Artist Interview With Dania Reichmuth

Today’s Artist Interview Is With Dania Reichmuth from Winterthur, Switzerland

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
Dania: As far back as I can remember, I have been into some drawing, stenciling, faux painting. Furthermore, if you take being artistic in it’s broader sense, I have always worked my hands – ceramics, faux painting, music etc. – So, you could say that I have always had the creative bug.

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
Dania: I became interested in imaging back in 1987 when I began using a computer/projector to present my school work. I started scanning images and learned my way around the digital darkroom. I took an interest in photography in 1990. Thus, I was weaned on digital photography.
If there is any theme to my work, is that I tend to photograph living things. Nature is beautiful and I like to capture it. I specially enjoy macro photography, because you see what we ordinarily cannot. I also particularly enjoy portraiture. Photography fills a creative void for me. I have explored all kinds of creative arts over the years – piano, guitar, when I was young, oil painting, ceramic studio owner, these things have gone with me through life and all hold a special place for me. But still, they don’t quite touch that part of me that wants to ‘draw’ the real world as I see it around me.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
Dania: The most important part of making a living with my artwork is perseverance and hard work I think. I’ve managed to make a living through my art for the past 15 years. Being an artist is work. Joyful work to be sure, but work just the same. When things are really slow I do portraits and commissions instead of my own stuff. Its all art to me.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
Dania: I regularly put in 8-10 hours a day working with projects and then spend the rest of the time on more training, marketing and networking to get more clients.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
Dania: Photography has been part of my life since I can remember. I find myself fascinated by mixed media at present. There’s something raw and powerful about mixed media, well, art in general, really! I’m also a digital artist, and while a lot of people look down on that as a medium, I feel that it’s definitely its own art form. It’s a completely different skill set, and you can accomplish some amazing things with it. I think its best and worst feature is the way you don’t have to commit to anything. I can change any part of an image months after I thought I was done with it, and don’t have to worry about ruining it. That’s great for my sanity, but I think it takes away some of the courage of conviction it takes to be an artist sometimes.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
Dania: I get inspiration everywhere! When I prepare my creative space, I consider things that makes me feel creative. I need soft music or absolute quiet. It has been shown that flowers and plants can increase productivity. So I always keep fresh flowers in the studio….The point here is that being creative is difficult enough at times, by optimizing your workspace you can eliminate lots of distractions. Creativity is always very personal and can easily come to a grinding halt under pressure. I get inspired by many things around me, anything that appeals to my senses, becomes my subject!! I don’t just go out looking for pretty pictures – I search for patterns that repeat, for flowing movement, for undercurrents that subtly define a subject. I look for shadows and reflections, and contrasts, and interesting juxtapositions.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
Dania: Write in my Journal. Keeps my thoughts and emotions recorded, just in case I didn’t have an intellectual “adult” to have a conversation with that day; to have an opportunity to keep my “big words” afresh and to have something to remind and encourage me that I am doing great! I re-charge now with quiet. I usually start my day at 6am with meditations, exercise and get in the mood for my work.. Quiet candles, simple music, looking outside at nature, very zen-like, that is my re-charge now.

Whopple: What was your first job?
Dania: Retail sales, Designer’s assistant. I was working towards my Interior Design degree at the time, great experience..

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when you are creating?
Dania: Müesli, sometimes a nice and delicious Swiss chocolate!

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?
Dania: Knowing I can make a difference gives me hope..what encourages me to go on is also the satisfaction and sense of well being derived from spreading kindness and love…Everything, music, photography, painting sculpting
all kinds of art for some reason gives me hope.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
Dania: I absolutely love all that I am doing, I hate not having enough time to do all the things I want in my photography career. I hate not chasing my dreams so I wish I can have all the time to do the things I want…. I will work on getting the right ones and work on new material, planning, artwork, website, make new friends on social networks,etc. I look at it as one big circle, things in motion stay in motion (I’ve decided to focus my time on only doing those things I love.)

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?
Dania: To set and reach your artistic goals you really need to stick to them. In other words, persevere. Continue with my photography, showing my art and finding more venues, travelling if possible to photo art shows, selling my photography through different outlets. Continue also with more training, seminars, classes and workshops.

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?
Dania: Oh so many great moments recently….The art market has become much, much more global than it was 20 years ago, but whenever I sell something truly unique, it’s something exciting…..

To See More Of Dania Reichmuth’s Artwork Please Visit The Following:

http://www.daniareichmuth.com