Autobiografly

Fahad Faizal

Autobiografly

Call it destiny or not, but Fahad Faizal did not imagine himself entering the world of independent zines and discovering the kind of freedom that he did. An animator by profession and a storyteller by birth, Fahad’s Autobiografly is pretty much what it sounds like — an autobiography of a fly. An offbeat and quirky tale where two different worlds collide. An idea that was sown in the garden of his mind almost a decade ago, but was unable to see the light of the day until very recently when he found himself attending the 24 Hour Comic Day at Studio Kokaachi in 2014. One thing led to another and suddenly he found himself sitting down with a pencil and paper and digging his way through the archives of his mind..

Autobiografly

How did your romance with animation and storytelling begin?
I think I used to draw before I could even remember. I used to go around asking everyone what to draw next! It’s when others started running out of ideas, I started thinking. First I copied, then I started looking around me, then I began imagining and then I started creating. I enjoy drawing people and how they behave.
With my parents’ support I was able do my graduation in Animation Film Design from National Institute of Design. That’s where I discovered the magic of animation and storytelling.
 
Take me through your creative process.
Take a blank sheet of paper and start drawing. That’s pretty much my creative process. The more you draw, the better you get at it.

Autobiografly

An autobiography of a fly is a rather intriguing concept. What was the inspiration and thought process that went into Autobiografly?
This idea is something that had been brewing in my mind for a long time. In fact it started while I was at NID. I sat down to come up with a concept and the creative block hit me. Meanwhile a fly decided to take a dip in my tea. Well, in reality I did not drink that tea but I consumed that idea. The idea that we are all constantly changing depending on what we feed ourselves, physically and mentally. So I moved on in life and decided to work in Mumbai. Time passed; somehow, 10 years later, I found myself back in my hometown of Kochi. My wife, Sunaina, and I decided to go and visit Studio Kokaachi to see how the 24 hour comic was coming along. That’s where I got inspired to make a comic and this idea somehow found its way to me again. Hence, Autobiografly was born.
 
What do you think about the potential of independent zines in India?
I think it’s brilliant. It’s helped me get my ideas out there. It’s quick, cost effective and one can get all their ideas out into a product. Special thanks to Studio Kokaachi for creating such an opportunity for me.

Autobiografly

Are you working on anything new currently?
Between me and Sunaina, we have created a studio called Babakiki. Here we develop illustrations and animations. You can find us at www.vimeo.com/babakiki or on instagram, we go by the handle studio_babakiki


Text Pankhuri Shukla