Prasanna Revan | Artist

Wiztoonz Amd

Prasanna Revan is an Artist/ User Experience designer working currently with Amazon.com at their Seattle HQ.

A brief about you.

Professionally, I am a designer, artist and a story teller in that order. Personally, I am just a curious human being. I love reading, drawing, being childlike and not afraid to try crazy things especially when they are new. I was born and raised in central Karnataka in mostly rural and small-town setting. My parents were middle class folks with my dad worked as an artist and my mom was home maker. I have started to work at the very young age, as an apprentice to my dad and doing odd art jobs for the town. I was quick to jump into dotcom boom in it’s early stages and now I work as a UX designer for Amazon.com at their Seattle HQ.

What originally made you want to become an artist/designer.

I grew up with an artistic environment, art was never a separate thing from real life. I had a privilege of being around art and some theatre. I guess I chose art school naturally.

How would you describe your approach to making art.

To draw is like a meditation for me, I also write poems. I see no difference between both creative activities. I usually have an idea and I can see what would come on the blank paper in front of me before I really draw anything. However, as I draw mostly the original vision evolves into something slightly different.

What would you say is your strong skill and how did you master it.

I can say design is my strongest skill, however it takes many skills to be a designer. Similarly, it takes many skills to be anyone like an artist or a story teller. I brought design first because design is a space which has large appetite for many knowledge areas such as art, typography, UX, product, animation, sound or industrial design.

What type of project do you enjoy working the most.

I love working for any project that is customer (user) facing. It can be designing a large enterprise system or a web service or a children’s book. I want my time spent on a project is applied to make something simple and elegant.

Do you have any artistic rules that you believe in.

This is an interesting question, art has no rules. Art is all about breaking rules, if that is true than I believe in the artistic rule of breaking all rules!

What is the best piece of advice that you have heard

That “everything in this world is connected and we must keep playing our role”, the seeming hierarchy in this world is a made-up fad by humans. Nature shows us that nothing is impossible, life will thrive on.

What can you tell future artists.

I have but one advice — “Just do what you enjoy most”. Please don’t get caught in the web of social expectations including your parents, relatives and friends.

Could you tell us about your work flow -Inspiration to Application.

I don’t need any inspiration to create as the act of creation is often revealing the moment into a piece of poetry or drawing should be a natural one. However, I cannot do if I am in a setting that demands my attention. That’s why most of my best work moments happen when I am away from people I know.

Tell us give gadgets that you can’t live without at the moment.

I have a Macbook Pro, iPhone 6, Wacom Cintique 22 HD, a Kindle, Sony alpha 6500 and couple of good lenses. I have a vast collection of vintage nibs, sable hair brushes, tons of books and reams of acid free paper.

What are you reading currently.

I am reading Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Uri Chammalige by D.R.Nagaraj. I also have acquired Before They Pass Away by Jimmy Nelson and yet to go through that one in detail.