Free solo: how embracing autonomy allowed Charmie Shah to explore the breadth of her creativity

Charmie Shah’s creative pursuits have taken her on a long journey – from Mumbai to New York, to be precise. Growing up as an innately creative child, her interests quite naturally steered her on her path to design. A certain curiosity about the world of branding and the way it works led her to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, which “opened doors to a whole new creative world,” says Shah. Since then, she’s worked with some heavy hitters in the industry – leading content strategy for Adobe India, designing identities for events by Google, and working on the much-talked-about Burger King rebrand.  To take a pause, Shah talks to us about the circuitous but rewarding journey that’s guided her to where she is now – working independently as a creative director on projects that speak to her the most. In this conversation, she reflects on her decision to go freelance and why, this year, she’s choosing to celebrate the milestones and take a victory lap – a part of the experience of being a designer that’s quite easy to forget. RB: Hi, Charmie! How has life been lately? CS: It’s like the world’s a giant buffet of design challenges, and I’m a very hungry designer! I’m constantly juggling projects, learning new things, and figuring out which design challenges truly satisfy my creative hunger.