Interview with Miriam Trilety
Miriam Trilety is an artist, illustrator and psychotherapist. This diverse background merges in an extraordinary approach to arts and design, as her work shows a slightly odd habit of constantly…
Designer of the Day Interview
19 May 2019
While studying philosophy I began to work on illustrations that originated in the philosophical lectures that I heard at the time. Both of my parents are academic philosophers. My father was a professor in theoretical physics, thus I came in touch with a humanistic environment at a young age. I was confronted early in life with philosophical, artistic and political issues. As part of my training as a graphic designer at Die Graphische (Graphic Design School) from 2002 till 2005 in Vienna, I was able to gradually test my technical skills and develop a certain personal style. Afterwards, I decided to train as a psychotherapist, where a creative approach has a strong influence on my therapeutic activity. I mainly work as a freelance graphic designer and an artist. However, I also completed remittance work for the University of Vienna, die Austrian Academy of Sciences, .akut Verein für Ästhetik und angewandte Kulturtheorie and the Zeichenfabrik Vienna.
To me, it is a way to personally process impressions of life and to critically and creatively deal with the world. In addition, I experience this kind of expression as a way to leave something in the world that does not reduce to purely genetic reproduction. I have always considered it important to make a choice on a voluntary basis, and that is what I did in becoming a graphic designer. I already felt the desire to express myself artistically as a student. To me, it was a kind of inner need to express myself artistically. I was aware from the beginning that I did not want to make a living as an ordinary commercial artist, as the freedom of creative expression was too important to me. As I did not have to earn money from the graphic design due to other career options (psychotherapy), I always had the choice to illustrate what I liked best and had hardly any pressure to submit to market conditions.
Being able to embark on an inner design and change process, even if it means that the result of this process is not foreseeable. I often start my work without a specific goal and let the visual thinking process lead me to new designs. Only then will it become more concrete. Basically, this is a playful search process where my inner thoughts become visible to an outer audience in an illustration. In the beginning, I mainly worked with a pen and pencil, then started using Photoshop. Now I only work on the iPad Pro in Procreate. I have found the technique of my choice. However, I remember that I once wanted to take part in an illustration competition in Berlin. When I read the terms and conditions, it quickly became clear that only works on paper were accepted as originals, not digital illustrations. My illustrations were not even perceived as real graphics. Even prints on paper were rejected. I actually felt excluded as an illustrator.
This is very different. Usually I work on a motive without interruption until it is done. That may be a few minutes, or hours, sometimes, but rarely, a few days. My designs are more eruptive and evolving in the moment, and then suddenly come to a standstill when I feel like there is nothing left to do. A feeling that is difficult to describe.
For example, I get a lot of inspiration from various philosophers, as well as from my very fascinating patients, who I love to work with. Besides treating patients in a psychiatric unit of a small upper austrian hospital i use my private practice and studio as a creative spot for illustration workshops. I also give classes in how to use procreate as an illustration tool. In terms of my artistic expression, William Kentridge, Alfred Kubin, Francisco de Goya, David Shrigley, David Hockney, James Victore and the »Gugginger Künstler« (Art Brut) are among a range of illustrators and artists who have had a great impact on my creative life.
I have always understood design as something that includes other areas of life and disciplines in the artistic process. Every engagement with life has an effect on our creativity and the way we see and deal with design. This is also the reason why I find the biographical component of each designer relevant. I find great pleasure in the work with my psychotherapy clients as we share an authentic exchange, which gives me impressions that I can later process and express in my creative work. I think the play between impressions and the freedom to process them through design will be my future focus. If this inspires customers or the design industry, I cannot predict, but I sure find creative pleasure in doing it.
Live for the cause and enjoy the numerous and diverse creative results. There are no perfect solutions. Desires, ideas and expectations change, like our body. And do not throw away any designs, sometimes the seemingly unimportant notes or sketchy months or years later may be of interest to you.
Just do it, and dońt think about what may happen, or may not happen, as you never know. Love what you do and take yourself serious.
