Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Abhinay Lal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Abhinay, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
This is a really interesting question!
When I was in the 8th grade, I was introduced to a class called Design and Technology, which was something I was interested in as I grew up playing with LEGOs. This is where the idea of being a Designer popped into my head, finally finding out that being a Designer CAN be a viable career path, and being someone who grew up in India, the standard thought process was to either be an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer, and me being me, horrendous at math, it was a relief to know that those three career paths are not the only ones.
After graduating my high school, I did my Bachelors in Product Design and then got into SCAD for my Masters in Industrial Design. Now, this is where it gets interesting, I saw so many people who’s work was far superior to mine, and that too from people pursuing their Bachelor’s Degree. It was daunting to see people doing “more” work and better work while being in undergrad and me being in Masters. Seeing all those people made me work twice as hard as I ever have before, I was pushing my own limits.
There were many times where I saw my work and thought “If this is the best I can do, I don’t think I’m good enough for this college”. Then a Semester before my Thesis defense, I asked my Committee Chair, Professor Jr. Neville Songwe, who is not just my professor, but at this point, my mentor who i look up to and go to advice for. I asked him “every professor is known for something, some are knows for their sketching, some for their 3D modelling, some for their thinking. What am I missing? What is my potential?”
His reply absolutely blew my mind, he made a simple statement saying “You can Speak Hindi right?” I replied “yes”. He replied with “So can I”
It may seem like an odd statement, but then it hit me. The ability to speak Hindi is with many people, the only difference is that, he just didn’t have the knowledge of how to. there was nothing physically stopping him from speaking Hindi otherwise. And as soon as that thought hit me, my first words were “OHHHHHHHHHHH” and he just smiled and said “exactly, so if you see someone’s work who you think is better than yours, you need to first see, are they doing something you cant? do they have an advantage over you?”
I replied with “no” and he just said “then if they can do it, so can you. There is nothing in this world that is stopping you because they also were you at some point in their lives.”
That one conversation with Professor Songwe really opened my eyes and really gave me a big boost in confidence, where now every time I see someone who’s work I think its better than mine, I try my best to reach that level with 110% of my effort, because, there is nothing physically stopping me from doing so.
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?
Hi everyone, I’m a freelancer. My field is Industrial Design, but I have a lot of passions. I love consumer tech. On the side, I make music. I’m not sure which one is weirder: my hobby switches from metalcore to orchestral music (I know, big jump). I love the photorealistic renderings I get with Keyshot and Twinmotion. I also have a love-hate relationship with video games. They can be a great way to relax at the end of the day until one thing enrages me enough that I almost throw my Mouse across the room, but I still love them.
One of the best things I’ve discovered is teaching. When I was in college and a while after I graduated, I taught some friends and colleagues. It’s really rewarding to show people things they didn’t know or didn’t know how to do. I especially love hearing people say “thank you so much,” or my favorite, “wait, what?” It’s really funny and satisfying to be able to help people.
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?
In my opinion, I feel the qualities that are needed are:
Curiosity – Never stop questioning things and seeking answers. There will always be someone to guide you, but the drive to explore and understand is what will truly set you apart. Stay open to learning from everything around you.
Perseverance – See a challenge? Go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? Growth comes from pushing your limits, especially when it comes to knowledge. Design is full of iterations and failures—embrace them as stepping stones.
Adaptability – The industry is always evolving, with new tools, trends, and technologies emerging constantly. Being flexible and open to learning new skills will keep you ahead. Mastering one tool is great, but understanding how to pivot when needed is even more valuable.
For those early in their journey, my advice would be to stay curious, take on challenges without fear, and be open to change. Surround yourself with inspiring people, seek feedback often, and never stop refining your craft. The best way to improve is by doing—experiment, fail, learn, and repeat.”
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
This question has two answers to it, and I am more than happy to say both.
1. My Parents – They taught me to push myself to be a better version of me, not just for a career path, but also as a human, they taught me to be kind and caring, they taught me to be curious and they taught almost everything i know right now as a human,
2. Professor Jr. Neville Songwe – He was my first and last Professor at SCAD, so he knows my entire journey as a designer. He used to say the best thing to hear “ask questions, if you’re not asking questions then you’re not learning. You all have paid the college to learn and for my time.” His very very famous words are “Keep Pushing”, it may seem like small sentence, but every time he would see our work and see that we are struggling at any point, he would tell us to “keep pushing”. It was those words that would just give me and other hope that, yes, we are going in the right direction, but just not quite there. And that would just make us all work harder just to reach what we think was our best work yet
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abhinaylal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepingitblank
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhinaylal/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/abhinay-lal
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
