Aloha Medium!🙋‍♀️

I woke up this morning to write a song

Le Intro

I’d like to share a few experiences that nudged me to the aha moment and had me traverse to Design.

Le Verse:

Previously in my life

I have always been a WIP a.k.a work in progress kinda person and the curious kind. Back then in primary school, we used to get a monthly student copy called ‘Children’s Digest’ which I had subscribed for Rs.15 per month. I used to sit and trace on the comics *OCD trigger alert*, to only learn to draw ‘em.

Sometimes, I remember trying to draw my favorite cartoon characters (Dexter and Dee Dee from Dexter’s lab, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup from Powerpuff girls) out of my memory.

When in 4th standard, I remember pulling my dad to school on a Sunday to participate in a drawing competition, I chose to draw Mickey Mouse but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to 🤷‍♀️ but was happy that I went and participated😌

And, since my childhood, I’ve had this habit of keeping my desk clean and organized in an orderly manner (Hope it translates much more into my designs — am getting there).

I was an all-rounder in my class dabbling around playing Volleyball, participating in dance competitions, learning Carnatic music. I wanted to learn everything possible. The other thing I was known for is having good handwriting, I used to love decorating boards. I was assigned to write Thought for the day when in 6th standard😅

Le Chorus

Fast forward to college, I got a degree in BCA from Presidency College after so much slack struggling to get through pre-university(I regret to this day choosing PCMB over Arts out of peer pressure). I secretly wish I’d been an architect too, my bad that I didn’t figure my way into it.

During the 2nd semester, each one of us had to give a presentation in SST (Soft Skill Training) and all I wanted to do was to design the best presentation possible and communicate seamlessly about my research on ‘Android and its evolution’. It turned out to be a ‘presentation by a professional’ — quoted by the teacher herself. This made me so happy and skyrocketed my confidence. Using ‘consistent’ slide animations and PowerPoint remote clicker was my flex. :P

In 2016, I scored a ‘good rank’ in MCA entrance, was told to pursue MCA because logically it was MCA after BCA duh! right? Wrong! (Little did I know that there were colleges offering legit design degrees, my heart cries even now at me not being aware of it. I could’ve and would’ve got into Design much earlier)

Unfortunately, took up MCA in BMSIT&M but that didn’t last long. I was a misfit and depressed every waking morning.

Alas, comes a day when I mustered my inner strength to tell my father about dropping out post-graduation mid-way.😱 This is the exact conversation that happened between me and my dad.

Me: Appa?

Appa: Hmm..

Me: May I jump out of a building?

Appa: *Sees me in shock thinking am totally out of my mind*, WHY??!! WHAT!!? What happened?

Me: Well, I am too scared to jump out of the building, sooo, am thinking to jump out of the degree uhh no I mean drop out of my PG? Ugh! It’s not working for me.

Appa: Phew! You scared me! That’s fine. DO NOT think of jumping from anywhere! Don’t go to college from tomorrow. Here, have a mysore pak(To my international friends, Mysore Pak is a dessert-you wouldn’t want to miss)!

Me: Appa! you are the best!😭 *bursting into tears of joy*

And that’s how I pictured it in my head. But, we skipped straight to the topic of me dropping out. He seemed to understand given my recent interest in sleepless nights, hunger strikes, and fascination about joining an ashram.

I dropped out. Finally!

Le Bridge

I’ve made some disastrous decisions that were influenced, still hold myself accountable. I didn’t have the maturity back then and was all fogged up in the head. But, that’s okay! That’s how we learn right?

In retrospect, my life, and choices, a few of the mentioned highlights earlier made me realize I was always inclined towards design and art. I gave myself 1 year to figure my way into the design industry.

Did my research, took up a few courses, put the puzzle together and then it clicked! Design is what I decided to do, which I often quote as — ‘I chose my career over the career choosing me’ and that! was my aha moment!

Now when I look back again, there have always been fleeting thoughts and moments where art and design have been my silent calling.

Le outro: A little more on my values and ideologies

🩰 Passion takes time to build.
If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing — give it a little more time and try being consistent before you move. Channel your energy into something you believe in. I’m fortunate to be inspired and be surrounded by motivated people who enjoy what they do. We only have so much time on this earth to live — why waste it?

🔭 Always be learning.
Humans are constant work in progress that need to receive feedback to grow. I am always looking at ways to challenge and improve myself, which is why in my spare time I’d like to explore, read about people and their experiences, create art, dabble in new projects and attend meet-ups.

🎨 Embrace your creativity.
Everyone needs a creative outlet of some sort — otherwise, it’d be difficult to stay sane! When I’m not designing, I’m singing in my room playing my uke, sketching perspectives and human figures.

🌱Stay grounded.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re Rich, a CEO, or an average kid on the street. Treat others with respect as you would yourself because ultimately we’re all humans sharing the same wants and needs and facing our own battles every day. Stay true to yourself and others.

🥸 Don’t forget to laugh at yourself and have fun.
We all make mistakes, it takes all kinds of folk to make a world! never be ashamed of your fails, trust the process and own it.

To sum it all

I am currently a Visual/UX Designer at EY with 2+ years of experience in conceptualizing and crafting digital experiences, helping businesses and non-profits expand their capacity for impact. Working in illustration, facilitation, and dabbling in interface design. I ❤️ designing interactions that make technology feel effortless.

Happily learning, unlearning, re-learning, and designing every day.

Because, as long as you are learning, you’re not failing.

Damn! now that’s one medium song complete. Hope to get better at it🥲

Promise you some good songs, and no I didn’t mean https://www.goodreads.com/ although they’re pretty good✨

Big shoutout to Jithin Chacko and Sohan Surag for their support and for helping me write the first song of my life. Did you know? that made you both, even more, awesome!⚡️

Thank you for reading this far😇, see you in the next one. Stay tuned for more.

Stay safe. 🤜🤛

If you believe that I can be of help to you, feel free to DM me on Twitter @meghacshekhar