Bringing Ideas To Life

Creative Director at her eponymous design studio, Sharon Nayak picked up the camera to bridge the gap between her creative vision and its photographic execution

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What role has a formal art education played in your career?

SN: Right after completing the 10th standard at Sophia High School in Bangalore, I joined Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, College of Fine Arts, where I specialized in applied art. While the five-year course was not as progressive and in-depth as it is now, it taught me patience and helped to improve my skills as an artist. It’s very important to take the time to not only see what your strengths and weaknesses are but to be exposed to other great talent around you. It teaches you to be humble as well as ambitious. I don’t believe in short cuts.

What drew you to fashion and lifestyle?

SN: I think I loved fashion and lifestyle from the very start. As a child, I was drawn to both the beautiful and the grotesque and for me there was a fine line between both. In my younger years (between 4 and 10) I watched a lot of television and became obsessed with it. I also read comics and fairy tale and nursery rhyme books. I grew up in Bahrain and almost all our stationery was from Japan. I was exposed to and influenced at an early age by art by Takahashi Macoto and other Shouju artists and their Lolita fashions. At the time I had no idea who they were - I just adored their art and fashion. I also played with and collected a variety of fashion dolls, their clothes and accessories. In fact I’ve been doing that till today.

You went on to work with leading advertising agencies in India for over two decades. What did this experience teach you?