Meet Bhoomi Mistry

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bhoomi Mistry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bhoomi, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I am learning to be more patient with myself lately. A creative block is the last thing you want to experience when the deadline is looming, but it is okay to feel stuck sometimes.

I have been working as a graphic designer for a couple of years now. On this journey, I have learned that designing is a very intuitive (and therefore iterative) process. Oftentimes, the only way out of a creative block is through it. This is why I have started building a process around iterating multiple visual directions for a project and setting realistic timelines with the client based on the ask and my needs as a designer.

Sometimes it works out. Sometimes the timeline is more sensitive, but either way, this approach has changed my perspective. I feel more confident and I’m able to make logical decisions based on the need of the hour without blaming myself or feeling like I am bad at my job.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a graphic designer from Mumbai, currently based in New York. About two years ago, I moved to the U.S. to pursue my master’s in Graphic Design at Maryland Institute College of Art and have been working in the States since graduation.

I also have experience in writing and advertising. I’ve held several content writing positions and for my last job before the move, I worked as an art director for a boutique agency in India. This experience informs my personal practice because what I do is at the intersection of graphic design and communication. My illustration series, ‘Lucy on Life,’ is a satire on sexist adages I’ve heard growing up.

For my day job, I currently work as a web designer at a Webby award-winning design studio based in Baltimore. On a day-to-day basis, I collaborate with fellow designers, strategists, and developers to design web experiences for mostly higher-education clients. It makes for a good creative challenge to design websites that not only look good but also function well.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think good communication, problem-solving abilities, and technical design skills have been the most impactful qualities that have helped me on my journey. While a good idea makes for a solid foundation when it comes to design work, there comes a point in the project when the said idea is only as good as the execution. Sometimes as creatives, we focus more on the idea than we do on the craft. But when it comes to building a sustainable daily practice, both are very important.

Good designers have to be good communicators because we’re constantly trying to connect with our audience through our work. Problem-solving skills come into play when trying to figure out what the best way to connect with the audience would be. And then when you’re doing the legwork, solid design chops bring out the message in an impactful way.

In my experience, the only way to keep evolving these skills is by practicing them frequently. I still have a long way to go, but I push myself to do better whenever possible.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

It has to be John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’. Reading this art history classic in my teenage years introduced me to the idea of the female gaze early on. It has directly impacted my work and my taste in art and design, I’m always thinking about whether a piece of work objectifies women and about the impact it has on the culture.

There are many nuggets of wisdom in this tightly worded book. As a woman, this book has pushed me to examine my relationship with myself and the world. The author says, “Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor woman herself is male: the surveyed is female. Thus she turns herself into an object of vision: a sight.” For anyone looking to start a career in communications or design, I highly recommend this book.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bhoomimistry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhoomi__mistry/