Photo shooting and interviewing a Spanish diva,
Irene Vidal, who happened to live in Copenhagen.
What brought you to Denmark?
I had always wanted to have an international experience. I visited Copenhagen two years ago, and it really shocked me. I felt that the city was completely different from others, and I loved many of its values, like its relaxed atmosphere and green areas, ubiquitous Nordic design, the fact that bikes are prioritize over cars, and the way how Danish enjoy their free time... Last summer I had the feeling that I have to go back to discover more about this culture. And then an opportunity came and I moved here.
When did you start drawing?
Like most of us, I started drawing when I was child and went to school. I used to design characters with quirky clothes and create short graphic stories that began with a simple dot. Some of these drawings are awful, haha.... :), but I still keep them.
However, I had stopped drawing for several years because I was very busy working and felt that I had no time for this minor thing. Eventually, I returned to it. It is my “happiness therapy”. Illustration relaxes me, makes me happy and makes me listening to myself... and these are not minor things. So now, I try to save some daily time to draw. Simply said drawing means to me the same as for example practising yoga or watching football means to other people.
What are you currently working on? Any interesting project?
I have different projects in mind. I moved from Barcelona to Copenhagen few months ago, so I am experiencing all sort of situations. New places, new people, new weather, new culture and so on. I feel like I am turning this into visual stuff, such as illustrations, collages, and digital designs. These days, I am playing with different type of materials, pencils, watercolours... My after summer goal is to leave my comfort area, get my hands dirty and see how far I can go with new techniques.
Where does your creative inspiration come from?
Inspiration can come to you, but many times you must go out to look for it. I have noticed that inspiration is coming to me when I make changes in my life. With changes I mean both things like finding a new working space in a new good café where you can enjoy endless breakfasts, discovering a park, or experiencing more transcendental feelings like newness, unexpectedness, the sense of danger... These experience make me sit at the table and draw for hours. I also find children really inspiring, especially, their innocence and creativity and the way how they express themselves and how they move.