Student Spotlight: Twinkle Jain

Today I am excited to introduce Twinkle Jain (Tj). From textile design in Mumbai to mastering UX/UI across multiple countries, Tj is a mother of two whose artistic journey spans decades and disciplines. After a friend suggested she explore UX/UI, a Google search led her to one of my videos, beginning her transformative journey with BYOL. One of the things I love most about our community is exactly this - creative minds from around the globe bringing diverse perspectives to design. Join me as we dive into her story and celebrate the talent that makes our BYOL community truly extraordinary!

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I earned my degree in Textile Designing, majoring in Screen Printing, from Mumbai, India. Even before graduating, I landed my first job at an export house, designing prints for their soft furnishing line.

But destiny had other plans—I fell in love, got married, and moved to Bahrain in 2003. During my initial months there, I found myself wondering what to do next. I had always been interested in clay modeling, so I bought some polymer clay and started experimenting. This opened the door to a world of creativity, and along with my equally creative sister-in-law, we started crafting clay models, wall clocks, and stationery holders. Our hard work paid off with a massively successful, sold-out pop-up exhibition.

In 2005, we moved to London, UK, and soon after, I became a mother. I took a step back from work to focus on raising my child, but the creative itch never left me. To keep myself engaged, I painted the walls of our home in different colors (shoutout to my incredibly patient husband who put up with it all!).

Then, on my son’s fourth birthday, he asked for a SpongeBob cake. Having worked with clay, I figured, How hard could it be?—only to quickly realize that cake decorating and clay modeling are two very different things! Nevertheless, I managed to create a pretty decent SpongeBob cake with a Patrick Star topper (don’t ask me to explain the topper ). That one cake sparked a new passion, and soon, friends and family started requesting cakes for their special occasions.

The Cake Era

In 2015, we moved to New York, USA, where I quickly made new friends. Word of my cake decorating skills spread, and soon, I was creating cakes again. Though we only stayed in New York for two years, I made lifelong friendships.

Next, we moved to Florida, and I was thrilled to trade freezing NY winters for sunshine and warmth. Living in a gated community with over 750 homes, I became the resident baker, creating over 300 cakes during our time there. What I cherished most wasn’t just the art of baking, but the joy on my clients’ faces when they saw their cakes. Their heartfelt testimonials made every late-night decorating session worth it.

After five years in Florida, it was time for another move—back to the UK.

Returning to My First Love: Design

This time, I wanted to return to my first love—CAD and digital design. Having learned Photoshop at 16, I had never truly let go of it. Over the years, I used it for different purposes—first for designing, then for editing baby pictures, and later, for cake photoshoots with DIY backdrops. But now, I wanted to level up.

A friend introduced me to UX/UI design—something I had never heard of before. She encouraged me to explore it, convinced that I’d be great at it. With my kids now more independent, I was eager to return to the professional field.

How did you find yourself at BYOL?

A Google search led me to a BYOL YouTube video and that video gave me the confidence to start my UX/UI journey with BYOL. I earned my Adobe XD certification in April 2023 (after starting in November 2022), and from there, there was no stopping me! I went on to master Figma, Illustrator, InDesign, and Canva.

What is your favorite BYOL class? 

To be honest , this is like asking me to choose a favorite son. My 'super-liked' class would be Illustrator and Canva and after that would be Figma and XD. The challenges and classwork in Illustrator were a joy. So much so that I'd love to go back and start all over again just to have creative fun. 

How has your background in textile design/screen printing influenced your UX/UI journey?

Ever since 6th grade, I was interested in drawing and would be asked to do everyone else's assignments too. Of course I was always in the good books of the art teachers. My natural progression after high school should have been art college but my mom was worried that I'd end up a broke and hungry artist, so she insisted that I enrol in commerce and economics college to have a more stable profession. But after 2 years of barely understanding accounting, I put my foot down and enrolled myself into an arts college. Little did I know that although I would study textile designing I would barely work in that field. Studying textile designing really instilled in me all the basics of art composition and gave me the freedom to make art my way. Learning the history of World Art and all the famous artists gave me a perspective that helps me in making fun and interesting art to this day. 

You've moved around quite a bit! Do you find that your creativity/designs are influenced by the places you've lived?

Living in different countries shapes your worldview so much. Imagine seeing just red and then suddenly you see blues and yellows and whites and purples...imagine how vibrant and open your imagination would be! Moving to all these different countries did that to me. Of course education helps, but  when you experience all this in real life it alters your brain chemistry and enriches you so much more. From India to Bahrain to England to America then back to England and not to mention all the other places I've visited, all these have collectively influenced me in making my art. 

What is next for you? What are some future goals you have?

Recently, I started working for a marketing company, and I absolutely love the work. My journey has been filled with twists and turns, but every experience has led me to where I am today.

I have never been someone who could plan my career. To be honest I wish I could get paid just to do courses on BYOL and make art . But I know that's a dream scenario :D. Honestly I've said that to my friends and family haha. So for me, all I want to do is keep creating art, whether I get paid for it or not.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Tj! We can’t wait to see all you continue to create!