Today we’d like to introduce you to India Nabarro.
India, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was at Georgia State University not knowing what the hell I was doing (undeclared major, then business major, then psychology major) when I had to take an elective course. Someone named Professor Snape taught Intro to Graphic Design, so I took the class for bragging rights, but I fell in love with the practice after my first class. After three very intense and competitive years, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with my degree focused on design.
Again, I found myself not knowing what the fuuuuuck I was doing. I interviewed to be a production artist at Carter’s and realized after a day of interviews that working there would be a special kind of hell for me, and I should figure out how to survive to freelance. I worked with Slug Agency (art collective founded by Bosco; clients: Instagram, re:imagine/ATL, Gum Studios, Laser Kitten, Raw Paw, more; featured in Nylon and Vogue this year), did a lot of promo for local events/musicians (BOREGARD, Sid Worthy, Lava House, Foxeria del Sol, Steez Fiendz), landed a project doing the design for the “ATL is Burning Ball” with Red Bull (featured in Burnaway, Forbes, Nylon, and more), a managed to not starve doing miscellaneous graphic design work. While freelancing, I worked about 12 hours per day and was fueled by Hodgepodge Coffee and really good weed (very important — the MVP of my career, to be honest).
Two months after graduating, Brandon Butler of Butter.ATL reached out to me and I began freelancing with his team to ideate/execute concepts for Atlanta-centric content, which was a dream gig because Atlanta is so, so special to me. I came on in January as a full-time employee.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
MAAAAAAAN, growing up a girl in the South is so weird. It was always really important that I was polite, so I often found myself accommodating for others, staying silent, and playing a mediator role — never the aggressor. It was interesting entering the real world and realizing how ill-equipped I am to argue my worth, make demands, and confront people. (I am still really bad at all those things, but I’m trying dammit.)
Advice for other women: Embrace being a bitch. Be nice to other women (there’s room for all of us!). Watch how the Big Dawgs move and put your own spin on it. Fake it ’til you make it.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a graphic designer! I make cool shit all day and ask myself questions like, “but what if the dog… was in ~*space~*~?” or “how do I tell the client their idea isn’t gonna work?” I’m known for creating social media graphics that are eye-catching, engaging, and influenced by pop culture.
Proudest moments:
@indianabarro: Working with Red Bull, surviving off of freelance, working with @slugagency, getting my dream job at @Butter.ATL — all within the first year of my career.
@Butter.ATL: We just won two ADDYs! Watching our audience grow from 0 to 20,000+ followers in a little over six months was a big fucking deal for me as well.
@slugagency: Being part of a team that aims to elevate the voices of people/brands/cultures of color is very important to my personal beliefs, and seeing publications like Vogue and Nylon recognize that is so cool.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Men. (Just kidding… a little.) I feel the root of the issue is in the perception of “femininity” as weak and “masculinity” as powerful, but I also think there are thousands of other factors that play in to and off of this.
Contact Info:
- Website: indianabarro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianabarro/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/butter.atl/
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
