Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Seasons of Style

Style isn’t something you lock down — it’s something you pass through. What looks like inconsistency up close is often growth in hindsight. Like seasons, your work changes because you do.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Failure in Public

Failing in public isn’t a lack of confidence. It’s proof that you trust your process enough to be seen before the outcome is clear.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Momentum Without Pressure

Creativity thrives on rhythm, not pressure. Flow can carry you for miles, but the moment momentum feels like urgency, the work begins to strain. Knowing when to push and when to pause is what keeps the spark alive — and keeps the art honest.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

The Invisible Audience

Creating for likes once dictated my work. Today I create for an audience I may never meet — strangers who might stumble upon my art years from now. It’s freeing to make work without chasing approval, trusting that the people who need it will eventually find it.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Quiet Partnerships, Loud Ideas

Even when I work alone, I rarely feel alone. My ideas come from instincts, influences, tools, memories, and imagined viewers. This post explores what real collaboration could look like — if I ever step into it again — and what it might take to make it work.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Noise-Canceling for the Mind

Inspiration is everywhere now, which is both a gift and a distraction. This post is about finding the signal beneath the noise and remembering that the best ideas often appear only after the mind quiets down.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

The Creative Identity Crisis

There are times I look at my old work and barely recognize it. The tone, the subjects, even the style feel like someone else’s. But maybe that’s what growth looks like—outgrowing your own creative self while staying true to who you are becoming.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

The Myth of Originality

Originality is often mistaken for invention. But most creative ideas begin with admiration. My MKT Studios logo, for instance, draws from the Real Madrid crest — not as a copy, but as a tribute. The truth is, every photo, sketch, or post I make borrows something from what I’ve seen, felt, or loved before. Creativity isn’t about starting from nothing. It’s about remixing honestly.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Creative Cross-Training

Every medium sharpens another. Sketching taught me to observe, writing taught me to tell stories, and motion is teaching me to see beyond a single frame. Creativity, I’ve learned, is like fitness — each exercise strengthens the others.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

The Unfinished Symphony

Not every idea is meant to be finished. Over time, I’ve learned to see my half-edited photos, half-written drafts, and half-formed ideas not as failures but as fossils — traces of where my curiosity once wandered. Each unfinished piece is a reminder that creativity isn’t about completion; it’s about exploration. Maybe the point isn’t to finish every song, but to keep the music playing.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

30 down

30 photo sets in, I’ve learned that progress comes from creating, not waiting. Mastery is earned in motion. Algorithms aren’t the audience, and validation can coexist with intention. Photography may start with still frames, but stories live in movement. Patterns in how others create can guide me—but my voice is what makes it mine. The next 30 sets won’t just be more—they’ll be sharper, bolder, and truer to what I want to say.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

After the Click

I used to edit to make my photos look different. Now I edit to make them feel right. Editing helps me bridge what the camera saw with what I felt in that moment — a small act of balance between truth and interpretation.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

Pause

Creating out of guilt drains the joy from art. A pause is not failure, it’s how we refuel.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

The Shift

I began by capturing people I knew. Now I find myself chasing moments that belong to no one—sunlight on leaves, waves folding into sand, the kind of beauty that doesn’t need approval.

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Murali Thiyagarajan Murali Thiyagarajan

When Flowing, Keep Going

When inspiration strikes, I try to ride the wave for as long as it lasts. Flow doesn’t come often, and when it does, it’s a gift. Over time, I’ve learned that staying in motion helps me get through ruts faster and keeps my creative energy alive. Patience plays its part too — in waiting for the moment, in trusting the process, and in letting ideas breathe before they take shape. When flowing, keep going.

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