IF you want to be and feel in.di.air

On my blog, I mostly give space to people I consider standing out for their endless creativity, out-of-the box mindsets and artistic touch! Sometimes, I am lucky enough to have such inventive personalities closer to me than I think.

Here it comes the inspiration for my next post: the world of In.di.air, an extremely creative outlet curated and thoughtfully carried out by a special friend, India Sambuy.

India was born in Italy but then, her mind run fast enough for the rhythms of New York City where she currently is living and creating!

After graduating at Parsons School of Design, she is now a freelance multidisciplinary creative, exploring art direction, graphic design and production, working her way out through becoming a Creative Director.

Let’s deep dive into In.di.air world to better understand her mind-blowing works!

1. Your project is called IN.DI.AIR (which I personally love), can you explain us what is all about?

The name in.di.air was originally born as a fun Instagram handle for my personal profile. It’s a word play blending my name, India, and the idea of something intangible, thoughts, ideas, and emotions that live in the air. The art of creating is a bridge between the two worlds, the material and the ethereal. 

Today, In.di.air is the name for my creative studio, I am a freelance graphic designer and art director and I work with clients across the health & wellness, fashion, and events industries. I don’t want to specialise in anything yet, but most of the projects I have done are around branding, developing a brand identity from scratch, or re-branding a business to create a stronger brand image. But I have also done magazine design, art direction projects, websites, and digital design. One day In.di.air might become a creative agency, time will tell.

2. Where do you find the inspiration to nourish these passions?

It was not until I moved to New York that I gave myself permission to start a creative career. The environment and the people here inspire me to follow my biggest vision. I surround myself with humans I admire, who are equally determined to “make it”, whether their dream is investing in biotech companies for a greater future or becoming an acclaimed fashion photographer. Some days, I truly feel like I am following my “American Dream”.

Truth is, I have always had this passion for aesthetics. I was influenced from an early age by my father, who is THE multidisciplinary creative I admire the most, by growing up around magazine subscriptions we had at home, like Vogue and Monocle, and I could have never nourished these passions without having my mother as an example of determination and hard work.

3. What’s your typical day when developing a new project for a client?

A client project takes weeks to develop, depending on the brief.

In terms of project development, I start with an in depth meeting with my client to understand exactly what they are looking for. Then, we dive into their target audience, brand vision and values, and visual benchmarks. Plus, I create a mood board that defines the overall aesthetic for the project and start creating the assets the client needs based off of it.

I follow a very collaborative approach with my clients, we go through multiple rounds of review and feedback. One of my core values is making sure the client is excited about the result and enjoys working with me. I try to achieve that through being a good listener e being curious about their brand. I want to see my clients achieve their goals at the same time as I achieve mine!

4. You live in NYC since few years now, what are the top three places that give you inspiration to develop a project?

The internet is an infinite source of inspiration when used well, but when talking about physical places, these are my top three:

1. The Streets

Being into graphic design is almost a curse. I can’t walk outside without noticing, analysing, and collecting design elements I see around. I get inspired by street advertisements, graffitis, storefronts, or roadside signs, but also ripped wheat-posters, or random objects I find on the streets. I take a picture with my phone of everything that sparks an interest in me. I never know when it’s going to be useful.

2. Iconic Magazines on Mulberry street

There are a lot of magazine stores in New York, but Iconic Magazines in Nolita is my absolute favorite for its selection. I go there for inspiration, for pleasure, or when I have some spare time. I cannot spend less than an hour there. I like to browse the latest issues of magazines I love – MUSE, i-D, HOLIDAY, SELF SERVICE to name a few – or discover new ones. Sometimes, I pick up local newspapers like New York Magazine and read about cultural events happening in town. I always leave this place inspired or with new information on hand.

3. Quiet time

This is not a place, but it could be!

Living in New York and using social media, means that I am consistently stimulated with visual images, and I am learning the importance of shutting my brain. Inspiration is great and necessary, but so is coming back to myself. Some quiet time helps me to find the creative solution within me.

There is a yogic principle that explains this well: Pratyahara, is the practice of withdrawing your senses from the outside world and its stimuli. I do this through meditation, long walks, or self care time. Last week I treated myself to an hour of sauna and ice bath and when I went back home I finished a project I had been stuck on for days, in two hours. 

5. Beyond work, you are also into yoga and a healthy lifestyle, do you have a specific routine you follow every day?

Who knows me, knows how sacred the first two hours of my day are. I recently started the book “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron, which guides you through a 12 week journey to unlock your creativity. One of the tools Cameron asks you to do is writing three pages of free form thoughts every morning upon waking up. So currently that’s how I start my day, I wake up and write my morning pages.

Then I get dressed and go to the 8am class at my favorite Yoga studio in NYC – Sky Ting. Freelancing means I manage my own time and having a regular 8am commitment forces me to wake up pretty early to jump start my day. Yoga is ALWAYS followed by a Matcha, either at home or at Kettle, a cute little matcha stand close to my apartment. Then my work day begins!

6. IF I am about to feed me with an heathy breakfast meal, what recipe would you suggest?

I don’t know if you are into savory breakfast but I bought the cookbook of my favorite NYC joint – Dimes Deli – and there’s this one breakfast recipe that I’ve done a million times because it’s too good. I will paste it here: Dimes Chickpea Stew (Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Serving suggestions:

This dish works great on its own as a healthy alternative breakfast dish. Beef it up with some avocado, and egg, or pulled chicken.

7. Right now, are you working at a project you can share few details about?
I have been working with Desirée Pais, founder of Benshen, for five months now.

Benshen is a platform and a community for women around the world that through kundalini meditation courses, workshops, and retreats helps women unlock their personal power.

Desirèe is more than a client to me, she is a mentor and I love to work with her and get involved with everything she does – I consistently do her monthly meditation membership. We are currently working on a big rebranding of Benshen, new graphics, new website and new pictures. Desirèe wanted to shed away from the mysterious and unaccessible image attached to Kundalini practices and we are creating a new look for benshen that is powerful, direct, and kick-ass. 

8. IF a client wants to reach you out, what are your main contact?

You can have see my projects on my website indiasambuy.com and reach out via email at indisambuy@gmail.com!

Therefore, IF you are in NYC and surroundings and in desperate need of creativity, please reach Indi out!

Until next one,

Keep swimming!