Interview with Tariq Alsaadi

Tariq Alsaadi is a Graphic Designer graduate and is now a freelancer. We had a small chat before the interview:

“I started drawing around three years old, I started to make some lines you know? My family helped me to develop that at the time I wanted to study what I wanted so I went into fine art. When I started studying I was also working in the cartoon industry then the wars started so I had to leave, it was not so good to stay there. I changed my work place because of the war it was really dangerous to stay with this company and a dangerous place in Damascus. I wanted to leave Syria. I met some really nice people in Greece and we made a small project there with a volunteer, Eliza. I reached Germany and I was also in a camp, I worked there as a translator for a little bit and I also drew a little bit with the children there then I came to the city Osnabruck here so many people helped me there I’m very happy to have these people in my life. They helped get a start here and get to know the people and by the time I got to know the people they worked in art school here and now I make projects with them especially with projects that help with immigration backgrounds. So I can really help with that stuff. I also do other project for example I will be participating in the European Media Art Festival or known as EMAF; it will be in April and May. I would like to say art helped me with a lot of hard stuff going on, I didn’t really have to live it because of my art. My art really helped me to go on. For the people what they know is if you have something in you’re mind or something you can do they are more interested, they want to help you; that’s really my story up until now.”

Why did you decide to work in a creative career?

“Its like I said I started at around two or three and growing up with this, I feel happy when I do it. I can express myself when I draw or when I make art or something I can express myself more than writing or speaking”

What challenges have you faced so far?

I started just drawing simple stuff then I turned towards more computer stuff but in the future I would like to create shows. I want to do that but its challenging to make shows in the type of work like performance pieces and stuff like that. I’ve tried now but I’m still waiting for something to be perfect in my mind but I’m working on it.

Describe your typical way of working?

“I was really inspired as a kid by cartoons, comics and manga and then I worked to make my own stuff. It’s like now when I compare my work to last year I can see they’ve changed, every year they change or they developed a little bit. I think my kind of work is a mix between pop art and manga. I really like pop culture and I’m influenced by pop culture. I would also like to inspire people with my art works especially now because it’s a hard time for this world so I try and make the people feel that we are the same, we are just born in different place but we didn’t choose that.”

What has been your most successful project and why?

“Actually I’m still waiting for that, but now I’m really happy with this graphic novel I think that’s one of the things I’ve waited for so I think that will be my successful project.”

What projects are you most interested in doing?

“Because I told you I was inspired and influence by comics I would like to be in the comic book industry, it’s my passion. Also I would like to be in character design because I create so many characters and I want to be where I can develop that or where I can work with that.”

If you could spend the day with any artist dead or alive, who would it be and why?

“Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo they are the two artists I would like to spend the day with definitely”.

What would be your ideal career in art?

I work in graphic design for money but I would like to be a graphic novelist, illustrator or designer, all sorts.

Is there a technique or method in working you have found useful and would recommend to other artists?

“I just let my hand free, let it draw what it wants. So I draw on paper then scan the picture and colour it in Photoshop.”

Do you have any pictorial product or equipment you’ve found useful and would recommend?

“Fiber castle is my friend, there really cool but its doesn’t matter really which marker or product you use because you can work with anything but It helps when its good.”

Are you working on anything at the moment?

“I’m working as a freelancer, not with a company or anything, I work on logos and another graphic design pieces as I’m taking time to learn German. I would like to work with a company in the future because its good for artist, if all artist freelance it can become a problem everyone could have different prices and people would go to the cheaper ones. When people aren’t in the industry they just want something so easy you know but then the art is not so beautiful. I’m also working on a graphic novel about the war in Syria, its also inspired by my personal experience.”