We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vishal Varghese. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vishal below.

Vishal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

When I first started out as a Motion Designer, I was hired by a US-based lawyer Chris Daming, to work with his team at LegalGPS, to create educational videos for startups and entrepreneurs. Although not from an art background, Chris was the first person to teach me how to navigate all the hurdles I would later face as an entrepreneur. I learned the art from a lot of artists, but I learned to be an entrepreneur from him. In many ways he taught me the foundation of how to run my own business smoothly and how to treat my employees, should I hire them in the future.
I’ve heard several stories from my friends about how toxic their workplace was. Even remote ones. However, having worked for 2 years I was given plenty of opportunities to learn and grow with no form of toxicity whatsoever. Chris was more than just a boss, but a good friend and mentor as well.

Vishal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a Freelance Motion Designer based in India.

As a kid, I have always loved to draw and used to take part in quite a lot of competitions in school. Most of my notebooks in school were filled with random doodles and sometimes I used to draw on the back of exam question papers after having finished them. This had gone on well into high school.

Once I entered university, I stopped drawing to focus on my studies. Just like every other student I knew then, I took a degree in Computer Science. The general advice was to go for one with good job security and a good salary. However, it was then that I discovered motion design. I saved up and got myself Adobe After Effects. This decision changed my life. Having found a new passion, I spend most of my time learning how to animate in After Effects. It was, to me, the closest thing to actual creation, at that time. Every time I moved a shape or animated a character I felt drawn to it more and more. One of my professors noticed this and in my final year suggested that I give it a try.

Motivated, I joined a Motion Design studio run by my cousin, as an intern. There I learned the basics and the foundation of each and every aspect of 2D animation in After Effects. Being an already established studio, I was delighted to work on projects for some big names like Walmart. But at the same time, it felt strange, everyone I knew who graduated was job hunting and I was making a decision that was taking me away from a career in the IT sector. And I liked it.

After two years of working full-time, I made another risky decision. I went freelance. In retrospect, I think this was the best decision I made not just for my career but in life as well. Freelancing started out tough but it had its rewards. 6 months into freelancing, I was fortunate enough to be hired as a creative lead at LegalGPS, a US-based startup seeking to help entrepreneurs navigate legal hurdles they would be facing while running their businesses. It was here that I met Chris Daming, the CEO. Chris was the first person to teach me how to navigate all the hurdles I would later face as an entrepreneur. Even after several years, his advices still echo in my head when I make important decisions.

Now I’m a freelance Motion Designer with some big names like INTEL, The CocaCola Company, and several others under my belt. I’ve had plenty of help along the way. I never expected something that started out as a hobby would take me this far. And the best thing about freelancing was that I could take my day off whenever I wanted. It gave me control over my time and energy.

As a creative, I always believe in the importance of “play”. It’s when I play around with ideas, my creativity works best. I aspire to provide not just a simple visual to my audience but an emotional journey. I believe in the power of storytelling. When Steven Speilberg first came out with Jurassic Park, he took us on an emotional journey that cemented the idea of how dinosaurs looked like. All future movies of the same genre took inspiration from this. Even with new discoveries made, artists still use Speilberg’s model as the basic structure to build. Similarly, the magic of powerful storytelling can also be used to help change the world. Any person who needs their voice heard, technology that can make the world a better place, are the stories I want to tell.

In my free time, I like to observe nature with my camera. Especially bird watching. It’s one of the most relaxing yet exciting hobbies I enjoy.

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

One of the biggest lessons I had to learn was to prioritize smart work over hard work. When I first started out, I would spend hours up, burning the midnight oil trying to make sure everything was perfect. Only later did I realize how it was affecting my health. I would sleep late and wake up late. Something I’m not fond of.
When it comes to building your career, I believe it’s not a sprint but a marathon. Consistency matters more than getting things done fast. If you worked extra hard on something but are too exhausted the next day, then your work is adversely affected because of that. In the long term, it started affecting my creativity. I was a big believer in the hustle culture when I started. But it left me burnt out.

Changing that mindset and adopting a much healthier lifestyle not only reduced stress but also gave me a better understanding of my art. I learned to automate most of the menial tasks I had to do. It sped up my workflow and made most of my work easier than it was.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creative satisfaction. I believe human beings are innately creative. If you put a person in an empty room for an hour, eventually they’ll find a way to entertain themselves. That takes creativity and it happens subconsciously.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vishalvarghese.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animatedvish/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal-varghese-95186564/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vishal_eeralil