Success Story : Salik Ansari (VC at IDC-IITB)

First I would like to thanks Prasanna Gadkari for giving me this opportunity to be a part in tea cup blog, I was a frequent follower of this blog during my preparations for CEED. :)

My qualification and experience
I am an Artist based in Bombay, born and bought up in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. I have completed BFA in painting from Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai and a scholarship art residency in Zurich.


How I prepared for CEED
The process of thinking is very important to prepare for CEED, I tried to be aware about things around and started observing and questioning them. For cracking CEED it is important to know a bit of everything.


What was my approach for making a portfolio?
During my bachelor degree I have worked in many mediums, painting, sculpture, installation, and video.

I prepared 3 different portfolio books
1) Contains works from my BFA
2) An illustrative diary pages
3) Contains works and documentation of my art scholarship program, Zurich

I also showed them my branding work which I did for an e-commerce company.

I think it was not a single work but instead combination of all the works, a multi-disciplinary portfolio


How you approached the DAT. Did you practice beforehand?
I didn’t prepare anything for DAT I just tried to keep my mind clam and it helped me in making quick decision.

Again I will say it is very important to understand the practice of a design school and to think that way.


How was my Interview
Don’t expect an easy way prepare yourself for the toughest and in this journey you will see the toughest becomes your easy way. 

During my interview I was asked to show my 1 best work but i showed them an experiment (not finished work) and told the panel why I have decided to go with an experiment because of its possibilities. I showed them those 3 books and a branding work. I didn’t stopped by showing 1 work only rather I was continuously talking and sharing my views. 

What strategy I used

 During interview I kept all my 3 books including a diary on the table in a way that each one professor should pick one of it. My whole idea was to engage them differently in my work and show them as much as I can in a small span of time. During our discussion I always pointed on my works as reference point of view for the topics we were discussing and this makes them more involved in my process.

We also talked about poets especially “Faiz Ahmed Faiz” and i recited them one of my (Urdu) shairy and they seemed interested about it, they also asked me about my experience in Zurich.

They asked me WHY IDC? Now this was a very important question i think for all who was applying, I replied, I like the process how the problem here is addressed through critical strategies and approach towards its solution made me interested in IDC, adding “idc showed me to see problem as an opportunity to solve.

I enjoyed my interview I don’t know how long it went but it doesn’t matter, be comfortable be open to share everything, be humble, clean and clear. If they say show only 1 work it is up to you how you can sprout the branches out of it so they get interested in your other works too.

Tips that might help upcoming students clear CEED and interview
Explore and keep yourself open to everything. The process starts from now (not a month before the exams).

Before your interview show your portfolio to different people, to designers, your friends and mentor, also to the people you don’t know. You will understand a lot about your work.

Art and Design is for all.

Keep sharing

Salik