EP #11: JYXDI (Jyothee Murali) - Amassing Over 150K Followers And Collecting $10,000 For A Single Piece of Art

Jyothee Murali, better known as JYXDI, is a 25 year old Tamil self-taught artist from Toronto who has found massive success on Instagram over the last half-decade. She joins Ara to discuss what it was like dropping out of university to chase her childhood passion for art, being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach, creating art for Noah “OVO40” Shebib, and how her work has turned family skepticism to family support.***To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE!***Connecting with JYXDI - https://www.instagram.com/jyxdi/Timestamps:00:15 - Introducing Jyothee Murali aka JYXDI01:06 - How death note sparked her interest in anime03:17 - Dropping out of school to pursue her passion and dealing with the pressure of south asian parents04:33 - Being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach05:50 - Thoughts on NFTs and decision to release two pieces recently07:18 - How her work has turned family skepticism to family support09:01 - Using social media to create exposure, how she came up with the moniker JYXDI, and how anime has helped grow her brand11:15 - Playing in chess tournaments growing up, and her love for hiking and Bali12:31 - The types of people she surrounds herself with, being an introvert during COVID14:05 - Plans to move out of Canada and to build an art school15:23 - Teaching Tamil seniors how to paint16:41 - Favourite books/podcasts17:51 - Practicing discipline and meditation18:56 - Growing up in Sri Lanka during the genocide, still visiting frequently20:49 - The impact of the Toronto-Tamil community, being contacted to teach art 1-on-122:24 - Oil paintings being her favourite art-type to produce22:56 - OVO40 (Drake’s Producer) and La Mar C. Taylor (Creative Director for The Weeknd) reaching out for art pieces24:09 - Wanting to be known for taking a leap of faith and going against the grain24:34 - From selling paintings at $100 a piece to now sometimes getting $10,000 per piece26:36 - Being inspired by A.R. Rahman, OVO4028:21 - Advice she would give to young aspiring artists29:56 - Speed RoundSupport the show