INTERVIEW for WILL FEMIN
The German female-led label WILL FEMIN designs and produces striking handbags in Europe and are based in my second home town, which is beautiful Hamburg. So when they approached me to do an interview I was all in.
Find here a translated excerpt of this interview, going into my take on the arts, creativity and life learnings…
Photo: Rasia Hagiu
Why do you do the job you do today?
I worked for a long time as a freelance graphic designer for companies and agencies. I see painting as a progression from applied communication design to the level of visual and artistic exploration of communication between people.
What would you get up in the middle of the night for?
Definitely for rotating ideas. Best home remedy: give in briefly, get up, take notes, then you can dive off again.
What does success mean to you?
When things work and make me happy at the same time. Being able to work autonomously, for example, is something like that. To feel as free as possible, to understand and apply things, to have developed my potential, to take it to the next level. So basically what I'm doing right now.
Do you have an "honest truth" story?
"Testing beats gut feeling" would be such a 'truth'. When I first started going out with my art, I would often theorize about business and its mechanics, however, I was way too much about myself and the world I lived in. By consistently testing ideas, I then achieved such surprising results that I now love to experiment.
What inspires you, how do you get your daily drive?
I love podcasts, exchanges and books that revolve around sociological topics. Berlin's numerous exhibition venues, trips to Brandenburg and the morning bike ride to the studio. Stephen Covey, whose book "The 7 Ways to Effectiveness" describes, among other things, his concept of different roles that one can take on for a project, gives extra speed to the achievement of my goals. In terms of leadership and structure, he probably knows what he is talking about - he had 9 children.
What is a mantra that suits you and comes to mind first?
Sakichi Toyoda's "5 Whys" come to mind. They are a method that usually helps you get to the source of your "blockage" after the fifth "why" and reveal the core of your issue. When I am faced with a major decision, I very often use this method to advance to a decision approach and validate it. Only condition with the method to crack all the nuts: Use with someone who doesn't let you cheat. ; )
Where are you most likely to be found in Berlin?
During the day definitely in the studio, right next to it in Cheruskerpark, in the café or in exhibitions. In the afternoon I make the playgrounds unsafe with my two boys and in the evening on the balcony, sofa or in a nice bar.
How do you feel about outside advice?
I find feedback from the outside super important for your own development. The trick for me is to sort out for yourself exactly what you should accept. Trying to understand what perspective the feedback giver is looking at things from is often very helpful for me.
Thank you very much for the great interview!
For the original interview version in German go here.