SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA)
Raaya is an art director and designer currently studying as a senior advertising student. She grew up moving around Southeast Asia and lived in Vietnam, The Philippines, and India before moving to New York. She is a Scorpio, a conceptual and empathetic risk-taker. Before anything, Raaya considers herself an appreciator of the arts. Watching films, reading literature, listening to music, and studying art have allowed her to live a thousand lives beyond her own. Raaya’s work reflects the exact moment it was made, empathetically examining culture within the ever-changing labyrinth of society. Her creative solutions navigate cultural shifts but also challenge them. Raaya hopes to do work in her career that makes people laugh and cry. Raaya enjoys communicating in many mediums, including print design, web and digital, 3D, and motion graphics, and she continues to learn different ways to communicate her vision. She has interned at creative agencies in Mumbai (Infectious Ad) and New York (Fallon). You can see more of her work at raaya.work.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?
Reading, listening, and watching. Hearing other people’s stories is an excellent source of inspiration for me. There are so many great mediums to tell your story: film, literature, music, and graphic design. I’m always searching for new and exciting ways to tell stories.
WHAT ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?
I’ve read a bunch of memoirs this year, including Hunger by Roxane Gay, The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, to name a few. I’m currently working on Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. I also recently watched All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a portrait of Nan Goldin’s life that was directed by Laura Poitras.
