From dropping out of school to exhibiting work at the Barbican, the Southbank Centre and Chanel

Razik Darji: The first time I heard about the Shift programme was around 2022. I applied and didn't get in, but I applied again. I remember at that time I really wanted to get into tech, but I had no idea how to do it. I didn't have a uni degree or any GCSEs - I dropped out of school really young, at 16. So I thought, okay, the Shift programme seemed like the one way I could get into the industry. It felt really aligned with what I do.

The following year, I built myself up and built my confidence to apply again. When I did, I was a bit nervous, because I applied as an XR curator, and I knew that in Shift there weren't really any techie people - it's more photography and traditional arts - but I still did it anyway.

I remember the challenge day - where they picked the final 20. Our brief was to make an ad to sell goggles for a brand, and I made an AR filter within the time limit. Everyone was like, whoa, we can actually do that. And then I got in. That whole process was really exciting, because I think it was the first time I ever felt that validation. I know people say don't seek validation, but I think it was the first time I got that approval and that confidence to actually enter a space I didn't think was for us.

Razik Darji: Speaking to most Shifters, a lot of us don't come from traditional backgrounds. In adland - it's not that diverse. Shift actually changes that; it disrupts that narrative. The only downside is that it does come with a lot of impostor syndrome, because you come into the space thinking it's not for us, like there's a limit to how far we can go. I think Shift is what changes that - it brings that sense of validation back into the picture, where you're like, okay, actually, I can belong here. I don't think any other programme gives you that same opportunity to feel like you belong in a space like this. My personal connection to getting into Shift was really powerful, because it was the first time I felt that.

Razik Darji: I remember I just used to be so obsessed with AR filters at one point. I couldn't afford a computer - I literally couldn't afford it, it was too expensive. The one I had at the time couldn't run AR software. I was on Universal Credit then, and I used to watch people on YouTube making filters, just looking at how cool it was.

So for about a year I saved up my Universal Credit money and really budgeted. Then in October 2022, I finally bought my own computer. For one month straight I just made AR filters, and within that month I got into the top 1% of AR creators in the whole world. I just loved it so much. From there I started exploring different emerging tech spaces - it wasn't just AR. XR was my main thing, and that's actually what I got into Shift with. But yeah, I didn't know what creative tech was until I joined Shift.

Razik Darji: For me, I don't know how to say this without it sounding bad, but I genuinely just... I do it. Like, when I apply for something, I just tell myself I'm going to get it. I told myself I really wanted to work with Chanel, and they were doing this thing where they only picked one person out of 5,000 to go to Germany to do this project. I remember thinking, I'm going to be that person. I just never really considered that I wouldn't get picked. And I did.

Then there was the Barbican project - it was the first time the Barbican had ever done a creative tech residency for an artist. They usually only work with traditional artists. And in my head I was just like, I'm going to get that. I didn't think I could fail. And then I did get it. I found out last week - I'll be doing the residency for the rest of the year, and they're funding the whole thing. I'm going to do an actual theatre show. It'll be my first time ever doing something like that, fully funded. It's so crazy. A lot of my mentees ask me how I do it, and I just think... I can't fail.

Razik Darji: I think I've just reached a point in my career where I'm confident in myself. I believe in my ability to do things. I know that if someone asks me to deliver something, I can. But that confidence came with practice. I'd done it so many times. And I think a lot of people don't realise that I took a lot of rejections along the way – it took a lot to get to a point where I'm good at applying for things, good at networking. That came from doing it nonstop for about three years.

Razik Darji: The Barbican thing was interesting, because it was the first time they'd ever done a creative tech residency. I was very honest with them – I told them I'd never even been to the Barbican until last year. I'm also going for the Southbank Centre residency, and I said the same thing there too: I'd never been. But I really want to get into the art side of creative tech.

I work in advertising, and I can see how the AI space is moving. I think artists will lead the next era of AI – they have a real stake in it, and they'll disrupt the culture around it. So for me, it's less about the commercial side and more about the art world.

I was upfront with them. I said: if you accept me, I won't understand a lot of it at first, but I'm willing to learn. And when I said that, they really respected it. They were like, yeah, that's fine – you'll learn here. And I got into both. Which is really cool, because I'm learning a lot and I'm definitely out of my comfort zone with the art world. I don't even recognise most of the artists they reference.

Razik Darji: They have this mentorship programme for anyone interested in fashion. I applied the first year and didn't get in because I wasn't really into fashion. The second year I applied again, and I said: I'm a creative technologist and I really want to get into fashion tech. That year they happened to have a head of tech as one of the mentors, so they accepted me, and I got to go into Chanel.

It was really cool, but I think that was the worst impostor syndrome I've ever felt - everyone else was girls who'd been studying fashion at uni, and there I was. But it was an incredible experience. My mentor helped me so much. She introduced me to all the tech people at Chanel, which I didn't even know existed. I learned all about their AI tools, and I got to meet the person making all the AR filters for Chanel, which was also really exciting.

After the programme ended there was a showcase - basically a networking event, similar to the Shift graduation. I asked my programme manager if I could show some work. I wanted to make an AI mirror, like the one I'd shown at a talk a couple of weeks before, but styled with Chanel clothing. They'd never had a request like that before, but I just said: all I need is a TV and a camera. We were at Bourdon House, Chanel's HQ, so we made it work. I showed off my work, and people were really responding to it.

Then a couple of weeks after the programme ended, they sent out this opportunity - a Chanel event in Munich in November. Only one person from the programme would get to go, and the CEO of Chanel would be there. I applied, and I got in. They covered everything - food, hotel, flights. I got to meet the CEO, shook her hand, and she gave me advice about her own success. The event went really well. I even got to go to a Chanel dinner. It was very posh.

Razik Darji: Every time I've talked to people about what I want to do in the future, I always use people like Gabriel Moses as a reference. I'm obsessed with his work, but it's more about his ethos, his mentality. I literally went to his exhibition seven times. And I think, for me, I want to reach a level where I'm an established artist and creator - on the same level as Gabriel Moses is for brands. That's my goal: to work towards that kind of establishment. Because I've seen that you can work on 180 Strand, you can work with Louis Vuitton. I know creative tech is becoming more important - it's still growing, but it is becoming much more of an art form in its own right. And when it does become established as one of the main art forms, I want to be a part of that. I want to be one of the names people think of. That's my goal.