SOULBASE Talk:
Helena Ravenne
Clear lines and colors that brighten your day are signature elements of the style of Helena Ravenne, a Hamburg-based illustrator and graphic designer who works with magazines and brands. She shares her vision when she works on new projects, what she would like to be asked more often and her thoughts on financial freedom as an artist and freelancer.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would be something else you could have imagined studying or another field you could imagine working in?
I think I would have been a primary school art teacher. I love children and notice how fulfilling it is to spend time with them (and of course with my daughter). Children + creative work: that would also make me happy.
You work mostly with brands and magazines. What is your overall vision when working on a design for a publication?
Design is the way I visualize and sort my thoughts and desires. I would say my designs are thoughts in pictures. I often feel like a kind of interpreter for visual language. This is also the case in projects with clients. The client has a thought or idea that they entrust me with, and I try to translate it into something visible. As the saying goes: “a picture is worth a thousand words.”I have a creative bucket list for the next 100 years. I am always open and interested in working with new clients and working with mediums that are new to me. When you are in between projects, how do you keep inspired? Do you use sketchbooks or do you like to decompress from work completely?
I rarely run out of inspiration. I love Pinterest or a stroll through the bookstore, and I save spontaneous ideas in my mobile phone. Sketchbooks are unfortunately not for me, even though I love the idea of always having one with me. In reality, however, it doesn't work for me.Helena, we recently stumbled upon your minimalistic and colorful illustrations. Can you share with us where you are based and tell us more about what your focus is in graphic design and illustration?
I’m Helena Ravenne, an interdisciplinary illustrator and designer living in Hamburg Germany.
Did you always have a passion for graphic design and illustration?
I have always been interested in beautiful design, and it became clearer and clearer during my school career the direction my path would take. Eventually I started studying illustration and design in Nuremberg, Germany, where I graduated with a Bachelors in illustration and design.
What would you like to be asked more often?
“May I help you?” As a mother with a young child in a big city, I notice how the willingness to help is becoming less and less... maybe that's also because of Hamburg. But unfortunately, in everyday situations, I notice how everyone is in their own world and lacks an eye for their fellow human beings. That's why I try to ask once too often if I can help. I find it a beautiful question that connects.
In a professional context. I would like to have more exchanges with fellow creatives in general and share the joyful and rollercoaster moments, inspiring each other and cheering each other on to create a deeper feeling of community in the creative world.
You are a mother. What things are you passionate about that you try to make time for in between working and parenthood?
During this time, I usually go to my favorite café and enjoy myself, meet my friends or relax with Yin Yoga. I also try to meditate regularly. What are your thoughts on things like being an artist and financial freedom?
I think often you have to choose uncertainty first if you want to reach financial freedom. As a freelancer, I would say it’s wise to approach the industry with an realistic view and surround yourself with other freelancers to exchange experiences and have people in your life as a resource. Freelancing means that you rely on commissions and proposals and don’t have the security of a monthly salary. You have to understand that there will be times that are uncertain and that you are your own security blanket. When I branched out on my own, I still had a side hustle in the corporate world and moved slowly into freelancing on my own terms. That supported my path to financial freedom. That's why I think both belong together, but it's sometimes a long journey. And we all have our own journey and make our own choices.What emotions do you envision when you create an illustration or design?
It depends on the subject and whether it is a free work or a commissioned work. For me, emotions and color are very connected. The use of color transports many emotions.
What are places that are always inspiring to you?
I love to visit new places and just create space for observation and reflection. One of my favorite places is Copenhagen. But I can also recharge and find inspiration during a stroll through the city or a visit to the park. My inspiration is daily life, with its ups and downs and the big questions that inevitably arise if you only dare to look beyond your own little nose. It is all of these larger and smaller questions that occupy my mind, that I try to work into my artistic activity and translate into a visual language. To a certain extent, art represents my answers and thoughts.@helenaravennehelenaravenne.com