Ankita Shinde from Kolkata brings you the joy of reading, one quirky illustration at a time

For some people, they spend eons finding their passion, while for a lucky few, they know what they are meant to be from a very young age. And Ankita Shinde falls in the second category. The artist-cum-educator has been working for eight years now and is also exploring the world beyond art and teaching.

“I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon in my hand, us what my mum says. Since then, my parents always gave me all sorts of materials to make art and craft with. I attend innumerable workshops and competitions. As I a child, I dreamt of becoming an artist or a teacher on growing up. Back then I thought I could be just one thing. So I went on to pursue art professionally.”

A mix of abstract art and quirky illustration, Ankita finds inspirations from various aspects of life. An artist by profession, she always thought that she could pursue only one career, but exploring her various interests opened up a whole new world for her.

After working at a design studio, Ankita decided to launch her own brand, and hence ADAC studio in 2016 came to life. For most people, this would seem like a satisfying result. But Ankita wasn’t happy just being an illustrator and an entrepreneur.

She discovered her interest in teaching and decided to explore it further.

“I started taking creative workshops at a nearby public school, I trained myself with the Teach India training program by British Council, I started my own creativity courses online and coached more than 200 participants in one year.”

And after achieving all that she realized that, “I don't need to be limited to one profession. I can be and do whatever I want to.”

Today she is an illustrator, painter, brand designer, and a creativity coach, and yet she takes on side projects to learn new things and share it with others.

One of her recent side projects came to her during the lockdown. An ardent book lover, Ankita wants to share the joy of reading amongst others, especially those who are not interested in reading.

She started the project titled How To Develop a Reading Habit and is drawing quirky illustrations to help you pick up a book. Not just illustration, she pairs them up with messages which are not only inspirational but will make you pick up the book too.

When not busy painting or teaching, you will find her learning something new. And making the best of the lockdown, she is learning cooking, basic Japanese, dancing, and playing the keyboard.

You can check out Ankita's works on her website.

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