Home is Where I Want to Be Next—Surabhi Rathi
NAME Surabhi Rathi
ROLE Brand Strategist
BIRTH CITY Nasik
CITIES LIVED IN New York, Seattle, Mumbai, Bengaluru
Why did you decide to move to New York City?
My move to New York was fueled by my desire to learn and grow. It wasn’t so much about choosing the city I wanted to move to, as much as it was about what I wanted to study next. And, the program I loved, happened to be in New York. Before shortlisting the School of Visual Arts (SVA), I did thorough research of schools and universities offering postgraduate degrees in the field of branding. I even traveled to London and visited schools there. After considering all my options, I chose SVA and applied to its Masters in Branding program.
I was raised in a family of high-achievers. So, pursuing a Masters felt like the natural next step. My family always put a lot of importance on education and learning in general. My mother continued her education in her 50s and my brother was one of the youngest students to complete his Masters and Ph.D. from Oxford University. However, I didn’t want to pursue a Masters for the sake of it. Having worked in the branding industry for five years I knew what was needed to get to the next level. And the program at SVA felt like a great fit, one that would help me transition from design to strategy. And that’s what brought me to New York City.
How was your experience moving to New York?
New York felt like home from the time I stepped in the city. I felt welcomed, I felt like I belonged here. I am not sure what it is about this city that makes you feel like that. Maybe it’s because you sense an immediate connection to people who seem to be going through the same struggles as you.
I call New York brutal and beautiful. You love this city instantly but it’s not an easy place to live. I’ll never forget the day when I stood at the intersection of 33rd and Madison crying my heart out thinking, why does this have to be so hard?
This was my first week in the city and I was on an apartment hunt. I didn’t know anybody except for my real estate agent. I didn’t know if I could trust him but I did it anyway. All I knew is that I wanted to live in Manhattan not too far from school and be able to afford it. Fast-forward two years and my agent is one of the most trusted friends I have in the city. The people I’ve met from school and the ones I have worked with are like family to me.
I’ve always considered work as a very integral part of my life. And no one stops working here. It’s quite crazy but I love it! I’m moving to the west coast very soon, leaving everything that I’ve created for myself here. But I know it’s the right next move. And New York will always hold a very special place in my heart.
What does home mean to you?
Home is where I want to be next.
I left “home” at the age of sixteen. I moved to Mumbai in India and that was home for five years. It was a glorious time and then I moved to Bengaluru in south India for work. I lived there for three years and loved every single moment I spent there. Soon after, it was time to move to New York for a new chapter. And now I’m moving to the Pacific Northwest. All these moves were the result of the work I wanted to do and the people I wanted to surround myself with.
“Home” is an ever-evolving entity for me. It is what I want next, wherever that may be.
I’m terrified about leaving New York at the start of my career. Every single day felt like a dream here. I never took it for granted. I’ve thought a lot about this move. I’m excited to explore a new city and work as hard as ever. And so, very soon, Seattle will be my new home.
If home for you is where you want to be next, how do you curate your sense of belonging?
My sense of belonging and sense of contentment comes through the work I do. I spend the majority of my time doing what I love — my work. It really doesn’t feel like work when you’re passionate about it.
And so, having the opportunity to do the type of work I most enjoy and to do so with people I admire, are two of the most important things I look for in everything. Knowing that I am going to learn and grow through the work that I seek is where I know I’ll belong now and in the future. And even though this might sound like work is all I care about, the friendships and relationships I build along the way give me immense happiness. I moved to every new city knowing very few people and left it making lifelong friends who are like family. I “belonged” to those places because of them.
Is there an object that you’ve always carried with yourself when you moved?
That’ll be my journal. I’ve always taken to my journal in my life’s lowest and highest points. I’ve written when I wanted something badly. I’ve written every time I was happy and grateful. I don’t journal every day. I only write during my most important moments in life. For instance, I wrote when I graduated, when I got my first job after school, and when I met someone amazing and was stoked. I don’t read any of my writings. It’s not a big part of my life but I do find myself writing more when I’m grateful and truly happy.
I tend to not get attached to objects or souvenirs. This may sound strange, but I’ve never kept photo frames of my loved ones in the house. Those are the kind of things that can make me very emotional very quickly. They transplant me to a world that I’ve intentionally left and moved away from to follow my dreams.
I try not to surround my life with things that can pull me down, emotionally. They are happy memories but nostalgia never helped anyone. I have so many beautiful memories with my family and friends and there will always be a special place for those in my life. But, I am here now, to create new ones. And I have to keep moving.
Do you have any memory of your childhood home?
One of my strongest childhood memories of home is the way my mom kept the house. She is extremely particular about cleanliness and order. She has a utilitarian and an aesthetic style of placing objects in the house. The way I keep my house is influenced by my mom’s style. As I’ve grown older, I can’t help but think how well she molded my brother and me. My brother’s house in London too reflects my parents’ minimal and functional design sensibility.
I recently read Marie Kondo’s Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and I am not lying when I say this; I learned nothing new from the book that I didn’t already know. My mom has been doing everything that the book states long before it came out. And it struck me that I am so much like my mom!
A big part of who I am and the way I think about life is influenced by my parents. I admire my father a lot. I continue to seek his advice while living away from home. I’ve sought his philosophy and approach to life in some of the lowest points of my life. I take all my big life decisions only after speaking with my brother. And my mom is really my best friend. I am just like her in so many ways. I am here today, because of them. It has been twelve years since I left home and I still talk to my parents every single day. It’s like I never left home.
