Illustrating a future

Published in A New Type of Imprint Magazine, Volume Five

Making your way into the creative industry is no easy task. Line Nakken´s strategy started out with turning down a school offer in Denmark and leaving for India for six months. Growing up in a very small village on the west coast of Norway, she wanted to expand her horizons. She believes that taking a year off, away from creativity, can give more energy and inspiration than expected, and that all art doesn’t have to be socially or politically correct. As a rookie, she is indecisive of what her future beholds, but she is convinced that the best way to get somewhere, is to live and breathe what you do.

Please describe yourself as an artist.

—I love when things happens unexpectedly during the process. I embrace the accidents, like spilling a cup of coffee. I like to take advantage of coincidences. As an artist, I’m intrigued by the use of color and personalities. I like to play with humor and my imagination to communicate some sort of message. People are for sure an important part of my work and I always feel inspired when I meet new people. I appreciate the fact that art doesn’t have to be so serious. Art should give you a break from all the political and social correct motifs and it should take your imagination for a spin. I wish for the illustrations I create to cheer people up! Experimenting is also essential to me, as I try to focus more on that than the finished result. I want to express myself through various techniques and materials, and let this influence my work on a much higher level now, than it did before. I want to delete the word ‘limit’ from my internal hard drive.

How do you plan to stand out in the mass of brilliant illustrators?

—I recently bought the book ‘Show your work’ by Austin Kleon, and he has some great points regarding the difference between being found and being findable. These are things I’m taking into account now as I’m searching for the dream job. I’m trying to put the self-centered, typically Norwegian attitude aside and learn from others and their process. I intensively review all feedback and spend my spare time doing collaborative projects with other creative people. Lately, I’ve done some collage work with Taudalpoi, another collage artist from Oslo and I’m currently working on some portrait art with the talented Linnea Lyng. I think the key is to continuously introduce new work. Nobody will discover your artwork if it’s lying around the house. It might turn out to be a lot better than you think. Staying inside your comfort zone won’t get you anywhere. Never stop learning. That’s my current strategy.

What´s the most important things you’ve learned so far?

—When I left for India after turning down a school offer at the Design School Kolding in Denmark I feel like I found myself. Cliché, I know, but it´s true. The trip allowed me to organize my thoughts and ideas and become more motivated. I did some volunteer work, but I mostly traveled all by my lonesome, like a turtle carrying my whole life on my back. I appreciate all the weird people I met as well, who taught me about craftsmanship and the personal aspect behind a product. Wandering around in an unknown land and not knowing where the road would take me was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. Looking back now, I actually can´t believe I dared. –One of my professors at The Scandinavian Design College in Denmark once advised me to constantly create something new. 99 percent might turn out to be shit, but the important part is to follow through and don’t give up. This repeats itself in my head constantly and keeps me motivated. Basically I work towards being the artist others want to steal from. My favorite comedian, Steve Martin advice people to ‘be so good they can´t ignore you.’ If you work hard, the right audience will eventually find you. The most motivating part for me so far, is definitely seeing people fall in love with my work. Hearing their reaction, interpretation and opinions. This is what keeps me going.

You are young; you have your whole career in front of you. Do you have a goal in mind?

—I am currently writing my BA thesis on the distinctions between artists and designers today, and the importance of craftsmanship in the digital world. Whatever the conclusion of these questions comes to, I’d say that it doesn’t matter exactly what you categorize yourself—or your work as, as long as you love what you do. And by love, I mean live and breathe it. When you are truly living and breathing it, you find yourself getting stressed out by wasting productive time doing everyday things like the laundry or shaving your legs. 95 percent of my brain is occupied with creative and artistic thoughts, which makes it hard to make room for daily life. My goal is simply to do what I love every day. To be as exited for my job, as I get when I see a chocolate cake.

Any plans on how to get there?

—So far, my short career as an illustrator has been like a rollercoaster. This sounds worse than it is—I love rollercoasters. I’m very indecisive and create different goals and plans for the future and myself every single day. Right now, the most important thing for me is to surround myself with people who keep me grounded, focused and encourage me to follow my dream.