Hello dear friends,
Today I'll introduce Daniel Berger. A 22 year old artist from Edinburgh, Scotland.
In his own words,'' I have been doing digital art and design for roughly 2 years now whilst working through college. I work under the brand name “Daniel Berger Design” as a self-employed artist.''
A small interview with Daniel, where he shares his views about his life as a digital artist, his dreams, his work place, and the greatest inspiration of his life--- his girlfriend !!
Happy reading !
How would you describe yourself?
Describing myself is hard without showing a divide between personal and professional life. Outside of ‘design’ I am laid back and tend not to take life too serious, but when it comes to creating work I become very focused and almost overly critical about things until it meets my standards.
What do you like to do when you are not designing?
When I’m not working, life goes on as normal. Spending time with my girlfriend, going out with friends, making my way through reading Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” series (which I highly recommend) and catching up on TV and movies when I have the time. Other than that, my mind is almost always switched on to ‘creative mode’ and I find myself making mental notes for inspiration everywhere I go. If it wasn’t for the risk of looking slightly mad I would most likely carry a giant notepad around to jot down idea’s 24/7.
Describe your style?
So far I don’t think I could choose one certain style to describe my art yet. I feel like I am still finding my feet and exploring new and different ways to create and express my art. There are a few unique styles like my “paint splatter characters” and my “Disney line art” creations that I feel proud to call my own and become a brand name style in the future.
What’s your favourite colour?
I like working with all colours but for a favourite, I would have to go for the classic boy answer and say blue.
Tell us about your first collection (what was the idea behind that theme…) and your first show?
My first collection was my Rugby collection I created for my local rugby team as part of a college project. The thought behind this was to create a set of digital images that will match the main themes behind the sport and the rugby team like ‘fast, explosive, creative etc’. Also the set of four images that I had chosen represent four main parts of the game: running, kicking, tackle and line-out. I was excited to find out that this design was chosen to be exhibited as part of a showcase at college and has been adopted by Leith RFC as promotional and decorative additions to the clubhouse.
When did you get the idea that ‘designing’ was the thing that you love?
The last 3 years of my life have been dedicated to studying at college to further my knowledge and gain experience within the industry. Designing and creating has always been part of my school life, including getting in trouble for drawing in both mine and other peoples school books, and I feel I have discovered a great way through digital art to express myself and indulge in a past time I enjoy that hopefully by sharing with other people they can enjoy it too.
Anything you want to share to your readers about setting up his-her own business?
I don’t feel in much of a position to give great advice because I have still new to this myself but the one thing I have learnt so far is to expand as much as possible. Speaking to people in the same line of work, even a brief “Hi, I like your work” can be the start of a great back and forth of knowledge and tips to help you out. Joining online communities and making friends help so much.
Who is your dream client? Is there anyone ‘special’ for whom you would like to design?
As I am still starting out in this industry, anyone and everyone is a dream client as it gives me a chance to grow and develop myself as I accept new challenges. If my previous work is anything to go by, I would love to use my design/style to create movie posters for great companies such as Universal, Warner Brothers, Dream Works, 20th Century Fox etc. For now my dreams reach only a local level but with events such as The Edinburgh Film Festival and The Edinburgh Fringe coming up, I hope to reach out to new clients and gain experience with local and brand names in the industries.
Tell us a bit about your biggest challenge in your career, and the way you handled it?
I have not come across many mile stone problems so far other than the constant battle of trying to build a steady fan base. I know it is a slow process so I won’t fill this space with a rant and moan about it, the frustrations of growing and expanding my audience are heavily outnumbered by the enjoyment of designing so there’s no giving up just yet!
Your greatest inspiration is?
The greatest drive behind my creative side and perhaps most of my will power comes from my girlfriend and her ability to get me motivated and support for when I am being too critical over things. The inspiration for work in general comes from everyday life and random idea’s striking at any time.
How would you describe your work place?
For a long time my work station consisted of me in bed while on the laptop which as comfortable as it was, it wasn't great for productivity so I decided to get serious and sort out a section of my room now named ‘the office’. With help from friends I managed to scrap together a second hand computer desk and a filing cabinet to get organised. The dream would be to have a designated room as an office with a great big desk and window view of something more interesting than the flats opposite like I have just now.
Where can people contact you?
At the moment, my Facebook page is my main point of contact until I create my own website but it is a good place to start and grow.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielBergerDesign
Twitter: @DanielBerger90
Society6: http://society6.com/DanielBergerDesign
---------------------
Totally enjoyed reading about Daniel... I loved his work place very much because I too started my career like this--- on the bed, kitchen tops ( while cooking !), and sometimes in the balcony... Now I can say that at least I have a proper working area (my dining table)... but that's OK. With sketchbooks and laptop, I think every place is a nice work place ! Agree ...?
See you all very soon !
