Duration: Five years.

Location: I rent an apartment in Hamburg, Germany, but I’ve spent most of the last year traveling in Alaska, Austria, France, India, Italy and all throughout Germany. My next destination will likely be Panama.

Education: BA in graphic design and illustration from Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm (Nuremberg Institute of Technology,) in Nuremberg, Germany and an MA in illustration from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, in Hamburg, Germany.

Career path: I’ve always loved to draw and create worlds where humans, flora and fauna interact. I intensely pursued this playful approach to my work during my BA studies in Nuremberg, and because of those personal illustrations, I was commissioned by my first client, ZEITmagazin. After that, my career in editorial illustration began, and I developed a broader spectrum of theme in my work.

Artistic influences: Nature and my travels. Whether it’s seeing the colorful visuals of India or wandering through the lushness of Alaska, traveling sparks my desire to create and to explore the diverse directions of my realms of creativity. I also find great inspiration in literature, from writers like Philip K. Dick, Mary Oliver and Lidia Yuknavitch, and in movies, from filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Jim Jarmusch and Yorgos Lanthimos.

Favorite projects: Surreal Dreams for ZEITmagazin. It was my first commission for a magazine and also the first time I worked on more complex images. I still like these illustrations, which is rare because I’m very critical of my own work once I’m done with a job.

Work environment: Due to traveling, my work environment changes all the time. In India, I had a little desk in my room at a yoga ashram. In Alaska, I either worked at the dining table a few times in the home of a filmmaker and her fisherman husband, or in a little wooden cabin in the forest. In my apartment in Hamburg, I have a nice little workplace with a lot of natural light in the room where all my books are stored.

Approach: My illustrations depict an emotional atmosphere through the colors and compositions rather than an idea that is right in your face. My work is often very dreamlike and sensual.

Aspirations: There are many beautiful and interesting publications, and I’m always happy to collaborate with art directors I haven’t worked with yet. Besides that, I’m living my dream life, and I just want it to go on like this. Maybe I will teach at some point.

Philosophy: Don’t overwork. Take breaks. Go outside and explore so that inspiration can pour in. If I sit in front of my computer all the time, it just drains me. At the same time, I always try to be critical, try new directions and improve with every image I work on.