Twenty-five year-old Farah Ahmad lives in London and works as an illustrator and creative at Bold Creative, a BAFTA winning agency, founded to educate, entertain and inspire young minds.

Farah’s role is to design original content for Bold’s client brands on web, mobile, print and social media platforms. She is interested in animation, illustration and painting. One day she’d love to illustrate a children’s book.

We caught up with Farah to discover how she got to where she is today and to find out what advice she would give to young people who want to work in this field.

What does a day in the life of an illustrator & creative look like?

A day in the life of an illustrator & creative in my company usually starts with an assessment of what tasks are ahead for the week. Every week can be different. One week I will be working on an animation, the next I’ll be making hand-drawn typeface for posters.

In a creative agency, a creative gets to apply art to a whole range of formats.

Did volunteering or work experience play a part in getting you to where you are today?

Absolutely! It’s a given in many creative jobs that you need to do work experience first. I interned at two places: once during my summer while I was still at university for BBC Scotland and the other when I first moved to London. I interned at my current company and soon after I was hired on a permanent basis.

What advice would you give to any aspiring young people who want to work in this field?

My advice would be to let you passion shine through. That’s the most important thing. And be nice! There’s no need to climb over other people to get to where you want to be. Support each other. The industry is surprisingly small and you never know who’ll you meet again. Good luck!

Who inspires you and why?

I’m inspired by an artist named Lilli Carre. She, like me, experiments with many different art forms. I find everything she touches inspiring. Her animation work and drawing style always make me want to be a better artist. Oh and David Shrigley because his work is so humorous and witty.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about the job?

My favourite things about my job are creating, crafting, designing and making artwork. My least favourite thing is when I have to put my pens down and put on a producing hat. This means scheduling my time, as well as other freelancers’ time, and managing projects to stay within budget. But all in all it gives me a great experience and I’m lucky to say I love what I do.

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