Meet Shafagh Hadinezhad | Designer & Educational Researcher

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

Hi Shafagh, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This is a difficult question. I constantly strive to balance my personal, student, and work life, and there are ups and downs along the way. In my undergraduate studies, my focus was initially on achieving success in my degree and finding a suitable job, without fully understanding my deep interests in the design realm. However, during my graduate studies, I came to realize that these aspects of my life are interconnected, and there is no need to separate them completely. I should mention that my personal experiences greatly influence my current work and studies, shaping who I am within my community and in relation to the world around me. Through years of simultaneous work as a designer and educational researcher, I have gained a profound understanding of what truly brings me joy. My perspective has shifted from keeping work separate from personal life to integrating my identity and life experiences into my work and studies. This integration can make it more challenging to maintain a work-life balance because I often find myself contemplating the societal challenges and inequities that I observe or experience, and how to address them in my work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Taking the risk of exploring different paths in my life and working hard throughout this journey, has helped me to discover my true identity in my work and studies. Though it was challenging and scary at times, I have learned a lot throughout this process. My journey began when I chose design school over engineering for my undergraduate studies. After completing my undergraduate and master’s degrees in industrial design, I transitioned to education to delve deeper into the field while incorporating my design experiences. I have worked on various design and education projects while collaborating with diverse communities. Working with these communities has been my greatest source of inspiration and shaped both my professional and personal life. It has taught me the importance of listening deeply to people’s needs and experiences rather than making assumptions to be able to understand their stories. Empathy and building trust have played significant roles in this journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
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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?
This is an endless list of people I have met and worked with throughout my life, including family, friends, colleagues, and professors. I am grateful for all their support in both my life and studies in Iran, as well as during my time as an international student in the US. Among them, I would like to mention the ‘SwaTaleem Foundation’, a non-profit organization I have been voluntarily working with since 2019. They focus on providing quality education for underrepresented adolescent girls in India. I cannot express enough how much I have learned from collaborating with the people at this organization and how inspiring they have been to me in both my personal and professional life.

Website: https://www.shafaghdesign.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafagh-hadinezhad/