Wendy Rosales

From a fan to a graphic designer Nina Tritschler from Freiburg, Germany, shows that anything is possible as long as you follow your passion.

Take us back to when did you start experimenting with art? Do you remember when the creative journey began?

I’ve always been drawing since I was a little kid – art has been the one constant thing I never got tired of and stuck to over all these years. I finished my training as a Graphic Designer back in 2017 but funnily enough, I was way more interested to go into Illustration, especially for Children’s Books. (For context; I actually didn’t do my Graphic Design training to be a Designer, I mostly did it because I desperately wanted to do something creative and Design sounded like the best choice) Being a children's book Illustrator is sadly very difficult and I quickly lost motivation to pursue it – which was around the time a friend of mine suggested that I should try to do merchandise for bands and artists – and since music had always been such an important thing in my life, I was like ‘Why not?’ and I guess it just went on from there! I’m currently working on a few different commissions for some artists and bands which I’m very excited about! 

As an illustrator/ designer, how did you find a personal style that could be identifiable?

To be honest I feel like sometimes I still haven’t quite found it yet. But I’m definitely closer than I was a few years ago. I think I just tried out a lot of different things and everything somehow morphed into the style I have now! 

What are some of your favorite hobbies that influenced your work? 

I love going to concerts since music has always been such a big part of my life and the main reason why I started making merchandise. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for music and I’m so grateful to be able to work with some of my favorite artists. Apart from that, I love tattooing, reading, writing, and hanging out with friends. I enjoy going to the cinema and theater and I love traveling – exploring new cities and places are for sure one of my favorite things!

What’s something nobody knows about you that is essential to who you are?

I guess not many people know that I love writing stories, growing up I always wanted to be an author. I don't know if it’s something essential but I still love doing it to this day. Unfortunately, I’m even more critical with my writing than I am with my art which is the main reason why I hardly ever show it to anyone.

What drives and inspires you to continue creating?

Music, people around me, nature, other artists.

You have collaborated with some amazing artists, what are some artists you loved working with and why? 

I absolutely loved working with The Band CAMINO! Making zines has always been one of my favorite things to do and to be able to make one for one of my favorite bands was so special. Plus, the band and their team were all such a joy to work with and they were so appreciative of my work which made me very happy. Apart from that I also enjoyed designing merchandise for Counterfeit’s collaboration with CALM because I had to do so many different things which were both challenging and really fun! It was the biggest collection I had ever done so that was really special!

Where do you see yourself and your career in 10 years?

Honestly, I try not to think too much about the future since everything can change so quickly but hopefully in 10 years I’m still creating art and I’m happy and healthy and living somewhere near the ocean.

That would be the ultimate goal. 

For those wanting to start a creative career, what are some tips you have for them?

Just go for it, really! Try not to overthink every single thing. You don’t have to create art every single day of the week to be successful. Be patient. If you’re interested in working with bands/artists, reach out to them! I can’t preach this enough – so many amazing things have worked out for me because I was the first one to email them etc. Even if it seems daunting, it’s better to try than to just do nothing in the first place because you never know what might work out!

As an artist what do you hope to achieve with your art? 

Oh God. To hopefully inspire people, I guess?

It’s a new year. What goals do you hope to achieve in 2022?

My main goal is to quit my part-time job this year – obviously for that to happen I need more work as a designer so I hope this year will be the one for that to work out. I also want to get more into animation since it’s been something I always loved but never learned in my training. The same thing goes for tattooing – I really hope I can tattoo as many people as I can this year and I get better at it, alongside designing tattoos. 

What are some challenges you have faced in your career? and how have you learned from those obstacles?

I’ve had so many moments especially in the last two years where I truly wanted to quit everything because nothing seemed to work out. Every time I scrolled through social media I saw all these cool and amazing designers who seemed to have it all and here I was just getting absolutely nowhere. I still have a lot of self-doubts and still compare myself way too much to others but at the same time, I truly can’t think of anything else I would rather do instead. So I’ll just try to be patient with myself and remind myself that good things just take time.

Check out Nina’s work!
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