Some days are scheduled around my psychotherapy work. On those days, I engage with my clients and patients. My routine as a designer is not clearly defined. There are days, on which I feel vulnerable and isolated, but these days sometimes bring out the best of my works. This is due to a flow, which allows me to forget the aesthetic criteria for a final product. Often times I have sudden impulses which I need to channel visually. If it is remittance work, I structure my day similar to the ones I spend at the clinic or my praxis. I get up early and concentrate on the development of an idea, which I then let sink, concretisise, revise, correct and in accord with the customers validate.
I love to research works by my designer colleagues online (social media) and be inspired. It is like browsing through a library full of books and magazines. A lot of work is already archived online which allows a certain flexibility and mobility in my research. I cannot say that I find trends particularly important as they are captures of moments at the end of the day. However, I allow myself to cite certain (past) trends every now and then.
This question is very hard to answer, as our values and views on design are heavily influenced by our cultural background. The subjective and collective embedding in historical epochs is what I regard as an essentiality that has to be considered in regards of good design. Design does not happen free of its context. Every visual positioning is bound to references and historical contexts. What we experience as being beautiful is mostly what we have learned to be beautiful. However, every visual concept is build on the relations of form, material, color, structure, area or space. The relation of these elements could be understood as natural basic instances in the aesthetic process of perception and appraisal. Sagmeister & Walsh recently dealt with these aspects of aesthetic perception in their exhibition "Beauty" in Vienna.
This differs from motif to motif. I am a big fan of reduction. Sometimes less can express a lot. I would say if I find something coherent has a lot to do if the piece of art can be looked at from various perspectives. I oscillate between various perspectives and inner conditions, which function as validation. One of them is my inner critic, the other one, an affective disposition towards a certain topic, through which a relationship to the motif develops. This always means a certain kind of relation, which operates as a quality parameter.
Interestingly I favor the work "Big Bang", that won the Bronze A'Design Award. It is the depiction of the climate crises with the motive of an explosive hand grenade filled with cars, through which a discomfort arises in the viewer. It is a feeling that a lot of people have when thinking of environmental changes.
James Victore, David Shrigley, Alfred Kubin, Amber Vittoria, Tara Booth, Malika Favre and many, many more.
Aesthetics have always been important to me; in regard to housing, movies, theatre, fashion but also in regard to stimulating intellectual content. Maybe this has something to do with proportions of space, form, structure, material and colour. They have a central influence on our well-being. I can say that certain creative inputs have an influence on my well-being even though they might be irritating as well. Looking at interesting images create a reflective process inside me, which are fantastic stimuli.
As a psychotherapist, I believe in the vulnerability and resilience of the people. We all find ways to deal with the world in the best of our abilities. My way to deal with life and to help shape it is in the visual processing of all traces life leaves behind inside me. My visualisation process is just another form of answering as well as questioning life.
I teach at a training institute of fine arts in Vienna called Zeichenfabrik (www.zeichenfabrik.at). We have a constant artistic dialogue and exchange. Also, the collective, spontaneous and open engagement with other illustrators are very inspiring to me. I would like to offer more socio-critical illustrations and offer support to NGOs. A few years ago I developed a logo for a citizens´ initiative in Vienna, which supported an environmental area in the Danube region. The EU had planned to build a highway through this natural reserve. The initiative uses the logo till date and I experience a great feeling of ethical enrichment through it.
I decided very spontaneously after being invited to submit my work to the A Design Award. I was uncertain if any of my work would be considered at all. I was thus thrilled to hear that three out of four nominations received an award. Which award position did not matter to me as all award winners are regarded as the best in the world and it is a great honour to be part of this wonderful experience. The participation at the A Design Aways is my first official participation at an international design competition.
Design Legend Interview
19 May 2019
While studying philosophy I began to work on illustrations that originated in the philosophical lectures that I heard at the time. Both of my parents are academic philosophers. My father was a professor in theoretical physics, thus I came in touch with a humanistic environment at a young age. I was confronted early in life with philosophical, artistic and political issues. As part of my training as a graphic designer at Die Graphische (Graphic Design School) in Vienna, I was able to gradually test my technical skills and develop a certain personal style. Afterwards I decided to train as a psychotherapist, where a creative approach has a strong influence on my therapeutic activity.
