My mother, Pallavi Sharma, and my grandfather, Shyam Sharma, were both practicing artists. When I was growing up I would go to my mother’s gallery shows all across the Bay Area and be awe-inspired by her work detailing the Immigrant experience. I got to meet a lot of talented Asian American artists and naturally resonated with the arts as a form of expression. I quickly realized design was everywhere and the ability to design to me meant freedom.
I started designing board games for my friends and I by grade 5, painstakingly making each graphic in MS paint, printing them out and folding them in such a way they could stand on themselves. I was always the type of kid to invent my own games, draw constantly, and keep a folder of my ideas.
By grade 7 I was modding my favorite video games with pixel graphics, and sharing them with friends. One of my character skins actually went viral and reached over 1000 downloads. I think I always knew deep down that this is what I wanted to do. As I grew I always saw design as comforting , and always felt satisfaction with reaching an end product.
By the time I was a junior in high-school I started helping my mom more with her shows. When I started forming my identity I realized that I wanted to leave an impact through design. I asked for Adobe Illustrator for my birthday and started playing around with graphics, even helping non-profits that would show my mom’s work with elementary gallery cards.
This was always who I was, I couldn’t imagine myself turning out any other way.
"I quickly realized design was everywhere and the ability to design to me meant freedom."
My love for design deepened further when I got to go to India and meet my grandfather, Shyam Sharma, before I was going to college. To me he was an absolute legend, making a career in printmaking, and even reaching the prestigious status of a Padam Shri award winning artist. He taught me that it took discipline, idea, and skill to make a great designer, and those words are my mantra to this day. As I got to explore the intersectionality of my background, I understood further that design was truly everywhere. From the way people ride on mopeds, to the way the river meets the sea, absolutely in every single thing you will find intentional design.
When I approach my work I always approach it with passion. If you don’t have ownership, and responsibility for the product it will come out mediocre. When you have a level of respect for the discipline farther than monetary value, and you're paired with likeminded collaborators, magic can happen. These feelings of satisfaction that come with every product launch drives me further, that’s why I generally take on roles that require more responsibility and ownership as having my hand in the final product brings me the most satisfaction. Now that I have a great base of projects, I want to expand my career into larger scale products, and see how I can leave a legacy through design work.
