Interview With Eugenia Tsimiklis

I've recently become a convert to Myspace (as usual, hopping on the bandwagon when it has already just about passed over the horizon!) Anyway, I've found it an interesting source for creative people demonstrating their talents, some of them have even been kind enough to answer a few questions I've thrown at them out of the blue, and let me transcribe their responses right here on the little 'ol blog of mine.

First victim is Adelaide Illustrator/Designer Eugenia Tsimiklis. I was really impressed with her beautiful sinuous illustrations and pattern work on her attractive Myspace page (making your Myspace page look hald decent is a task in itself!) Eugenia graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Communications (Graphic Design and Illustration) and moved to London from Australia in 2001. After working as a Graphic Designer in an Architectural firm, she then turned her hand to fashion textiles. As a textile designer for womenswear her textile designs have been seen on a large variety of labels from high end designer labels right through to high street labels. She worked for a London studio initially and is now freelancing as a textile designer and illustrator.

She has worked on a variety of fashion graphics projects for 33south, FATAIM and theworldchico. In addition her illustrations have been featured on the cover and several issues of The Big Issue, The Sunday Telegraph magazine, Beautiful Decay, neomu, Noise, etisoppo, pagesonline, Moody Buddha, in an exhibition at the Australian National Gallery and on a Channel 4 documentary, The Thin Club.

Chris Bowden: When did you first decide to become a designer. Was there the proverbial 'pivotal moment'?

Eugenia Tsimiklis: Drawing and creating images are the things I'm most passionate about. I love patterns, decoration and colour. My way of working is at odds with most of the things I was taught at University, so it was only when I was approached to do freelance projects that I realised that there was a market for what I do. When I started working as a textile designer in London is when I became confident in my ability to be commercial as a designer.

CB: Who are what inspires you at the moment?

ET: I find travelling and leaving my comfort zone and being in a bustling city gives me a different perspective.

CB: Which of the projects that you have worked on in the past are you most proud of and why?

ET: Four portraits of girls with anorexia for a documentary screened on Channel 4 in the UK called The Thin Club.

CB: What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

ET: Try not to take rejection personally and stay optimistic.

CB: How do you approach a new project? How do you overcome the 'dreaded blank page'?

ET: I look through as much visual material as I can, from a variety of sources, then incorporate small aspects of what I consider successful design with the image I have in my head, to make it my own.

CB: What are some of the unique challenges you've come up against plying your craft in a small town like Adelaide (and finding work!) ?

ET: I think the biggest challenge is coming up against the lack of industry and resources to do something that is frivolous and fashion oriented.

CB: What project and, or client that you haven't worked on would you love to (go to town, think of this as your ultimate 'fantasy assignment :)

ET: I'd like to work for a label that I love and be sent on global assignments as 'inspiration trips' every season to source what people are wearing in different parts of the world and report back and base my collections on my finds. (This is a reference to a job I had an interview for and didnt land when I was in London. No, I'm still not over it.)

CB: What music have you been listening to lately

ET: The Pre-sets. I drive my husband mad by listening to the same cd's over and over. Repetition is a good thing. I design patterns afterall.

I always find it interesting the places a degree in Visual Communication can take you beyound the obvious 9 to five at a design firm, as Eugenia ably demonstrates with her work .Thanks once again to Eugenia for her time, you can see more of her work at her website here.