We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meghna Shourie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Meghna, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
Of the creative blocks I’ve faced, I had to pause and step back from a project to really understand what it is I’m wanting to achieve. A few things I would do to feel inspired again was working on something new, watching movies, or listening to music. Stepping away has been helpful for me to clear my head and find that spark again in creating. Experimenting with different methods is also something that helped me to break out from the rut and finding fresh creative ideas. It’s also important to practice self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance, as I have found that burnout can contribute to creative block. I always try to remind myself that being patient will allow my creativity to flow again.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with an MFA in Motion Media Design. I’ve spent the past 2 years or so really honing down my skills in design and art direction. My focus has been on being an Art Director either in a traditional advertising agency or doing work in the entertainment/experiential space. Although, I achieved a master’s in Motion Design, I found that I really enjoy the process of concepting, making moodboards, designing, and being present in a project from beginning to execution. But I’m glad that animation is an additional skill I can add to being a storyteller. Since my undergrad, I have been able to understand filmmaking, graphic design, animation, projection mapping, and now art direction. A lot of my inspiration derives from films/tv shows, photography, and just everyday human experiences. My process usually involves spending weeks researching the purpose of the project and then going into an empty miro board and start brain dumping. I’ll find that with new projects, I’ll want to take on a different approach whether that means learning a new program or going outside of my design style to really push myself as a creative. I always like to think that if you’re ever feeling uncomfortable from stepping outside of your comfort zone, it means you’re growing.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the three most impactful qualities I gained were patience, communication, and problem solving. The advice I would give is to be able to put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow as an individual. I found that if things start to feel “too” familiar, I may get comfortable with that and not have room for growth. Making mistakes is just as important because you learn from that outcome and discover how you react in certain situations. I believe having patience works in the long run because I think if there was an opportunity that wasn’t meant for me, it wouldn’t have come my way. I really do believe that if something is meant for you, you’ll know and it means you’re ready for it. Being able to communicate in large groups and resolving conflicts came with time and experience as I was in certain situations that forced me to pave a way to a solution. Networking and collaboration is also a great way to boost your communication and skills because it means you are confident and have the ability to work in a team.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for people to collaborate with! Specifically, I’d love to work on advertising campaigns and would need to partner with a copywriter. I also would love to continue working on motion design projects and collaborate with Illustrators and Animators.
If looking to connect and collaborate with, I can be contacted through here:
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meghnashourie.myportfolio.com/work
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meghnashourie
Image Credits
Meghna Shourie
