Art In His DNA

As Creative Director of Forty Six and Two Designs, Sajid Wajid Shaikh gives full expression to his illustration and other artistic talents

When did you discover your passion for visual art?

SS: Art for me was a way to cope with my shortcomings academically; while other kids in my school had their ways to get noticed, I had my drawing books. I was working towards a Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) degree from Mumbai University when I realized that I could actually make visual art into a legit profession and continue doing what I really love.

Shirkar Chavan, a friend, introduced me to the possibilities of taking drawing to the computer. After that the only thing that ever excited me was to create stuff that I would generally draw on a paper. Three years into this self exploratory graphic design path I was responsible for the college festival’s design makeover. Three years later I had a small portfolio, which I could show to agencies and freelance to earn some money here there.

What is the story behind Forty Six and Two Designs?

SS: I am a huge fan of the band called Tool, and I’ve blatantly taken the name from one of their songs. The song is a living being that speaks directly and informs my view on art. Whenever I am feeling low I sit down with this entity and speak with it; it talks about metamorphosis, internal cleansing, embracing change as it comes with least resistance, and moving forward. I also dug deeper into the origin of the name – it references an idea first conceived by Carl Jung and later expounded upon by Drunvalo Melchizedek concerning the possibility of reaching a state of evolution at which the body would have two more than the normal 46 chromosomes and leave a currently disharmonious state. The premise is that humans would deviate from the current state of human DNA which contains 44 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes.

How did the experience of working in the industry shape your career?