To me it is a way to personally process impressions of life, and to critically and creatively deal with the world. In addition, I experience this kind of expression as a way to leave something in the world that does not reduce to purely genetic reproduction.
I have always considered it important to make a choice on a voluntary basis, and that is what I did in becoming a graphic designer. I already felt the desire to express myself artistically as a student. To me it was a kind of inner need to express myself a certain way. I was aware from the beginning that I did not want to make a living as an ordinary commercial artist, as the freedom of creative expression was too important to me. As I did not have to earn money from graphic design due to other career options (psychotherapy), I always had the choice to illustrate what I liked best and had hardly any pressure to submit to market conditions.
Clear and concise, ironic, socially critical, reduced design for posters, illustrations for magazines and books.
Just do it, and dońt think about what may happen, or may not happen, as you never know. Love what you do and take yourself serious.
The courage and freedom to see, debate and realize new connections without consideration for the conventional. A great designer connects the aesthetic, economic and political mainstream as well as fundamental ethical, sociocritical, and conventional approaches in an unusual way. The main provocation is to break up the hidden and ambivalent dynamics of the usual perception and interpretation schemes by means of art and design. I would call this the high art of great designs.
This question is very hard to answer, as our values and views on design are heavily influenced by our cultural background. The subjective and collective embedding in historical epochs is what I regard as an essentiality that has to be considered in regards of good design. Design does not happen free of its context. Every visual positioning is bound to references and historical contexts. What we experience as being beautiful is mostly what we have learned to be beautiful. However, every visual concept is build on the relations of form, material, color, structure, area or space. The relation of these elements could be understood as natural basic instances in the aesthetic process of perception and appraisal. Sagmeister & Walsh recently dealt with these aspects of aesthetic perception in their exhibition "Beauty" in Vienna.
I would like to follow up on my thoughts on the evaluation of design. What is perceived as beautiful or coherent is often associated with ideas of correctness or health. Political parties, for instance, have used this effect in the past. Depending on the question and the goal of an aesthetic concept, values and the perception of others can be massively influenced by corresponding good design. As a designer you should always be aware of this psychological component.
I would like to work on designs that critically discuss political or social topics. However I would not like to work on designs for political parties.
This is difficult to answer, as I usually encounter new concepts and ideas in the moment. Dreams may change fast, that is why I tend to adjust to new ones quickly and try to stay open-minded.
Being able to embark on an inner design and change process, even if it means that the result of this process is not foreseeable. I often start my work without a specific goal and let the visual thinking process lead me to new designs. Only then will it become more concrete. Basically, this is a playful search process where my inner thoughts become visible to an outer audience in an illustration.
I get inspired by James Victore, Marc Burckhardt, Stefan Sagmeister, Noma Bar, die Gugginger KünstlerInnen,Walter Lürzer, Stephan Schmitz, Malika Favre, Amber Vittoria, Tara Booth, David Shrigley, Polly Nor, David Hockney, Joan Cornella, Paweł Kuczyński, Pat Perry, Alfred Kubin, Francisco Goya, Egon Schiele and many other artists.
There are several artists that I admire. James Victores Posters are what I especially adore, as well as works of Pawel Kuczynski or Stephan Schmitz that work with political satire.
Interestingly I favor the work "Big Bang", that won the Bronze A'Design Award. It is the depiction of the climate crises with the motive of an explosive hand grenade filled with cars, through which a discomfort arises in the viewer. It is a feeling that a lot of people have when thinking of environmental changes.
I think it is important to keep working and experimenting with designs. It is a playful learning process in which it is important to stay open minded to inspirations like others artists or current media.
Exactly what I am doing right now: Working as a psychotherapist and helping people in difficult life situations.
