meet: nuria diaz
nuria creates the most lovely drawings, ones that take you back years to when the world didn't have as many limits as does now. they are drawings that touch on the feelings that makes us fun, keep us young and give us life. see for yourself!
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what is your background?
i live in spain, in a city called santiago de compostela. i studied fine arts at the University of Vigo, and then i got a masters in graphic design. in school, i did not learn much about illustration or how to make it work in the real world, so i guess i'm also a little self taught.
how did you get started illustrating & selling?
i remember always drawing and creating things since childhood. i made dressers for dolls and small objects for their houses. i also made books and board games to play with my friends. at the end of my studies, i worked a few years in graphic design agencies, while still drawing and making small orders for illustration. when i finished my last job at an agency, i began to dedicate myself full time to illustration. while looking for work in the publishing world, i began to apply my artwork on small objects, to keep myself active: pins, notebooks, mirrors ... and gradually it grew.
what inspires you?
i guess what inspires me is daily life. i am very observant, and anything can inspire me. a film, a color, a song, a situation ... they might be the germ of an illustration.
what is your favorite item in your shop?
i really like ceramic pieces. they are pieces that i'm starting to make with local workshops and i really like the finishes. they are like little pieces of art that are also functional. i think it's a beautiful format to tell stories.
what are you most looking forward to this year?
for the next few months i have a lot of illustration projects and new products that i would like to make, like tea towels, trays, bags and diaries . let's see if i have time for everything!
what advice would you give to makers who are just getting started?
you need a lot of patience and hard work. this is a slow process and making it happen is complicated. so you have to be very clear with what you are passionate about, because you have to spend so much time on it. sometimes you will not have holidays and other days you will have to spend the saturday night working.you will not see results until some time passes. there are many things to learn when you start and being open to criticism will always help you improve. and always keep learning and keep the illusion. if your work is good, sooner or later you will succeed.
