Creativity Is My Survival Strategy — Not Just a Skill

By Sai Teja Ramesh
📌 How art, crisis, and creativity helped me build, survive, and lead better.

When Everything Broke, I Drew

In 2020, the world froze.
Businesses stalled. Clients vanished. Cash flow stopped.

But I didn’t.
Because I couldn’t.

I didn’t respond with a funnel.
I responded with a sketchbook.

I drew 100 portraits for free — not as charity, but as survival.
Not as a campaign, but as a creative response to chaos.

And it worked.
It raised funds. It sparked conversations.
It gave people — and myself — a sense of purpose again.

Creativity Isn’t a Luxury. It’s a Lifeline.

In tough times, people look for logic.
I’ve always looked for expression.

Because creativity, for me, was never a “side thing.”
It was — and still is — my core operating system.

It’s how I:

• Handle crisis
• Tell stories that resonate
• Solve problems in silence
• Sell with soul, not scripts
• Build brands that breathe, not just function

Creativity didn’t just help me make art.
It helped me make meaning — and eventually, make momentum.

The Origins: Before I Was a Founder, I Was an Artist

Not everyone knows this, but before Thibstas, I was an art teacher — for 6 years.

I helped people reconnect with the part of themselves that systems had buried.
Back then, I didn’t realize how deeply those years were shaping my future.

But today?

• I see campaigns like canvases.
• I design systems like compositions.
• I mentor teams like I taught my students — with clarity, emotion, and depth.

Business taught me structure.
But art taught me soul.

How Creativity Saved My Entrepreneurial Life

✍️ 1. It Helped Me Communicate When Words Weren’t Enough

Design isn’t decoration. It’s how your inner world speaks when language fails.
When I pitched to clients or launched new brands, I wasn’t presenting slides —
I was painting clarity.

And that’s what they remembered.
Not the font.
Not the price.
The feeling.

🎙️ 2. It Helped Me Connect Globally When Borders Were Shut

While the world was shutting down and people were going silent… I went live.

I hosted 50+ IGTV live interviews with artists from across the world.

No funnel. No ad spend. Just real, raw, hopeful conversations.

We spoke about:

• The role of art in healing
• Creative blocks during lockdown
• Cultural perspectives on expression and survival

It became a global creative diary — and it reminded all of us:

Creativity is connection. Not just creation.

🎯 3. It Gave Me an Edge in a Crowded Market

There are thousands of marketers.
But how many handcraft clarity with creative depth?

That’s the difference.
I didn’t build Thibstas Media to “run ads.”
I built it to architect brands that move people — emotionally and strategically.

The clients who stay with us?
They feel that.
They don’t just get performance reports.
They get story, soul, and systems.

🧱 4. It Gave Me the Courage to Build Differently

While others were obsessed with scaling fast, I started Art Experimenter —
not as a business model, but as a mission to help people reclaim play.

We built games.
We designed experiences.
We created products and tools not just for profit, but for personal renewal.

Not everything went viral.
But everything felt aligned.

And in alignment, I found energy again.

We’re All Creative. We Just Forgot.

You don’t need to be an artist to be creative.
But you do need creativity if you want to build anything meaningful.

Create:

• Your own frameworks
• Signature systems
• New team rituals
• Unconventional offers
• Content that sounds like you, not like AI

If you’re not creating, you’re copying.
And if you’re copying, you’re replaceable.

Final Thought: Don’t Let Strategy Silence Your Soul

In a world full of checklists, dashboards, and tools —
Make sure you’re still making something real.

The next time you feel stuck?
Don’t open another spreadsheet.
Open a notebook. Pick up a brush. Record a voice note. Take a walk without the goal of “being productive.”

Your answers are not always in logic.
Sometimes, they’re hidden in your forgotten creativity.

And when you reconnect with that?

You won’t just survive.
You’ll build with fire, softness, and freedom again.

With art, heart, and creative fire,
Sai Teja Ramesh
Founder, Thibstas Media & Art Experimenter | Artist in Business | Still Drawing, Still Building