If you separate the word "design" in the parts "de" and "sign" it may be defined as a way of pointing at something, referring to something as well as developing symbols or signs as a form of communication. I am not sure if this is the main definition, but to me it is important to work in this interface where language and the visual come together and build new to society important meanings.
My love for graphics, art and aesthetics in general. Also, the incredible playfulness in designing, which has apparently always been there somewhere. However, in recent months, I have to admit, James Victore's philosophy has been very supportive of my self-doubt.
To stick to the essential and to simply continue to work in spite of all doubts and criticisms, simply for the sake of the pleasure that comes with designing. My work are also kind of a diary for me. What I enjoy very much, because this means that it does not have to be perfect immediately.
Not to be perceived as a serious designer, mainly by myself. It was an obstacle that I compared myself too much with other artists and constantly questioned the value of my work.
This is something every designer needs to decide by themselves.
Probably a cooperation with the Association for aesthetics and applied cultural theory called akut.
My ultimate goal is to develop good and meaningful designs and to enjoy the design process.
This question, too, is best-asked people, who approach design and designers with a certain expectation. Maybe this also depends on economic interests, art or socio-critical ambitions.
A good design may have the potential to challenge socio-political relations of power. Creation is always a social act.
I am working on a poster for a cultural organisation that focuses on the composer Schubert.
Usually projects in which I could express emotional or critical subjects. Lately this has been the design of political satire about Trump or the Brexit as well as tackling the subject of sexism in society.
I would definitely say an appropriate and respectful remuneration. I have experienced it myself that art and design are seen as "second-class jobs", which has a direct effect on fair compensation. Remarks such as my daughter can do it too or I can create it myself in word, so why should I pay you, are unacceptable. I see it as a duty of the design industry to position itself in the interest of its artists and designers. In my opinion, especially the art of illustration needs a push. I sometimes find a comparison with other occupational groups useful. The illustration can be put in the same category as jobs in the social sector, which are, to date, most often occupied by women and paid less than jobs in the IT or private sector.
I thing that technological changes will have a huge impact on the design field. However the industry will be influenced by social circumstances as well, like climate change and its influence on society.
This is very different. Usually I work on a motive without interruption until it is done. That may be a few minutes, or hours, sometimes, but rarely, a few days. My designs are more eruptive and evolving in the moment, and then suddenly come to a standstill when I feel like there is nothing left to do. A feeling that is difficult to describe.
Often I just start to scribble, but sometimes I have a more concrete idea or start searching for pictures online. This visual mixture then serves as a references for new design ideas.
Just do what you have to do, you will know when you do it. And if not, who cares. It's all about the design process.
I think that design and trends can not be separated from one and another, they depend on each other without one of it being the sole impulse.
At the beginning I mainly worked with a pen and pencil, then started using Photoshop. Now I only work on the iPad Pro in Procreate. I have found the technique of my choice. However, I remember that I once wanted to take part in an illustration competition in Berlin. When I read the terms and conditions, it quickly became clear that only works on paper were accepted as originals, not digital illustrations. My illustrations were not even perceived as real graphics. Even prints on paper were rejected. I actually felt excluded as an illustrator.
Procreate, Photoshop, Indesign, Affinity, Illustrator.
Color, material and ambient in design play a fundamental and archaic role in our lives and for our senses. They are the basic parameters and basic elements of every design process. Like syntax, grammar, spelling in linguistics.
They can ask me whatever they would like to ask.
Sometimes it feels like an endorphin rush. It is intense, sometimes even irritating, but always a pleasurable astonishment that makes sense to me.
I'm not sure, but I'm definitely convinced that it should be a strong mutual inspirational encounter that can lead to interesting results.
James Victores work and the work of many other artists. Ím usually all by myself when I work. Interactions often happen via internet, instagram or other social media platforms.
There are a lot of great works. However it does not have to be a specific book that deals with design but it can be a comic as well or maybe even a cook book.
I developed my skills through trial and error and with a lot of research.
Alfred Kubin, Francisco Goya, Virginia Wolf, Camille Claudel, …
I do not think that I am famous but I am thankful and feel honored by the awards.
