I assume that many of you already know Corina, the lovely Greek designer and blogger that gives us a good reason to be obsessed with Pinterest (her illustrations are soooo pinable!).
Corina is an old friend of mine, who I've had the honor to meet back in 2014 after almost two years of me following her blog and creative journey. She is highly talented; through her unique illustrations, personal way of writing and stunning collaborations with huge brands (see: Virgin Money, Elie Saab etc) she has captured the attention of thousands of people all around the world.
Being Greek these days CAN be tough but she has chosen the wise path of designing her own life exactly how she wants it. She left the capital, Athens, to go and live with her husband in one of the most beautiful islands of Greece, Kefalonia. If, by any chance, you are not familiar with her blog, I totally recommend that you go ahead and visit it now. You'll instantly fall in love with her work and beautiful island life. So much that you'll reconsider your big city life ;)
But enough with the introduction. Let her speak for herself with this lovely interview she gave me:
I know that you like to experiment with new techniques every now and then... How would you describe your creative process and do you feel that you have certain inspiration sources that help you grow as a designer?
My main inspiration is design itself. Yes music, nature and being in peace helps, but designing and being creative in general is where my inspiration flows at its best. My creative process is quite simple, depending on the project always, find a nice peaceful spot and start sketching. Colors and different kind of elements in this process are all a perfect fuel for brilliant ideas and inspiration.
How do you start your day? Do you have any morning rituals that make a difference in you life?
Most of the days my mornings start early - around 7am. The first thing I jump onto is meditation and 45min youga session. Then a swim at the pool to cool off, a shower and my morning continues with a shower, breakfast and feeding my dog and cats.
What is you all-time favorite project?
It's currently in the works and it's so hush hush! Right after that, I'd say the patterns for Gallivant State. There was something very relaxing about this project, no stress no crazy deadlines, I had complete freedom of my inspiration and creativity to come up the textures that were printed on the totes and surf bags.
If you could time-travel what would you do?
Definitely go to the future! Like, 500 years from now, even more. I've been always fascinated with all kinds of sci-fi movies and am dying to see how we will be living in a century from now.
What would you advice your young self, if you could go back And what would you tell all those people out there that want to pursue a freelance career?
Any advice I would have given myself I wouldn't even have listened. I'm so stubborn and I need to experience things firsthand in order to learn my lessons. One thing that I've struggled though and know would make my life much easier, would be taking the time to really get to know my services, what i offer, create good process explanations and contracts for my clients to be covered at all times. One of the things that can make a project wrong is bad communication and not being upfront with your client on what to expect from you, listing all the steps.
How had your life in Greece affected you as a designer? We all know that Greece is having a hard time nowadays, but on the other hand you have the opportunity to live in a magical place. How do you deal with that situation in Greece?
Back when I was starting freelancing / teaching myself how to be a designer, things were definitely difficult. My husband and I had gone through a couple of rough years before I managed to establish myself as a designer. With the social media and blog, I'm extremely lucky to be working with people from all around the world, which is something I prefer. As a result I could be working from any place of the earth and still be happy.
And lastly, if you had to choose on mantra / quote to follow you for the rest of your life, what would it be?