This is a weekly series where we feature our incredibly talented Adolescent members and their work! Sign up here to join the Adolescent Membership and be part of the @ family!

Oh hi, Adolescent fam! We’re super excited to introduce you to our newest Member Crush: Jitesh Ajaria. Based in India, Jitesh is 19 and loves observing creativity in nature and architecture. He is studying Civil Engineering and enjoys photography and graphic design. For this week’s feature, we talked to him about how culturally rich India is, getting started on Illustrator, and exploring vector art.

Adolescent Content: Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from? How old are you? How are you spending your time these days?

Jitesh Ajaria: My hometown is Udaipur, Rajasthan which is better known as Venice of the East. I’m 19 years old. I’m a highly curious person and I want to know everything. These days, I’m trying to learn [how to use] Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk Draw. 

Adolescent: How has 2020 changed your work and style?

Jitesh: For me, 2020 hasn't been that bad of a year because I got some time for myself which helped me think about what to do artistically and professionally. [Because of] the nationwide lockdown, I had to return to my hometown and was forced to stay indoors for my own good, so I worked from home and [took] some photos of my city. 

Adolescent: Can you tell me about your creative process?

Jitesh: I'm a very cultural, historical, and scientific person. I like to read about everything, from social studies to astronomy. My shooting style is very old-school; I like to show the beauty in nature, so I keep editing my photos [pretty simple]. Nowadays I’m trying vector art because it gives me some creative freedom. 

Adolescent: How does being in India affect your work?

Jitesh: Being in India doesn't affect my work [too much]... India is culturally very rich, and there’s a lot of variation in art, language, and photography from place to place.

Adolescent: What’s it been like being an Adolescent Member?

Jitesh: Adolescent is my gateway to the international media world and it gives me an idea of what people in my generation are doing around the world… The best part of Adolescent is that it bestows voice to individuals at a young age internationally. It gives opportunities to Gen Zers around the world to show what they have in them and also listens to them. I just love Adolescent.