Today we’d like to introduce you to Aditi Khosla.
Aditi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
If I had to use three words to describe my life, they would be “love”, “opportunity” and “change”.
I grew up surrounded by a loving and close family – my parents, brother & grandparents – all under one roof.
My grandmother was a college English literature professor, so my brother and I would do our homework with her while we awaited our parents to come home from their respective jobs. My grandfather was an engineer and would tell us how he went to the US in the early 50’s to study aeronautical engineering to return to India with dreams of making a difference. On my mother’s side, my grandmother was one of the sweetest people I’ve known. We would sit together for hours and talk about everything & nothing; and my grandfather was a well-known radiologist at a large hospital in New Delhi. My mother ran a school for children with special needs, while my father worked in global financial services.
When I was nine, my father’s work took us on the road: first to Bangalore, and then finally to Singapore. This is where I spent my most formative years, both academically and socially. India is a vast country both geographically and culturally. Delhi and Bangalore provided me with entirely different perspectives on life during the first decade of my life, followed by my Singapore experience. Living in a foreign land, with foreign friends, within a melange of foreign cultures became the norm – and I felt like my world had opened up.
After completing my IGCSE’s & International Baccalaureate program, I left Singapore to study Fine Art at Chelsea College in London. I immersed myself in the course – excited and all – only to realize that I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in the world of fine arts. Something felt off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Luckily, one of the courses I took within the program stood out from all the rest. It opened a different door for me in terms of my artistry: I had uncovered an interest in the computer technology aspect of art through a digital-media class that was in our syllabus. Originally, my aim after graduation was to accept the 2-D Animation program I had been offered at University of Westminster, but I just couldn’t let go of this new-found interest…
I gave up my new enrollment & moved back to Singapore to spend a year at the much talked of LASALLE College of the Arts. Though I learned an immense amount here, I still felt like there was a gap between myself and my métier. It was then, I found the Computer Arts degree at School of Visual Arts in New York.
I could say this is where it all began. During my years at SVA, I spent my summers doing internships first with Playware Studios in Singapore working on educational material using 4di technology, and then at Pixomondo in Burbank, and subsequently started my first job at The Molecule in New York just around my graduation in 2014. These jobs helped propel me towards the footage-based compositing that I do today.
Ever since then, my heart has been dead set on this industry.
I love working in visual effects for film, TV, commercials, music videos – what have you; it’s a passion that’s taken me on a six years adventure in pursuit of self-discovery.
Has it been a smooth road?
While all this sounds like a “dream-run”, there have been many challenges and many moments when courage, conviction and support from my family have been my only pillars of strength.
Living and working in vastly different locations is exciting, but it also requires huge adjustments & learning. Equally, it is daunting to acknowledge at times that one needs to “move on to grow”. As an example, how I gave up enrollment in a school that was a safe & solid choice but didn’t quite hit the spot for me personally. Even though it was an opportunity of a lifetime, I decided to give it up & go in a different direction to chase my vision. It’s scary to pick up and go but that seems to be the healthiest answer to a doubtful gut-feel. Careers shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Similarly, another obstacle is to recognize & acknowledge the stagnation that occurs at jobs that are “too comfortable”. I have left & joined certain jobs based on this very issue, to ensure that I’m always doing as much as I can to expand prioritize growth.
Over the years, I’ve realized that much of happiness is about passion and the integrity we have towards nurturing that passion.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m primarily a Nuke/Fusion Compositor for TV and film & working towards becoming proficient in 3D tracking. For the last 5 – 6 years I’ve worked in Singapore & New York and have recently been working in LA for the past 4.
What sets me apart from others? I guess that I’m always ready to do what I can to help others – at work or in my personal life. I work hard at not letting fear/ego get in the way of anyone’s happiness. I aim to go to work not only to get the job done but to also help sustain a happy workplace. I think many people forget how important that is.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! When I’d had my fill of living in New York City, I came to LA on a whim- without much by the way of plans. Regardless of the obstacles I faced during that transition – I really just wanted to broaden my daily world, and moving here did that for me. I lined up a few interviews and ended up getting tied into some really exciting work!
I came here exactly *when I was just starting out*, and most of the companies I worked at were understanding and extremely helpful in teaching me what I needed to know. I would 100% recommend LA for anyone looking to work in visual effects or anything relating to that field.
Contact Info:
- Website: aditikhosla.wix.com/akfx
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Marisa Ai Ishimatsu
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