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Featured Artist Interview-Susie Ghahremani
BY
Gwen
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Giant Robot's latest queen of "art, craft, music and being nice" lives up to her name by responding to our interview questions after being rudely awoken from a nightmare. What's scary to imagine, apart from the nightmare, is the amount of natural talent and potential that this painter/illustrator/musician/retailer has within her, coupled with a down-to-earth demeanor and keenness to widen her design lexicon with every project she does. She counts The New York Times, Nickelodeon Magazine, The Washington Post, Shape Magazine, Utne Reader as some of her more illustrious clients, and is a consummate in various states in the US as well as England. The multiple award-winning illustrator of Middle Eastern descent reckons her Mid-West upbringing has brought about interesting contrasts in her life and career, and while her success may have propelled her into the public's interest, she takes everything in stride with the languid ease of an often used mantra: "Everything happens for a reason."
TAXI>> Hi Susie. Congratulations on being awarded the Giant Robot's Fine Artist award in 2006.
Susie Ghahremani >> Thank you!
TAXI>> You sound really young so I was really impressed to find a partial client list already as long as my arm. How did you get to that level of exposure where everyone from The New York Times to Punk Planet wants a piece of boygirlparty?
Susie Ghahremani >> I'm somewhere between art and illustration and craft, so it's cool to get such a mix of clients - probably some of my exposure comes from pulling from all those different artistic directions. The rest of it comes from hard work, persistence and luck!
TAXI>> I really love Snoozer's "Winterclothes" and "Two weeks' notice", and the way you guys modestly described yourselves as "lots of girls that sound exactly the same". How do you juggle your illustration commitments with your music making? Or do they play off each other's energies?
Susie Ghahremani >> Snoozer is a solo project - it's just me! So, yeah, it is lots of girls that sound exactly the same, because we are the same girl! I have to admit that it's very difficult to juggle my art commitments with music making, and the result has been that I've been pretty unproductive musically lately. Sometimes I feel incredibly burned out creatively, and it's hard to even think about anything to write a song about besides how tired I am. But I'm working on assembling a recording studio in our house and I hope to be able to escape to it more frequently and leisurely.
TAXI>> I read somewhere that the human brain was wired to master no more than 1 language. There seems to be a very strong connection with your illustrations, music and art. Do you think in "music", "illustration" or "art"? Which is your first love?
Susie Ghahremani >> This is an interesting philosophy. However, I can't imagine doing anything musical that wasn't just a little bit artistic, or anything artistic that wasn't just a little bit musical! Art and music both have been such a huge part of my life from the start. I don't think I'm a master in either of these areas though. I hope to be, someday!
TAXI>> How big a part does your heritage play in influencing or giving you inspiration for your work?
Susie Ghahremani >> My parents are both middle eastern but I was raised in the midwest of the U.S. which made for an interesting dichotomy of cultures in my upbringing. But I do think my heritage influences my work quite a bit; the scale and level of detail is probably subconsciously influenced by the art I grew up around in our home, and a lot of my imagery references my nostalgia in some way or another.
TAXI>> What do you think is the biggest praise someone has ever given you about your work?
Susie Ghahremani >> Giant Robot's award was the biggest praise! They called me "the queen of art, craft, music and being nice!" I still feel incredibly honored.
TAXI>> Your illustrations are very simple and clean shapes, and a very pleasant feel to it. What was your first thought when you begin the creative process?
Susie Ghahremani >> Thank you! In my personal work, I think about color first and foremost. I'll begin mixing a paint, doing an undercoat, and it can bring out the image from working on the color palette. In my commercial work, I try to solve a problem; I like puzzles a lot, so I try to think of the most effective image I can in my visual vocabulary that solves the missing piece to an article, book, album cover, etc.
TAXI>> It's been great talking to you Susie. Before we end, tell us a place that you want a taxi to bring you to right now.
Susie Ghahremani >> Take me back to sleep! It's just after 5:00 AM now, I woke up too early from a bad dream.
© 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
TAXI>> Hi Susie. Congratulations on being awarded the Giant Robot's Fine Artist award in 2006.
Susie Ghahremani >> Thank you!
TAXI>> You sound really young so I was really impressed to find a partial client list already as long as my arm. How did you get to that level of exposure where everyone from The New York Times to Punk Planet wants a piece of boygirlparty?
Susie Ghahremani >> I'm somewhere between art and illustration and craft, so it's cool to get such a mix of clients - probably some of my exposure comes from pulling from all those different artistic directions. The rest of it comes from hard work, persistence and luck!
TAXI>> I really love Snoozer's "Winterclothes" and "Two weeks' notice", and the way you guys modestly described yourselves as "lots of girls that sound exactly the same". How do you juggle your illustration commitments with your music making? Or do they play off each other's energies?
Susie Ghahremani >> Snoozer is a solo project - it's just me! So, yeah, it is lots of girls that sound exactly the same, because we are the same girl! I have to admit that it's very difficult to juggle my art commitments with music making, and the result has been that I've been pretty unproductive musically lately. Sometimes I feel incredibly burned out creatively, and it's hard to even think about anything to write a song about besides how tired I am. But I'm working on assembling a recording studio in our house and I hope to be able to escape to it more frequently and leisurely.
TAXI>> I read somewhere that the human brain was wired to master no more than 1 language. There seems to be a very strong connection with your illustrations, music and art. Do you think in "music", "illustration" or "art"? Which is your first love?
Susie Ghahremani >> This is an interesting philosophy. However, I can't imagine doing anything musical that wasn't just a little bit artistic, or anything artistic that wasn't just a little bit musical! Art and music both have been such a huge part of my life from the start. I don't think I'm a master in either of these areas though. I hope to be, someday!
TAXI>> How big a part does your heritage play in influencing or giving you inspiration for your work?
Susie Ghahremani >> My parents are both middle eastern but I was raised in the midwest of the U.S. which made for an interesting dichotomy of cultures in my upbringing. But I do think my heritage influences my work quite a bit; the scale and level of detail is probably subconsciously influenced by the art I grew up around in our home, and a lot of my imagery references my nostalgia in some way or another.
TAXI>> What do you think is the biggest praise someone has ever given you about your work?
Susie Ghahremani >> Giant Robot's award was the biggest praise! They called me "the queen of art, craft, music and being nice!" I still feel incredibly honored.
TAXI>> Your illustrations are very simple and clean shapes, and a very pleasant feel to it. What was your first thought when you begin the creative process?
Susie Ghahremani >> Thank you! In my personal work, I think about color first and foremost. I'll begin mixing a paint, doing an undercoat, and it can bring out the image from working on the color palette. In my commercial work, I try to solve a problem; I like puzzles a lot, so I try to think of the most effective image I can in my visual vocabulary that solves the missing piece to an article, book, album cover, etc.
TAXI>> It's been great talking to you Susie. Before we end, tell us a place that you want a taxi to bring you to right now.
Susie Ghahremani >> Take me back to sleep! It's just after 5:00 AM now, I woke up too early from a bad dream.
© 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.