We recently connected with Vrishti Savalani and have shared our conversation below.

Vrishti, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk I’ve probably taken is moving to the other side of the world during the pandemic. I’ve always been someone who tries to be careful and considerate when making decisions. I’ve always thought about decisions being right or wrong, but I’ve recently learned to see them as just different opportunities. Different choices lead you to different places and that doesn’t necessarily mean one is better than the other, it just takes you to a different point or teaches you a different lesson.

Back in 2020, I graduated high school and my collegiate career was obviously off to an underwhelming start. I was living on the other side of the world in Hong Kong, my family and I were in lockdown, and I was still picking between two schools that were on completely different continents. The decision was eventually made for me when my sister got sick, and I ended up going to school in Atlanta to be close to her. I moved to the United States at the end of 2020 and I haven’t looked back since. Starting this stage of my life when everything else was at a standstill wasn’t the most exciting. I was told these were supposed to be the best years of my life and I would meet some of the most important people in my life at this stage, but all I got to experience was either seeing my peers through a zoom screen or only seeing the top half of their face six feet away from me.

When things started opening back up, as much as I tried to be cautious, I wanted to feel like I actually went to the school. I decided to apply for a job on campus as a student ambassador. This was the first step I took on what became a completely transformative journey for me. Through this I made new friends, I felt like I was actually a part of the school’s community, but most importantly I gained a sense of confidence I didn’t have before. Here I am, four years later, with a college degree, and with pieces published in all kinds of publications, including Vogue India, and I have met some of the most special people in my life just in these last few years. None of this would’ve happened had I not boarded that plane four years ago.

Vrishti, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a multidisciplinary writer. That’s just a fancy way of saying I really like writing and I do so many things with words. I found my first love of writing in journalism back when I was in high school. I never wrote for the school paper, I don’t even think my school had a paper, but it was something I really enjoyed learning about in my high school English classes. I always knew I wanted to do something creative so I found myself studying writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I was inspired by all the creativity in the school and all the opportunities that students were involved in, so when it came time to apply for colleges, it was a no-brainer that this was the first application I sent out.

While at SCAD, I continued to learn more about the discipline and kept exploring. I’ve found myself focusing on writing in three main areas–marketing, film & TV, and obviously journalism. Aside from learning what I like to write, I also learned a lot about my voice and style as a writer. I’ve always been someone who enjoys bringing a sense of humor to everything I write. I think humor is something that connects people and makes new ideas and stories more approachable. Even if it’s subtle, it humanizes the words and shows parts of me between the lines. Coming from such a unique background and having such unique ideas is a little hard to communicate, but being able to bring that relatability and build that connection is something I always try to do with my words.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, creativity is the antithesis of routine. As much as I appreciate structure, it’s the things that break out of the norm that inspire people and leave a lasting impact. We see it in films, music, writing, and so much more. These are the things that make people laugh, cry, and feel any other emotion in between. As a creative, we are constantly looking to build that emotion. The reward is knowing that you’ve made an impact on a person just with your ideas and your creation.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As a storyteller, I always want to highlight stories and people that haven’t been heard, but still make it universal. I come from a very diverse background–my family is Indian, I was born and raised in China, and I now live in the United States. Where I grew up, being different and being unique to your environment was the norm. I was always surrounded by people that came from different parts of the world, and despite having different backgrounds there were always things that overlapped and things that we had in common. I want to take that same approach whenever I tell my stories. I want to show people that they can still enjoy the same stories and ideas, but appreciate the different words that are used to tell that story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vrishtisavalani.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vrishti.savalani/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vrishti-savalani/

Image Credits
For the Matt Bomer press photo, credit Makayla Sofranec.