Puzzling Fam
What's your name?
Prernna aka @puzzlingfam
Where are you based?
Chennai, India
Tell us about what your ordinary day looks like.
My day is a constant balancing act as a consultant and Revenue Operations professional, an avid puzzler trying to connect more people with puzzling in India and as a founder of a Indie puzzle brand myself. All this in addition to being a mom of 2 teens. So no two days are the same and everyday is a new challenge.
How did you get into the world of puzzling?
Puzzling came to me as a legacy I would say. My mom was into all kinds of puzzles - Jigsaw, Sudoku, Crosswords, and many more. She passed that on to me and my sister and us to our kids. So slowly our family became a family of puzzlers and jigsaws are our go to. Its also why our IG account is called puzzlingfam.
What makes you keep puzzling & how often do you puzzle?
Over the last few years puzzling has taken on a whole new meaning for me; helping me navigate a lot of ups and downs in life. It's my way of finding myself and enabling my brain so slow down and relax. I do try to puzzle everyday but some days just get away from me. So some days can be 1000 pieces but others can be just a 99 piece mini.
What is your favorite type of puzzle?
Off late I have really gravitated towards smaller piece count puzzles and mini puzzles. So currently my favourite piece count is anything between 99 - 300, with the occasional 500-1000 piecer. I love abstract art puzzles, single color / color blocked puzzles and gradient. As a puzzler I don't generally look at the box / image to puzzle so I lean to images that are more intuitive rather than very busy ones.
During puzzling sessions, do you listen to anything or puzzle in silence?
When I puzzle solo I will either listen to some Bollywood music or I will have some Vlogs / Podcasts running on Youtube. Other times when I am puzzling with friends or family its often conversations about the day. some gossip and catchup. No conversations are off the table when we are puzzling.
If you were to describe what puzzling means to you, what would it be?
Puzzling is how I find my way back to myself on most days.
Tell us about your other interests & joys.
I find joy in all things creative. I draw and am currently taking painting lessons. I also love trying new mediums and experimenting and have also been trying linocut and gelli printing. I would also love to make my own furniture and make pottery one day. Also, I am a sucker for stationery, always collecting notebooks and supplies that I keep saving for the special something :D
Do you have anything you want to share?
I think the puzzling community is one of the most wholesome communities and I have had the privilege of meeting and connecting with some wonderful people here. In fact some of my dearest friends today are ones I met as puzzlers. Thank you all for your kindness and warmth. I also want to give a big shout out to all Indie brands globally that continue to work with real artists and put creativity and ethics at the forefront. I will always try my best to support as many as I can.
