Shreya Kadukar ’25, Game Art, took a “leap of faith” attending Ringling College of Art and Design. Growing up in Kolhapur in western India, she always gravitated toward creative expression, no matter the media. She danced, sculpted, stitched clothes for her dolls, and made stop-motion videos with her Barbies. Her drawings were so promising that her mother enrolled her in private art classes, but she didn’t always see the same promise in herself.
Kadukar assumed her future was in business until an aptitude test in 10th grade suggested an inclination toward fine arts. “That didn’t dictate my path, but it gave me confidence,” she said, “especially at a time when I felt others were more skilled than me.”
Her path became clearer when she met a family friend who had studied Game Art at Ringling College. “I looked it up, and instantly, something clicked,” Kadukar said. “I decided then and there that I wanted to go to Ringling.”
Even then, Game Art wasn’t the obvious choice. Kadukar wasn’t the most passionate gamer in her friend group, and so much of her artistic development up to that point had been focused on drawing. But the College exposed her to a wide range of ideas and creative expressions. She was fascinated by the idea of storytelling through digital environments.
But her real evolution occurred in the way she thinks about art itself. And she now believes that that new mindset has set her up for future success.
“Before college, I was mostly focused on sharpening my skills, like I was drawing just to get better at drawing,” she said. “But at Ringling, I was challenged to think beyond technique and reflect on the ‘why’ behind my work. I began caring more about what my art makes people feel rather than just how it looks. It was a shift from simply making to truly creating, and that change in mindset made me more confident and intentional as an artist. I now spend more time introspecting and crafting work with a clear purpose—something that feels personal, meaningful, and distinct in a world full of incredibly skilled creators.”
For her senior thesis, Kadukar created a Rajasthan-inspired courtyard that conveyed a story of love and memory. She was inspired by the history and architecture she grew up with in India, and she wanted to pay homage to that world. The project became deeply nostalgic, both in gathering physical references and in drawing inspiration from her favorite director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whom she called a “master world-builder.”
As a result, her thesis is “the most emotionally driven piece I’ve created,” Kadukar said. “It felt like telling a story that was very close to my heart, in a language I truly connect with—art.”
Currently, Kadukar works for a virtual production studio, where she’s “diving into the world of real-time filmmaking,” she said. She even created her own short film, with support from Sarasota’s Storyvox.
“It honestly felt like the beginning of a new creative journey, and it’s inspired me to keep exploring the possibilities of film and games even further,” she said. “Looking back, the path I took wasn’t one I ever imagined, but I’m really glad I followed it.”
Contact:
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communications@ringling.edu
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