11th of the Month special - Pranav Kumar, "Not JUST a designer".

Hello peeps of the internet!

   People who know me know that I have the utmost respect for those who work in the creative fields, like writing, painting, etc. So when it comes to someone who is harnessing technology to put forth a much more visually appealing presentation, a modern twist to normal designing, I was eager to find out more. By sheer happenstance I made a friend on Facebook a year ago, who is a brilliant graphic designer.
You might have seen a lot of memes floating around the internet on several occasions, have you ever thought who made them? Who gave a thought the platform to manifest?

Meet Pranav Kumar, a 21 year old Delhi-ite, currently studying B.Tech Computer Science at SRM University Chennai, who in a year's time has amassed over 12 thousand likes on his page on Facebook, titled - "Minimalistic Soul".

"Less in more"

His passion for designing had a rather comic beginning. Pranav says that "I started designing because my camera was broken and I was bored. I didn't know about Photoshop or designing before I joined college". His journey started when a senior of his Srijan Sharma, who is also the CEO of 365 Degrees, took time to explain to him about the various tools of Photoshop. Rest of his knowledge he attributes to YouTube videos and constant practice. A website he finds inspiring is The Minimalist.

 After dabbling for around 7-8 months, he created Minimalistic Soul in 2015, his page on Facebook, to reach out to a wider audience for his work. In his words, graphic designing is "a way to express one's thoughts, emotions or even to convey the message." When asked about his first success as a designer, he considers a feature piece in Indiatimes online published in April 2015 to be a milestone. You can check it out here. Over the course of more than a year, he has managed to create a fan base of more than 10,000 people, and attributes his progress to the constant criticism he receives from the people on his page.In August 2015, he decided to take his initiative further and now through his website he offers a variety of designing services. 

   Along with creating cool designs himself, Pranav is also active in teaching others to do the same. He has taught in Graphic designing workshops under 365 Degrees' initiative, Mirus. It focuses on organizing creative sessions in colleges to help students understand different creative domains. Pranav says the experience was particularly nostalgic for him, as it brought back memories of the times he was first introduced to the world of graphic designing. This helped him to understand the students better and teach accordingly. 
Apart from being a funny guy and designing cool stuff, Pranav is also an avid photographer and keyboardist.

As a message for aspiring graphic designers, Pranav says -
"If you're reading this and you're really trying to enter the world of graphic designing, Beware.
Those who are about to start I salute you :') 
P.S. Have a lot of patience. Rome wasn't built in a day."

Here's wishing Pranav all the best for the future!

Stay awesome \m/

P.S - (This post is a super special one as this is my first attempt at an interview. Feedback is most welcome!)

Check out Pranav's blog here to know more.
Follow him on Twitter! - @gareeb_designer
Connect on Facebook - Pranav Kumar

An Essay on Selflessness and the Poison called ‘Anger’

What is happiness?

Some find it in the way they look in a certain dress, some find it in the sky and the beauty of nature, but some people find joy in the happiness of others. Being selflessly there for someone just because your presence matters to them even a little bit brings happiness to these wonderful people. I am happy to say that I am one of these people. I may be selfish in some aspects and kind of on this front as well. I get happy when the people I care about are happy, that’s a bit selfish, I guess.

And this is why I am baffled when people act all high and mighty in comparison to others. I recently observed the people around me have this type of an attitude; where they would choose to skip a gathering just because they were either snubbed or are still angry about something which may or may not have actually happened with the invitees. Long story short, these people don’t show up for important functions and the hosts are left feeling morose.

I have a question for these people. What do you think you’ll achieve by doing such a thing? Who do you think looks bad after such an event takes place? The one who is taking ‘revenge’ or the one who is waiting for your arrival like a child waits for its parents in the evening. I hope most of you would think the first one would be the most stupidly selfish person.

Is anger really that important? Have you not learned that all of life is an act of letting go? Here, I must clarify – I am against forgetting exceptionally devilish acts which cause irreparable damage. But one must consider the consequences of holding on to one’s anger for a ridiculously long amount of time. I for one cannot stay angry at a person for long. It is a useless toxic emotion which should be kicked out from the soul as soon as possible.  Happiness is what I strive for; it will always be my ultimate goal. With you, or without you.

So here’s the bottom line – You will never benefit from snubbing someone else in return, because you will keep the stupid hate cycle going, which is good for nobody. So get up and go make up with that friend, relative, companion, colleague, or anybody else who is mad at you, or vice versa.   

  

And please, always try and be there for someone who cares for you and will have even a little bit of joy in their lives if you’re there.  You’ll feel awesome doing that, trust me.

Stay awesome \m/