Gauri

was photographed by Clayton Hauck
at See You Soon during a Keep it 100 session
on February 3, 2025.

Interviewed on location and edited by Clayton Hauck.

“Somewhere in me is a hidden artist that’s not been explored.”

Where are you from?

I'm from India. I've been in the US since 2001, a long time. I met my husband here. I have two girls and I'm really happy to be raising two females in this world.

I've been on the business side of tech for years, but I think somewhere in me is a hidden artist that's not been explored.

Tell me more!

I don't know. I've always been interested in the creative side of things, but just haven't explored it.

So if you have an artist inside of you, what kind of art would you be exploring?

I think I'd be helping other people get their art out.

I'm scared of wasting things. So that's why I don't create, but I have like all these ideas…but is it perfectionism or is it fear of waste, you know? So I end up not doing the stuff I want to do but hopefully will [one day].

I'm trying to make the spaces around me beautiful. I have a mural outside my garage. I wanna bring more art to the neighborhood.

Do you like commission the mural? Who is it?

Ponnopozz. Adrian Hawthorne.

Gauri’s Music Recommendation:

Are you into music at all?

I'm into my people's music, so that from the from southeast Asia.

Is there like an artist you can tell us about that we should check out?

I love Coke Studio. It's a bunch of folk music through the generations modernized by current artists. They [Coke] sponsor it. It's really cool. They bring a lot of regional music and make it, you know, add modern instruments, but without it being completely changed into something else. So I discovered a lot of generationally old music through that.

Do you have an interesting thing that happened to you recently that stands out?

This [photo shoot] is pretty fun! I did this just to change my mood. I feel like I've been stuck in a rut a little bit and I needed to do something frivolous just for myself.

Are you optimistic [about the world these days]? Are you pessimistic?

I feel like the world has regressed. One of the reasons I left India and came here was to be my own person, and to be in a society that wasn't super patriarchal. I feel like I chose the US because it felt like the best place for me the grow.

And are you concerned that it's changing now here?

Yes, the country is not recognizable. I have faith that the fundamentals are strong. But it's going to be a lot of pain, weathering the next four years, I think. I'm going in with faith and resilience. We just have to power through.

Do you have any overarching hopes for your two daughters?

It's just to be their full selves.

Alright, thank you so much!

This was awesome. Thank you.