Praxis is the product of makers who teach.
We believe the best design education happens through hands-on making across multiple disciplines. You learn by doing, not by passive consumption.
Who we are
Praxis is built on a simple belief: the best way to learn design is by making real work alongside experienced practitioners.
We're not a theory program. We're not a video course. We're a studio where you work directly with people who spend their days designing, building, and teaching across multiple disciplines. You get access to professional equipment, daily mentorship, and the space to make finished pieces you'll own and be proud of.
Our founders—an electrical engineer and a trained educator—have spent years in the workshop and the classroom. We know what it takes to learn a craft. We know how to teach it. And we know how to integrate disciplines in ways that create more interesting work.
Akhila | Electrical Engineer, Maker, Educator
Akhila is an electrical engineer trained in the intersection of engineering and creative making. For the past two years, she has been teaching intensive workshops at Hindustan Trading Company, covering everything from drone making to linocut printmaking, woodworking, textile design, and electronics.
Beyond teaching, Akhila has spent several years deeply practicing several craft forms—woodworking, printmaking (linocut, cyanotype, screen printing, etching), jewelry metalsmithing, and ceramics. She's collaborated extensively with other artists and makers to support all aspects of their practice, from electronics integration to material innovation.
As a consultant with industrial design firms, Akhila works on the intersection of engineering and art—helping teams understand how to integrate technology, manufacturing processes, and design thinking into functional, beautiful objects. She brings both the rigor of engineering and the intuition of hands-on making to everything at Praxis.
Her expertise includes:
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Electronics and Arduino integration
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Woodworking and furniture design
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small scale Metalsmithing and jewelry making
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Printmaking (linocut, cyanotype, silkscreen)
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Ceramics and glazing
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Drone engineering and aerial design
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Industrial design consulting
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Photography and documentation
Apranta | Educator, Counselor
Her expertise includes:
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Psychology and how minds develop, learn, and struggle
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Understanding failure, resilience, and growth
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Creating psychological safety for risk-taking and real making
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Special needs education and how different minds work
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Counselling and supporting people through difficult moments
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Artist practice across multiple mediums
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Workshop design that blends maker experience with evidence-based methods
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Building systems and mentorship networks at scale
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Curriculum on identity, emotion, sexuality, failure, resilience, and digital life
Why this matters
Praxis exists because we realized that most design education either teaches technical skills without connecting them to creative exploration, or teaches theory without giving you the studio time to actually make something.
We wanted to create something different. A place where you spend most of your time actually making—across different disciplines—alongside people who've spent years figuring out how these crafts work.
Apranta ensures that how we teach is as thoughtfully designed as what we teach. She understands that learning is not one-size-fits-all, and she builds flexibility into our instruction. She brings the patience and psychological safety that allows students to take risks and make bold work.
Akhila brings the technical depth and practical problem-solving that makes this work real. She knows what's possible with different materials and tools. She can help you integrate electronics into jewelry, or add structural engineering to a textile piece. She understands the constraints and opportunities of real making.
But beyond Akhila and Apranta, we have access to a network of specialist practitioners across every discipline we teach. Ceramicists, textile designers, metalworkers, printmakers, woodworkers, electronics engineers, photographers—people who have spent years mastering their craft. Depending on what you want to explore at Praxis, we can bring in specialists who can share their deep knowledge and answer the questions that go beyond what we can offer alone.
This means you're not learning from generalists. You're learning from people who've dedicated years to their specific craft, alongside mentors who understand how to guide you through the discovery process.
What this means for you
When you come to Praxis, you're learning from people who:
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Actually make things — We're not academics. We're practitioners who spend time in the studio, solving real problems with real materials. Everything we teach comes from actual experience of figuring things out.
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Understand how people learn — Teaching isn't about lecturing or laying down rigid methods. It's about creating the conditions where you can discover things yourself, make mistakes, iterate, and gradually get better. Aparantha brings expertise in pedagogy that means you're not left to fumble alone—you're guided, but you're doing the real work.
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Value multidisciplinary thinking — We believe your best work happens at the intersection of disciplines. A pendant is more interesting when it combines metalsmithing with electronics and photography. A textile becomes more powerful when it integrates printmaking and conceptual thinking. We encourage you to work across boundaries.
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Are invested in your growth — Small groups, daily mentorship, and real feedback come from our genuine belief that your work matters. We're not running a factory. We're building a studio where you can make something you're proud of.
You'll leave with finished pieces, sure. But more importantly, you'll leave with a new way of thinking about making—and the confidence to pursue it.
