“This Is What I Make” is an interview series by Wasiilah Abdi, spotlighting the next generation of creative talent. From poets and filmmakers to digital artists, each conversation unpacks what inspires their work — and what a “winning life” means to underrepresented voices.
Last week I got to chat with Rajvi, a London-based graphic designer and artist balancing a full-time advertising job, freelance projects, and personal work. Her style is calm, warm, and playful — but always evolving.
“I don’t like to limit myself because I’m always exploring how to push my creativity.”
Her mural for Drummond Street is a love letter to the South Asian community that shaped the area.
“I wanted to empower and represent the people who built up the local area,” she told me.
She pulled from the street itself: colourful shop fronts, sari florals, vintage matchboxes, and even animals from her homeland. Her favourite part? The stop-motion birds that tell a story of migration and diaspora.
Identity means a lot to Rajvi as an artist. Growing up, she was “obsessed with drawing girls I saw in cartoons and books,” but none looked like her. Now, she draws women of colour with “the same confident attitude I felt looking at my idols growing up.”
No matter what she makes, “my signature is written in Gujarati, my mother tongue, so I have this little mark of my culture on every piece.”
Her industrial design background helps her balance beauty and meaning in her work.
“Form and function should always go hand in hand, without compromise,” she said. Her process always starts with a concept or feeling, building moodboards to embed meaning into the visual composition.
One moment that hit hard was her final year at uni, smack in the middle of 2020. She’d just been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, was dealing with heartbreak, and had survived a suicide attempt.
“I was close to deferring, but I felt so connected to my project,” she explained.
Her final major project was a mindfulness pod for overstimulating public spaces — inspired by her experience with hyperosmia and knowing how public workers face high stress.
“Post-pandemic, we need this more than ever to de-stigmatise caring for mental health.”
Her lecturer told her something that stuck: “Some of the most beautiful works of art were created from pain and darkness. You can’t create diamonds without pressure.” That idea helped her channel everything into her work.
Fast forward two years — she got a message out of nowhere from someone in Brussels who wanted to bring her concept to life. “It was surreal,” she said.
Today, the pod — called Shanti — is being manufactured, shown at European design shows, and has even been featured in the Princess of Belgium’s palace and Paris Match.
“This is a sign to never give up on your ideas. You never know where they can take you.”
Home, for Rajvi, is tied to childhood memories of books, cartoons, and family encouragement.
“The 2000s nostalgia really influences my style,” she said.
She’s revisiting the playful, textured art she loved as a kid — creating purely for joy, with no social media or money motives behind it.
Lately, she’s been inspired by the Yoshitomo Nara exhibition and drawing her inner child in raw emotions. Her first piece?
“A big moody annoyed baby — which I can be a lot of the time haha.”
Rajvi’s work holds space for heritage, joy, and purpose — a journey shaped by struggle and love.
Find her on TikTok @thatartistshaw and Instagram @shaw.22.
I love Ravji’s work, and getting a peek at the mind behind the artist is always so much fun!
I absolutely love her work. It’s so powerful in its simplicity. This is the kind of art that always captivates me.
Interviews like this are what make me appreciate an artist’s work even more. It’s so fascinating to hear Rajvi’s take on culture and the arts.
I love your interview with London-based artist Rajvi as she discusses her creative journey, highlighting how her cultural heritage and experiences shape her work. She emphasizes the importance of resilience and community in her artistic process, offering insights into her unique perspective as a creator.
Wow, her artwork is truly impressive! I love her story, and you can tell she pours her heart into her art with such beautiful details and thoughtful color choices.