I am a designer and maker. For as long as I can remember, I have loved making things with whatever materials I could get my hands on. At seven years old, I became hooked on making a figure of Ganesh, a widely worshipped god in Hinduism. To placate my obsession, my parents went out and got me my first block of plasticine. The way my mom tells this story, the level of detail and dexterity I’d displayed in sculpting the figure actually moved her to tears. She tells me that this is the moment from which she’d started to nudge me toward pursuing a life in design (I’m forever grateful).
I graduated with a B.Des in Product Design from the National Institute of Design in India, where I learned to embrace design thinking as a way of life rather than simply a profession. I believe that design should be impactful, and products and services, responsible. So after having worked for a few years as an industrial designer in Mumbai, designing everything from healthcare products to electronics to home appliances, I decided to come here, to New York. I currently study at the Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts, where I have become more active and determined to work toward the “socializing” of design, which I define as the shift towards designing for social good. Constantly thinking about the consequences of both the objects we put forth into the world, and our everyday habits, I have become a collector of trash and single-use products. I am still developing my understanding of how I can make a difference on a larger scale, in local and global channels, systems, and networks.
My days end around one in the morning, at which point the maker in me comes alive. I often find myself spending hours making whatever new thing pops into my head during this time. These days, they all seem to be made out of concrete.
Some other things I like to do are travelling, laughing at puns, and eating potato chips.
If you enjoyed my work, please say hi at smruti.adya@gmail.com.
A PDF version of my resume can be downloaded here.