My childhood experiences play a huge role in how I understand and relate to art as I see it today. I grew up witnessing creativity as a lived practice, in thrift I saw new forms of expression being explored - unused fabric recycled into bags, old sarees patched into quilts, yarn turned into lace, and pressed leaves and flowers preserved for greeting cards. The women I grew up around envisioned shape, form, colour, and aesthetics amidst their everyday familial roles; artisanship was an endeavour not separate from everyday life. When I moved out of my hometown to study in the city my practice of art was limited to hobbies such as crocheting or making jewellery. After dabbling with a career in communication and writing for over a decade, the birth of my daughter stirred in me the desire to revisit art like the way I had first experienced it; a place for exploration and freedom. Observing children also reinforced my belief that a child's instinctive, creative, & curious nature needs to be nurtured through artistic experiences that go beyond predefined outcomes. My desire, however, was in dichotomy with how art is practiced within mainstream schools in India. The reduction of art to imitation, painting or colouring within these environments isolate art as a separate activity, outside of learning. I, on the other hand, envisioned a fluid learning environment where art-based experiences and explorations would help learners engage with the real world. I saw art as a powerful medium for children to express themselves & reflect on their learning. The Craft Caravan, an art-based learning resource that I founded in 2014, integrates learning experiences with art, local heritage and cultural ecosystems using Project Based Learning. I have designed and implemented learning experiences for educational institutions, & organisations across India. The Caravan aims at bringing a systemic shift and presents art as an essential strategy in education to build critical capacities & skills.