|
The Couch gets a bit playful this week, with the marvel behind many of the stunning t-shirts on RedBubble. Standing out easily in a crowd, tambatoys doesn't just design - she creates, and today we get to spend some time getting to know her better.
Q: Your motto is "eat, sleep, create"- is your life really that good?
A: Well, it’s more about those three things being the favorite parts of my life, the essential things. I see creating right up there with eating and sleeping.
Q: Your t-shirt designs have blown us away here in the office- can you tell us a bit about how you create them?
A: Wow, thank you! Well all my designs are hand-drawn, mostly in pencil, then finished in artline pens and scanned into photoshop where I dabble with the colour and size.
Q: You say designing t-shirts is "addictive", how important are they to your artistic endeavors?
A: I have always loved the idea of producing t-shirts, but unfortunately the upfront cost of screen printing has always been an obstacle. That’s why the RedBubble concept is so appealing- to be able to do one-off designs is a dream come true, to be unrestricted in an artistic vision without the pressure of having to sell in volume.
Some may see the concept of art on a t-shirt as lowbrow, but I think it’s wonderful that my art is walking around all day being seen by lots of people. And we all know how attached we can become to that one particular t-shirt, washing it to wear again and again while ignoring the stack left in your closet.
Q: Where do you find inspiration- or more generally, what drives your creative passion?
A: I have been ‘making stuff’ all my life, in one medium or another. I’m inspired by classical artists and modern contemporary artists to cartoons (I’ve been watching The Simpsons for 20 years!).
I am one of those people who live mostly in their head and I find inspiration everywhere. I often have great ideas sitting on the bus going to work. I get inspired by movies, children’s books, nature, and even buildings. I find I have too many ideas and not enough hours in the day to pursue them.
I am driven by a creative urge that is a necessary part of my sanity, but also to develop an idea from it’s visualization all the way through to the finished piece.
Q:
So... explain the name: do you really get to make toys?
A: Well the name is a combination of a nickname and the name of the toys I have been making of my characters for the last 2 years, which I sell in stores in Sydney and Canberra. However, I have to admit since I discovered RedBubble, there has been a lot less toy making and a lot more drawing!
Q: If you could talk to people who've bought your work, what would you say?
A: Firstly, thank you for supporting independent artists, and also I hope my work makes you feel happy and reminds you not to get too caught up the seriousness of life, which in today’s world, can be challenge.
Q:
What advice or worldly tips would you pass on to aspiring artists?
A: One of the things that held me back when I was younger was fear, and always thinking that other people were better than me. But my dad died a few years ago and it had a very profound impact on me. It made me look at what really makes me happy and to try and pursue it, instead of letting fear stop me. I decided to use other people’s talents to inspire me instead of inhibiting me.
My advice is don’t compare yourself to other people and don’t be afraid of creating bad art. The important thing is to get in the habit of being creative and working at it all the time, don’t give up because you write one bad story, or paint one bad picture.
There are a few people who are born with natural talent but most of us have to work really hard at it. Art is like everything else in life, practice makes perfect, try and create as often as you can, you may get frustrated but you will definitely get better! |