If I had to answer quickly I would say my favorite color is yellow, but there are just too many beautiful colors. The Waldviertel in Lower Austria is definitely one of my favorite places. We have a small country house where I can hide very well. I love to eat a lot, but one of my favorite dishes is actually fried chicken. I love autumn, also I am a friend of winter. Unfortunately, I do not handle the heat in the summer very well, but temperatures of up to 25 degrees are perfect. I have recently restored an antique couch and a sofa chair of my grandparents, both as a therapy sofa and therapist armchair which in my practice serve me and my clients well. I have to admit that these pieces are filled with memories and therefore are things of nostalgic value to me. Brands I do not care for very much.
So my answer to that question is very honest. I did not know A Design Award before I submitted my works. I was invited by A Design Award to nominate two of my works, and I thought the invitation was a scam. I called Design Austria, the Austrian Design Platform for Designers, and asked if it was a phishing e-mail and that I was thinking about deleting it. Then the friendly lady on the phone explained to me that A Design Award is a very prestigious award and congratulated me on the invitation. Of course, this was extremely embarrassing, because I should have known that.
Sometimes the days on which I do not feel very well turn out to be the days that I design the best.
I did not think about becoming a designer as a child but I always liked to draw and people kept telling me that I was talented. However I always wanted to become a biologist, a profession that my little sister eventually chose.
I have no idea. My future ist now.
Live for the cause and enjoy the numerous and diverse creative results. There are no perfect solutions. Desires, ideas and expectations change, like our body. And do not throw away any designs, sometimes the seemingly unimportant notes or sketchy months or years later may be of interest to you.
Designer Interview
19 May 2019
Already as a child and adolescent, I was passionate about drawing. It was a way to dive into a parallel world, to visually connect different realities and create new ones. In addition, I felt that in drawing I could express myself in a way, that was difficult to me verbally.
The name of my studio, Praxisbüro Trilety, brings together two essential aspects of my working life. On the one hand as a Psychotherapist I create realities of life and self conceptions with patients in my practice, on the other hand I design graphically visual worlds in my office. In both cases, the practice shows itself in the creative design of new references to oneself and the environment.
Design is reflexive thinking in visual form, a kind of symbolic intellectualism, the very picture, the whole vision, the very multivalency.
Art brut, everyday experiences, satirical and ironic references to politics and society.
Honestly I am not sure. I have a bad memory, if I like something, then this is a snapshot, as in an encounter, something very original and intimate, I have trouble describing that.
As part of my training at the Graphic Design College (Die Graphische) in Vienna, a competition was announced by the Kommunalkredit Bank in Vienna. The assignment was to redesign the Corporate Design of the bank. I had little idea and little interest in corporate design before, but at that time I had unexpectedly and unbelievably won the jury's first prize.
I always had a fondness for fine pen and ink on photo paper, thus a completely smooth, coated paper surface. The feeling of working on glass, almost free of resistance, is what I used to like the most. Today I almost exclusively work on iPad Pro. I feel free and unlimited through the material. It feels like it is possible to visualize illusions only through the movement of the hand in the air or through thoughts.
When I get the impression, something works inside of me that I do not understand, when I'm restless or confused, when I feel useless, aroused, weird, sometimes even when I'm depressed.
I am highly concentrated, very autistic. I can sometimes spend hours working on a thing, that in the end is very reduced. At most, a simple picture is created, usually with little detail, narrowed down to the essentials, but it still feels like full of details.
Lust, joy, anger, a strange form of tension. And I feel awesome, maybe you're a little megalomaniac when you're creative.
I feel fulfilled but exhausted, sometimes dissatisfied, because the outcome can only show a fraction of what happens in my mind in the creative process.
It is successful when it feels right to me. If it can express the actual intention, or if I work without a plan on something that ultimately presents itself as a new birth of what was not previously intended.
That is hard to say. It is the proportion, color, form, contrast, relationship of objects in space, intention, and an original individual aura that arises through the design, the handwriting, or perhaps soul of the object.
