at the moment. One of my current challenges is having to educate people on the value of my time and skill.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At ‘Dimpsi-Mehndi”. I specialize in intricate mehndi (henna) which is freestyled and looks pretty and have been told that I am very fast at applying. I always am happy when I receive an appreciative “wow” and I also hear “I love it”. This is what I strive for. I am also referred to create glam looks with my hair styling abilities and make-overs. It started where I received many compliments for the way that I do my make-up, and I would often create looks on friends and family, and the word spread organically. It is my passion to make others feel and look gorgeous and empowered. I had a very difficult time with my skin growing up, and extended family would often make me feel bad about my skin, which in turn left psychological effects, which are now healed, however, as a blessing I taught myself how to use good products and cover up skin conditions for special occasions and feel very pretty. I wish to make others feel this way too. The way I set myself apart from others is that I create detailed figurines such as a bride and a groom with mehndi and I like it to look 3D and will add some shading. I also use face paints to create figurines during special Indian festivals.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
The way I define success is when I start getting recommended by others and receive referrals, without me even advertising. When I am double and even triple booked in a day, I can happily feel successful. I am also recommended for more hair and make-up transformations which has been great! With the way that marketing is on social media, it seems that for too many people, it is important how many followers a business may have, and overlooking the creative abilities that a person has. I feel it’s important for people to take into consideration the work that a person has to offer and simply inquire and ask more questions, before judging whether a business is successful based on the number of followers.
Success is also when other businesses have wanted to partner up for large events because they value my work. It’s been great so far!
Pricing:
- Simple design – ranges between $15 – $25 per hand
- Medium design – ranges between $25 – $45 per hand
- Heavy design – ranges between $45 – $65 per hand
- Bridal – $250 – $650
- Parties – hourly charge
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dimpsimehndi.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dimpsimehndi
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLgWO5uFnK8CkiPhvG12UQ/featured
Image Credits
Dimpsi Mehndi
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