Meet Aryan Sachdeva | Creative Technologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aryan Sachdeva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aryan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I am sure not many people here say this, but I was not that into what traditionally would be considered Art in my early years. I was really into logic. My father was a math wiz, he received the equivalent title to Valedictorian in his college, so I guess I was just raised that way. I was introduced to computers from the early years, and I always thought I would have a career developing software and programming. Well, I did kind of end up in Tech, but more on that later.

When I was in high school, I got obsessed with the idea of creating Art with the one thing I loved, which was computers. Computer Generated Art quickly became my passion, and one thing that really excited me was the Visual Effects Industry. Growing up, I was really into movies like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc. The curiosity of how they were produced led me to the path I am on today. After high school, I came to the US to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I came here primarily to learn Visual Effects and more about Film Production. Although, in my sophomore year, I started taking classes for Motion Design. I am not sure exactly what made me want to go towards Motion Design, but I think one of the biggest reasons was that the Motion Design department of our college was solid and produced fantastic work. Going towards Motion Design was a good decision for me as it allowed me to be a little more experimental with my work and use my knowledge of technology and programming better.

Fast forward to now, I am in the final year of my college life. Although I will be graduating with a degree in Motion Design, I like referring to myself as a Creative Technologist. The reason for that is I work with VFX, Design, and Technology so closely every day, and my projects are a combination of all of them. I am also really keen on pushing technology to its absolute limits when it comes to my work. Recently, I have been focusing on real-time technology, experimenting with Blockchains and NFTs. I think the pursuit of telling better stories through visuals and innovating in that space keeps me going.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I already touched on what my Art is all about in the previous section, but just to reiterate, I creatively use Technology to produce Visual Effects and Motion Graphics. What sets me apart is my ability to problem solve and look at trends. I mean, one of the reasons I invested so much in my education is because I wanted exposure to bleeding-edge innovations like AR/VR and the Metaverse. Although that is a new term, I have always envisioned a world like in the famous movie Ready Player One. I am not sure if it will be good or bad for humanity, but it certainly is interesting.

To answer the second part of the question. I don’t think anyone’s journey to where they are today is easy. We all have our hurdles we have to cross. It might be different for everyone, but I think these challenges we overcome define us. I have had my fair share of challenges, I won’t go into too much detail, but one of the big ones was discovering myself and being confident. I was not the brightest student in my high school, so gaining the confidence to do something different from everyone else was a big one. People from my country often come to the US for courses like engineering, medicine, etc. There is a reason for that as these careers are much safer and usually lead to a financially stable job. On the other hand, I decided to come to the US and pursue a non-conventional career. Trust me, “the road not taken” is much more complex. Honestly, I am sure most of my family still doesn’t know what I really do. I was aware of these risks, and I still decided to pursue my passion. That is one decision I am really proud of and will always be. Again, a big shoutout to my parents as they were aware of these risks and believed in me.

One of the critical things I have noticed/learned along the way is that we have the resources to learn anything we want. Literally anything. So I think we should try as many things as possible in our college days when we can make mistakes without any significant consequences and learn from them. Always wanted to take that sculpting class? Do it. Really wanted to get into Python? Jump on YouTube and do it. I think this mentality has really helped me in my journey. As I discussed before, it is an unconventional career, so there isn’t a pre-set path to take. Even Steve Jobs had to get out of his comfort zone by taking a Calligraphy Class to find his passion.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It really depends on my friend and where they are from. Let’s assume one of my friends from India is vising California for the first time. In my opinion, California is one of the most beautiful places on this planet, and I would hate to not show my friend some of the natural beauty of this state.

Day 1 –

I pick them up from LAX, and we have Animal Style Double-Double at the In & Out close to the airport. As they would be tired from a long flight, we will keep this day short. Just visiting nearby places like Venice Beach and Santa Monica. For dinner, we are definitely getting some authentic Mexican food.

Day 2 –

We leave for Joshua Tree and photograph the milky way at night. Looking at stars from there is an incredible experience. We sleep there for one night.

Day 3 –

Long day today as we leave early morning for Yosemite, we hike and camp there for one night.

Day 4 –

We visit San Francisco. See the Golden Gate Bridge, visit Apple Park. We stay with some of my Indian tech friends in SF and party with them.

Day 5 –

We drive back down to LA through PCH, the most beautiful highway I have ever seen.

Day 6 –

We explore LA. There might be trash and a lot of homeless in Hollywood, but it sure is a tourist attraction. We see Griffith Observatory, The Hollywood Sign, The Walk of Fame, etc. We visit Rodeo drive, as it is so famous for no reason. If the visiting friend is loaded, they can probably shop there. Basically, all the touristy stuff.

Day 7 –

This is on my friend, they can choose from one of the following.
Universal Studios/ Knotts Berry Farm/ Six Flags/ Rest

I know I took this a little too seriously, but that week would be a blast. Considering I can leave everything I am doing for a week and just travel around California. I know it will be a little hectic for my friend and probably a little pricy too, but it is a trip they will remember for the rest of their lives.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am guessing the typical answer to this question would be to talk about your family and friends. So, I will first get that out of the way. I am incredibly thankful to my family, especially my parents, who worked day and night to fund my education in the US. Also, I am from India, so I am even more thankful that my parents were ok with me not becoming a doctor or an engineer. Also, I am very grateful to my friends who stood by me and helped me at every corner.

Ok, now for the real shoutout. I honestly think people on YouTube who make tutorials and educational content deserve a big big shoutout from me and much more recognition. I can’t even imagine how I would learn anything without these creators. Having access to so much information for free makes me feel that I can learn anything if I put in the time.

Website: https://www.aaryansachdeva.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mad_pixels/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aryansachdeva/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaaryansachdeva

Other: https://foundation.app/@aaryansachdeva