@friederikehantel

Instagram: @friederikehantel Website: www.friederikehantel.de  

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

Hello, I grew up in a small town in Germany near the Netherlands called Xanten. Very historical city by the way. after that I started studying Communication Design in Düsseldorf. Now I am still doing my masters in illustration in Hamburg where I also got the possibility to teach, which was fun! I promise this year im going to finish my masters!

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

When I was small, I used to watch 'Dragon Ball' secretly, especially when I was home alone. I guess it was here that I found my interest for Japanese aesthetics. I really enjoyed the humor of Akira Toriyama.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

I am the most impatient person on earth, and in the beginning I thought im going to do animation. So currently I enjoy working digitally with a tablet, because its easy, quick and I can work from anywhere.

4. What is your artistic process like?

At the moment when I draw, its commissioned. I can’t remember but often it starts like a rush or sometimes with mediation. I trained myself to get very quick to a point from where I can relax and make things look nice. Im not always aware about what's going on.. but I really have to surround myself with stuff I enjoy like listening to nice music, drinking coffee, being in the right mood.. and my desk has to be clean! This short nice-stress-workaround makes it not easy to start a project for myself, I often get lost, because I don’t have a focus or deadline ...

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

Almost everything.. Sounds weird but I really like all forms of art and beauty, from all eras of time. I try to combine different aesthetic influences to create something new, some old mixed up with some contemporary stuff. I like pop, I like nature.. everything which i catch up with my sense inspires me in some way. Im like a sponge.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

I needed some time to understand art in general..haha yes its true. I think art will be always highly important, because it is. At the same time it reflects our culture and hopefully its free. It shares the artist’s view on our period, the society and of course it inspires! I think I started art to understand my being. For me, art is a process of understanding, reflecting and learning about life in general and the results, I try to share with my images.

7. Where did you study?

FH Düsseldorf, HAW Hamburg

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I wish, I can make a comfortable living based on illustration/art and maybe yoga too. Travel, meeting interesting people, see different places, being happy and thankful for this free-lifestyle.

9. What about in ten?

I don’t know.. happy?!!! Healthy and surrounded by people I love.

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

Good vibrations, haha. Mindfulness, money, fame. :D Getting out of my comfort zone. connect with other artists/people... and make them think.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

Spinach with potato and eggs.

12. Favourite book?

I really like dürrenmatt, schnitzler, gogol, at the moment I'm reading a lot of yogananda.

13. Favourite genre of music?

It depends on my mood, the place, the people: jazz, blues, pop, classic, hip hop. As a kid, I was a really big fan of the hip hop group Die Antwoord.

14. What are your hobbies?

I decided to make my hobby a living, which is not always super easy. I started practicing yoga and mediation a lot to calm my occasional illustration-panic-mind and recharge myself.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

When I was young, I wanted to be an archeologist - travel and having adventure-times, learning about old civilizations, solving mysteries. For the moment I enjoy Indiana Jones and im fine with it too.