Art is a form of self-expression, and for Gayatri Patil, our Creative Director and Professor, it’s a lifelong passion. During an interview, Gayatri shared her inspiring journey into the world of design, including her experiences with education, career changes, and personal growth. She also offered valuable advice to young artists that could help them along their own journey.
Early Discoveries
From a young age, Gayatri’s natural artistic abilities were evident, with creativity running in the family. Her father recognized her talent and encouraged the young Gayatri to explore it, teaching her how to draw. “My dad’s first lesson was how to draw a flower, and that’s when I realized I could draw things differently,” she remembers. This led Gayatri to realize her potential and eventually paved the way for her art career.
When asked about how she decided to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, Gayatri shared that her father introduced her to all the possible fields and gave her the freedom to choose what she wanted to do. She initially chose dentistry as she watched her father work in the medical field. But one day, seeing the creative potential in his young daughter, Gayatri’s father offered her the opportunity to meet up with his friend’s daughter, who was graduating from a Fine Arts college. Seeing her four years’ worth of work was eye-opening for Gayatri, so, getting inspired, she cancelled her medical school admission and went for Fine Arts instead. Gayatri’s university years were filled with hard work, experimentation, and learning. She went above and beyond what was required, working on assignments around the clock, meeting with senior artists, and assisting them in various ways to gain experience. She even enrolled in a photography course that she did after school at night. In her third year, her friend encouraged her to enroll in competitions. That year, in 1999, Gayatri participated in every competition possible and won every award, boosting her confidence and serving as a stepping stone for her early career.
Applying Skills in the Real World
After graduating, Gayatri and her partner Ajaykumar (a fellow instructor at CAM,) started their own studio, where they tackled everything from graphic design to sculpting and painting. They were ready to take on any learning curve and never limited themselves. However, they later decided that one of them should secure a stable income to raise a family, leading Gayatri to work as a Senior-Level Web and Graphic Designer at MITID, a top design school in India. In her role at MITID, she did everything from photography to website coding and was valued by employers for her strong work ethic, professionalism, and can-do attitude. After taking a course in 3D Animation taught by a Hollywood professional, Gayatri wanted to upgrade her skills and moved to the UK to pursue a Master’s in Design and Applied Arts. She returned to India after completing her Master’s and joined MITID again as a professor of Animation Design, where she built and taught the curriculum. Gayatri spent five years in education before moving to Canada and settling down with her family in 2017.
Milestones
When asked about the most memorable work experiences, Gayatri mentioned several. She has worked on a few Japanese films and even had the opportunity to work for Cartoon Network. For one specific project, she had to teach herself a newly introduced animation software called Toon Boom, demonstrating her perseverance and curiosity in art and design. Another memorable project was creating a whole human body in VR to assist the learning of future physiotherapists in the UK, which at that time was a big deal since the technology wasn’t as widespread yet.
Advice For Beginner Artists
After learning about Gayatri’s inspiring journey, we asked if she had any advice for young creatives today. “Keep developing your skills continuously, don’t give up,” she says with conviction. She suggests exploring and learning new tools and techniques, including turning traditional art into digital art. “I remember being nervous about going from fine arts to digital, but later I realized that you could do anything with a good foundation in art. Digital or not, it’s only a medium”, she says.
