Hi Magnolia, it’s great to talk to you! First of all, could you introduce yourself to our readers? Who are you, where do you come from, where do you live now? Tell us a little bit about your personal background!
Hello, This is Magnolia. I am Persian (Iranian) and currently I am living in Turkey, Istanbul. I have been a freelance graphic designer for more than 13 years and I was living in Tehran-Iran but because of these sanctions I decided to move to turkey 5 years ago and here I am still doing my favorite job.
You’re an Art Director and Senior Graphic Designer – When did you know you wanted to do something creative as a profession?
When I was a little kid, I always occupied myself with drawing and painting. After high school I knew I wanted to be an artist and I got my degree in Graphic Design.
A closer look at your IG feed confirms that you can be creative with everything! Do your ideas just pop up when you look at things or do you think about a theme first and look for the objects afterwards?
Ideas come to my mind in different situations. Sometimes when I look at an object, I try to look at it from different angles or I try to compare that object to other objects.
Sometimes there is a topic that I want to make a creative design about. At that time, I just think about how I can bring it to a creative state and language and show it to my audiences. In this case social causes are my favorite topics to work on. Especially “Woman Empowerment” and environmental topics.
Sometimes, I am inspired by other artists. It makes me create different artworks.
You also seem to love working with eggs! What do you like most about that? Are eggs also your favourite food?
Because of the internal and external shape of the egg, in my opinion, infinite pictures can be drawn. None of which are similar to the other.
Even with eggs, you can make endless different breakfasts and meals. That's why I do creative things with eggs in both design and breakfast (laughs).
Where do you find your inspiration and why?
Sometimes when I wash fruits and vegetables, the shape of them gives me inspiration.
Sometimes one social cause inspires me to make a different design.
The reason for these designs is that I want to show people that you can see objects differently. I even had a "Creative Mondays" project on Instagram to encourage people to see differently. In the highlights, you can see some of the designs.
Tell us a bit about your creation process! How do you assemble your pictures and how do you edit them?
First, it starts with photography, or by seeing a photo on websites. Then I try to see something else in the photo and then I start to paint on the photo.
When and why did you start sharing your work on Instagram?
When I started working, I realized that the illustrations that I like to do on a daily basis are sometimes not accepted by my clients.
After getting to know Instagram, I realized that different designers share their illustrations there. Since then, I started publishing the illustrations that I always wanted to do in my life on Instagram.
Do you have a favorite picture you have created? Can you tell us the story behind it?
It is difficult for me to choose one of the designs.
But I think the posts about “not using plastics” are my favorite. I used the photo combo technique. I tried to attract people's attention to this social cause by showing the image differently.
And the other one is the “animEGG” series. These animals and bugs don’t like their colors anymore, so they turned to white and transferred their color to the floor and became an EGG.
How do you feel about your Instagram community? Do they help you develop your style and find new ideas?
I genuinely love my followers on Instagram since I owe a lot to them. Many people from my early days are still there, and it seems as though you have known each other for a very long time in real life. Some people you actually got to know and like in person, so you meet, speak on the phone, stay in touch, and arrange for future get-togethers. That's lovely!
Can you name some of your favourite Instagrammers that inspire you?
There are so many instagrammers which I admire. I only will mention some of them here: @cintascotch , @combophoto , @jaimesanchezart , @paulfuentes_design and so many more!
Do you like writing and receiving postcards? Do you have a favourite postcard you have ever received?
To be honest, I really like to send or receive postcards and I don’t receive any unfortunately. But I only send postcards during vacation these days.
Did you know Pickmotion before we started collaborating?
Before you guys got in touch, I was unaware of Pickmotion. So far, it's been an amazing experience working together!
Finally, would you like to share a little story or anecdote with us? Feel free to tell us anything!
As an artist, I always like to make my audience laugh with my designs. I am happy that through this platform I can spread that laughter all over the world. So if you want to smile a little bit, you can visit my page!
P.S. : WOMAN-LIFE-FREEDOM
ZG-1186-EN , MM-1291-EN, MM-1378-EN
Many designs by @magn0liaa can be also found on our Postcards and Magnets! Feel free to take a look at your local retailers to find your favourite PICKMOTION products and brighten your day with Magnolias creations!
