There was never a plan. At the time I was pretty loose and up for anything. My mother had died, and I had left home at the age of 17. The world was my oyster I thought, so why not. The Au-pair experience was awful to say the least, but I fell in love and stayed. Broke up, moved out, made friends, built a new life and now I’m here. It means every- thing to me and I have found the best people in the world.
I’m not in love with the city but I’m in love with what I have here, and I do miss the buzz and the lights and the pace whenever I fly away. I have grown used to it and it makes me miss nature. You know, I like being melancholic. This gives me a reason to be and a reason to dream and to draw.
Do you find that other things inspire you in an urban environment compared to a natural one? Or does focusing on ‘mother nature’ provide respite from the often op- pressive London environment? This leads nicely on from the previous ques- tion. I think living in an urban environment enhances my longing for space and nature extremely. I dream and crave green and space and quiet moments and the beautiful creatures that live in the world. Maybe it is better to live in the city because otherwise the longing would be fulfilled. I notice little things much more here. Funny looking dogs and cats I meet in the streets at night. I stop and talk to them - I don’t really care if anyone declares me as mad. I try and look up when I’m on the bus. If you look up you see nice things. Try it.
Often inspiration here comes from simply watching people, and conversations that I have with strangers and friends. It’s nice to playfully explain ideas and joke about things and sometimes the best ideas grow out of that.
Drawing is my escape. It’s when I’m most cen- tered and calm and with myself. When I lived in the countryside I always had that special retreat inside me, but now I have to nurture it. Rushing is no good it just makes you ill and mean. Work part time if you can afford it!
You have a very distinctive style – how did you develop this?
Style... now that is a word. I studied but style develops over years and by experimenting. It’s not something you learn. You try and try and then you find a way of working that is fun, fair on your time and flexible, then you work that way for a while. The best things happen through accidents you have. I love using collage mixed with hand drawn elements and collecting textures and papers or painting them myself.
I know that style today is part of your so called ‘branding’. That makes me sad. I’d like to change again… stagnating is like stopping to breathe. Let’s just see what those papers and pens have in store for me!
From looking at your work, I get the feeling you are a very happy, fun-loving and liber- ated person! Would you say this is true? If you don’t know me well, yes absolutely! Most people perceive me as bright, happy, bubbly, and as a fun-loving extrovert, but like any other human being there are many sides to me. I’m very thoughtful, analytical, melancholic, neurotic and love being sad. Not so much any more but I used to be. Loads of things have happened to me that aren’t easy to digest but I’m working on it.
My life now is rich and full of love and great friends and stories. It can carry any load for- ward and turn it into something productive rather than destructive. The older I get the more comfortable I am with who and how I am, but let’s not go too deep here. I try and
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put my emotions into my imagery and if it moves you then I’m happy.
What is your favourite time of year? Autumn and that one day of snow we have in London each year.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Sweden or Norway.
I would live in a little red wooden house next to a beautiful fjord.
There would be dark green hills in the dis- tance and I would have a little pier with a rowing boat, a well outside the house and the sun would be shining through the trees. I’d probably have two or more dogs. A pony, a donkey… some cats. I might have children there one day and I’d have enough money to invite my friends from all over the world to my house whenever they have time and want to come. I’ll be making my living as an illustra- tor and occasionally flying places for meet- ings. Yes, that would be nice!
What makes you giggle most! Stupid words from Nick and Liz and funny looks from my cat Little Crumb.
And finally, how would you sum up your work in five words? Let’s leave that up to Illustration Rally (
illustrationrally.blogspot.com) who put it so nicely in their little feature: ‘stunning, observed, mysterious, elegant composition, strong and subtle’.
SEE MORE:
www.sandradieckmann.com sandradieckmann.blogspot.com @sandradieckmann
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