In my view the designer should reflect on current but also historical socio-political conditions in the world. Opening new perspectives, while critically analyzing and contextualizing previous existence.
I can not say how technologies and culture will evolve, it has a lot to do with evaluation and the zeitgeist. Such a thing may only be understood retrospectively, and it will become apparent if it has relevance.
I am very playful, I often start to draw, just to keep busy, to calm down, or to feel like it's something special that I do. This often spontaneously creates ideas, which I then playfully implement. Anyway, at first I often do not know what comes out in the end, unless of course I have a concrete project in mind, which interestingly enough, often does not implement as I imagine. The objects are created by themselves. I'm just the tool.
Oh, that's a tough one. Of course, the history of my country and my family has influenced me a lot. I can say that Vienna exudes a certain self-forgetfulness, that's how we Viennese live. I need to rest a lot when working, which seems to reflect the Viennese lifestyle. There is a saying about Austria: "Whenever there is something happening in the world, no matter what it is, even if it were the end of the world, go to Vienna, here it will not happen until 30 years later."
I work with companies as equal partners. I generally appreciate project-based collaboration as it allows for more autonomy, forcing one to stay creative, to come up with new ideas.
I think that it is a bit like a blind date: You may talk to each other or you don't. The respect for each other is important and the clarity of what you stand for. There should be some kind of boundaries that you can not morally cross, within that you can probably agree on a lot. And I think the designer's visual personality is a special resource. I would not want to change my style just to please a company.
I often randomly start to scribble, which I then discard. Therefore, I do not know in the beginning where I will end up. Sometimes, however, there is something that saddens or strains me from the inside. I use the creative process to make this experience visible. Frequently, these works then become forms of ironic or satirical concepts.
A pretty design table by Hay, which I really appreciate and like to work on. My Ipad Pro. My pretty yellow and blue striped sheepskin sweatshirt, that always reminds me of Maya the Honey Bee. My lunch box from Wesco, which I call "little alien". My pink cardboard pig by Papertrophy, which the daughter of a friend painted pink and which always makes me happy.
I usually work as a psychotherapist in private practice and in a hospital at a psychiatric ward. When I'm not working as a therapist, I either work on new designs or I read, play with my cats, or go to concerts, the theater, or events.
I suppose being a designer means being aware that you have something like a creative disease, something that somehow always accompanies you. That also means that you have to learn how to handle your own creativity, which needs to be developed at first and might be painful and unclear in the beginning. Questions like "what what is my particularity as a designer? What are the fears and doubts?" may also be helpful resources. The experience of developing as a person, even if it may be hard at times, is very important for the artistic expression of the designer.
In my view it is most important to visually reflect on social and personal phenomena in my work.
I really love James Victore "Dangerous Ideas" because he makes me feel confident and makes me belief in myself. This is what really boosts my creativity. The software I use is procreate which is so complex and simple at the same time. I always feel free of any pressure to choose between different techniques. The Programm provides so many options, though I sometimes just use my old fashioned HB Colour Pencil, but at the same time I know, that it can provide me with much more. Moreover there are many inspiring artists out there. I love to search Instagram and Behance to see all these great creative people sharing their work. I am deeply touched by the "Gugginger KünstlerInnen" (Artists of Art Brut) in Austria. I always was.
I only design, when I am in the right mood, and when I know I can be absolutely focused, without any distraction. I am not capable of multitasking, so it is always one design after another.
Usually one to three days. Sometimes only a couple of hours a day, it depends on how focused I am.
Do people buy your work? Can you make a living of your work? How much do you earn?
My work with psychiatric patients at the Hospital I am currently working at inspires me the most.
Free Grafik designing, Illustrating and doodling is what i enjoy most.
A great wish would be a broader visibility of my work in different media, such as books, magazines, newspapers, online magazines, websites, blogs, social media on billboards or in socially critical advertising campaigns.
I usually develop my designs by myself. The different aspects of my personality kind of work together to create a design.