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Anika Mariam Ahmed grew up in a family of academics- architects and doctors. And even though they appreciated art with utmost enthusiasm, they didn't see a career in the subject and left it to be nurtured as a hobby or passion. However, Anika was determined to turn this passion of hers into a career and she wouldn't take no for an answer, for she knew she was destined to paint.
”I used to paint since I was a child. But Inever looked at it as a potential career until I had joined BRAC to study Architecture. After a year, I grew apart from the subject knowing that my heart solely lies in painting. I knew that my parents gave academics more priority than the arts, so I enrolled myself into Charukola to study painting in secrecy, and also rejoined BRAC to study English Literature- to keep my parents unsuspecting,” says Anika. 6 months into her course at Charukola, her parents had found out that she was studying painting without their knowledge or consent. There was a lot of tension at home after that incident and it lasted a while. “I even had to get a job to pay for my paint and other utensils because my parents refused to buy them for me.”

After her family finally came to terms with her studying Painting and Literature both, Anika started a new venture- Orange Theory. “I remember never finding the kind of clothes I would want to wear in any store. So I had decided to make my own clothes by painting things, that I found interesting, on them. My sister and a close friend, Rajon, inspired me to make this bigger and sell my creations, and eventually, Orange Theory happened,” says Anika. Starting out as an online clothing store, Orange Theory now focuses on very unique, hand-made jewellery such as a peter-pan themed necklace or hairpins with large golden butterflies about to take flight. “I always wanted to work with the colour golden. I always thought good golden jewellery was hard to find. And I saw this as the perfect opportunity for me to create some really good pieces with my own artwork.”
Like every great artist, Anika makes sure that a hint of herself is present in her work. “I base all my work on things that I like,” says Anika. Starting from her fascination with Johnny Depp and Audrey Hepburn to The Beatles and Rabrindranath Tagore, Anika's jewellery has made a place in the hearts of people with a similar taste. Her jewellery can start from sophisticated and elegant, portraying the paintings of Van Gogh, or just downright funky and colourful, urging an inner zest for life.

Anika is currently planning on going abroad to pursue a Master's Degree in painting from an art institute. She says, “It's not like our end of the globe has anything less to offer. One can find art anywhere, if one looks close enough. But I really just want to be a little far from home. I want to be on my own for a while. I believe that will help me understand myself better, which will ultimately help me reveal my true potential as an artist.”