Catching ideas like fish

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
Recently, the focus of my work has shifted slightly. After years dedicated to children’s illustration, I decided to place it on the back burner and devote more time to what has always been my greatest love: comics.

I finally began working on my first graphic novel, and the mixture of joy, excitement, fear, and anxiety it brings me is overwhelming in the best possible way.

It’s not the only thing I’m currently working on, though. I also started developing a board game with a friend and, interestingly enough, both the graphic novel and the board game revolve around canine themes. Alongside that, I’ve been creating a series of film posters as a more personal project.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
Honestly, the learning curve has been steep. I’ve been an avid comic reader for years, but only after starting my own material did I truly understand the amount of work comics require. Making comics is hard.

The main thing I’ve had to learn, and still struggle with, is patience. Tragically, I discovered that you cannot simply improvise your way through an entire project. Who would’ve thought?

Planning and organisation have never been my strengths, and this process is forcing me to slow down. It’s important for me to fully understand what I want to do, and why, instead of rushing toward quick solutions.

I constantly have to balance my instinct for spontaneity with the need for structure. Learning how to reconcile those two things has become one of the central challenges of my practice.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
Whenever I feel too much pressure to create, or when my ideas feel weak, absent, or disappointing, I return to the artists who inspire me.

I often think about something David Lynch once said: that ideas are like fish. You don’t create them, you catch them.

I try to remember that and stay receptive, because ideas are everywhere. Sometimes we dismiss them too quickly for being too ordinary or mundane.

I’m learning to collect those small thoughts and see the world around me as an open archive of possibilities. Once those ideas begin to accumulate, the excitement of creation starts to emerge naturally.

There’s something deeply exhilarating about being responsible for a story, and I think that feeling only comes through mindful engagement with the world and with the work of other artists.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
Lately, I’ve been particularly inspired by the ways people struggle to communicate with one another: misunderstandings, assumptions, solipsism, leaps of judgment.

It happens to everyone, and I’m fascinated by how those dynamics unfold in different contexts. There’s also a great deal of humour in it, often absurd humour.

I’ve been especially inspired by filmmakers like Charlie Kaufman and the Coen brothers, as well as, more recently, the TV show The Chair Company.

I’ve also been reading Room to Dream, David Lynch’s memoir. It completely blows my mind and I’m certain it will continue influencing me for years.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
The hardest part has definitely been balancing multiple creative projects alongside my day job.

Sometimes the real challenge is simply showing up consistently, especially during moments when things don’t flow naturally and you’re forced to trust the process anyway.

What is your favorite coffee shop and why do you like going there?
Veganashi, an incredible fully vegan sushi bar in Barcelona. I would give a lot to eat one of their sushirritos for lunch today. Truly a 10/10 experience.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
It would be called Untitled_3. The soundtrack would be made by Squid.

Have you collaborated with any studios, labs, or workshops recently, or would you like to in the future?
Not recently, no, but I think it would be refreshing to step outside my creative shell for a while and become inspired by working in a different environment.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
• Jonathan Hooper, whose haunting paintings of houses have extraordinary organic brushwork and beautifully moody palettes.
• Samanta Schweblin, whose eerie short stories perfectly balance the mundane and the uncanny.
• Brad Hock, creator of one of my favourite animations ever, Oldboy’s Apples, and someone with an incredible imagination.
• Marcin Urbanowicz, who photographs small Polish towns with a remarkable sensitivity toward detail, contrast, and atmosphere.