We were lucky to catch up with Aarohi Devasthale recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aarohi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Throughout my creative career, I have worked full-time, both in India and here in the States. I think the two main strengths I realized helped me in full-time corporate roles are being adaptive and being good with people. I have had diverse work experiences, from being the only employee in a startup to being a graphic designer in one of many teams in a large-scale advertising agency. Growing up, I was always an artistic kid, attending dance and art classes after school. I was also extremely shy. I had friends, who were all talkers and I was the listener. Looking back, being an introvert was a blessing because I had great observational skills and learned so much just by being a good listener. I was shy, yes, but I was also a risk-taker. Years later, after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from one of the most prestigious universities in India, I chose to pursue an unknown path and worked in events management. This is where I learned so many social skills which I find useful to this day. Being the only employee also helped me get organized and learn how to manage my time well. I came out of my introverted shell. I loved interacting with people and creating memorable experiences for them. After a year of being outside my comfort zone, I decided to dive back into design and worked as a graphic designer for a couple of years before and through the pandemic. I taught myself and mastered how to draw digitally on a Wacom tablet during this time, and became the designated illustrator wherever I worked. I got to work on Netflix India’s YouTube and also a 2-day music festival by Vh1 through my ad agency job. After having 3 years of work experience, I decided to pursue an MFA in illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design. I left everything and everyone I knew to come to the States and I’m so excited to graduate this November! I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to work on projects for organizations like Georgia Power, Lexus, and Sylvamo through SCAD. I was also hired for two amazing internships during my degree.
I have learned so many lessons throughout my journey, here are some of them.
1. I think the most crucial attitude of being able to do creative work full-time is not getting too attached to your work. Yes, being creative means that you incorporate parts of yourself in everything you do, but it doesn’t mean that people giving you valuable critique mean anything personal by it. I love getting feedback because it means that your work can be way better than you imagined it to be!
2. Being an easy person to work with is just as important as being skilled at what you do. Nobody wants to work with a highly skilled creative whom they cannot trust or depend on.
3. Learn new skills outside of your specialties and it will help bring some unique perspective to your work. Even though my major is Illustration, I took some motion media and 3D classes to help widen my horizons. I also work in Residence Life which helped me hone my leadership skills.
4. Your relationships with people will get you to opportunities you never dreamed of! Keep in touch with people you get along with and help will be on its way when you need it. I could not have achieved my dreams without the set of friends I have been lucky enough to make.
5. Doing what you love full-time is a lot of fun but can also be emotionally draining. Have your boundaries and do things you enjoy that aren’t earning you a living!
I hope these tips help you on your journey. Whether it’s working full-time or being an independent freelancer, all dreams are valid and I know you will achieve them!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m an art director, illustrator, and graphic designer. I grew up in Mumbai, India and I love bringing my culture to the work that I do. I am heavily influenced by Indian music, food, and traditional art forms. I believe that diversity in design is important and will help set a piece of work apart in a visually saturated world. This is why for my MFA thesis, I created an A-Z book about Indian food! Each letter is a different Indian food or culinary practice. I love learning about new cultures through their cuisine and I think more people need to know that Indian food is not just “Chicken Tikka” and “Naan”. I have a diverse set of work experiences, like working as a creative in public health, traditional advertising, and experiential design.

My illustration work is mainly digital, with an emphasis on clean line work and sophisticated color choices. My main two industries of choice for illustration are Editorial and Advertising.

In terms of art direction, I love working on branding projects for small businesses, as giving a new business its voice is exciting to me.

Having worked as a graphic designer since the start of my career, and obtaining a master’s degree in Illustration, I have a strong hold over typography and visual components of a design. My Indian upbringing helps inculcate unexpected design choices that still work within client needs. I love building long-lasting relationships with clients where we can respectfully collaborate to create something fun!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

When someone would ask me “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, I would almost always say “An artist” even as a 5-year-old. This answer would be met with adoration when I was younger but the older I grew, I could sense that this is not an answer most people wanted to hear. Thankfully my parents have always been supportive of me pursuing a creative career, but growing up in India, the norm is to pursue the sciences. People are hardwired to think that being creative means that you aren’t as smart or aren’t working as hard as someone who wants to be an engineer or a lawyer. I wish people knew that a successful creative career needs just as much knowledge and hard work, it’s just a different spectrum of thinking. I wish people knew that everything they use on a daily basis, from their toothbrush to the delivery app they order food from, has been painstakingly designed by somebody. Everything people enjoy in their free time, from reading books to watching a movie, is a result of creative careers. We may not be saving lives, but we make life worth living.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was that if you work hard and push yourself constantly, life will reward you with everything you want. I don’t believe life works that way. Yes, it is good to work hard and feel content at the end of the day, but it is also important to acknowledge that there are some very real privileges that come into play when it comes to success. I am incredibly privileged that my parents are supportive of my creative career, that I don’t have to worry about finances, and that I am mentally and physically well enough to be able to focus on my career goals. There are also enormous systemic faults that impact people of color, queer people, etc, and we cannot be ignorant about those aspects. All we can do is help someone who doesn’t have the same privileges as you when you reach a position to do so, and that is what I am striving for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aarorodraws.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aarorodraws/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarohi-devasthale-a2ba88141/