ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

JANJA PRIMOŽIČ

Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up and how did you find yourself interested in design? Was there a pivotal moment that you can remember?

My name is Janja. I grew up in a small town in Slovenia, a gorgeous little country in central Europe, next to Italy. Growing up ugly, I discovered the magical powers of Photoshop, which I first started using only to enhance my profile photos. Later, it resulted in my never-ending pursuit of perfection in visual communications.

Who doesn't love the '80s and '90s and the aesthetics that came with such an iconic era. From colorful neon signs & dramatic fonts to beaches with amazing sunsets, palm trees, and tall Pina Coladas that just makes you want to go to the tropical paradise or into long gone carefree childhood. The nostalgia which brings back the warmth of a cozy world, the sweetest feelings you will never let go of. Creating such visuals allows so much freedom and definitely counts as one of my most enjoyable creative moments.

What inspires you the most about creating your artwork and what kind of image or idea are you ultimately trying to convey to your audience?

The original photo is the muse. By keeping its beauty and enhancing it with graphic accessories, artistic composition, vibrant colors and textures, it reveals a bold statement that the viewer can interpret in many ways.

How do you feel like the cultural and philosophical themes of Vaporwave have influenced your artwork?

I'm a very systematic person and Vaporwave has taught me to be a bit more open to abstract and chaos.

Do you have a work ritual? Take us through the process of creating your art.

The best hours for me to be productive are in the afternoon. I start somewhere around 1 PM and work until I finish a project or give up at around 10 PM. During that time I try to avoid any type of distraction such as social media or real life human interaction. For optimal productivity, I usually work on two projects per day. So when I’m stuck with project A, I switch to project B and give project A some time to rest.

Who are some of your favorite artists, business people, creatives or intellectuals?

Some of my favorite people I look up to are Josefin Jonsson/Pastelae, Mike Winkelmann/Beeple, Yoko Honda, Erik Johansson, Gustavo Torres/Kidmograph and Elon Musk.

What has been the highlight of your artistic career so far?

I feel like I’m at the very beginning of a highly promising career. The closest project that could count as a highlight would be designing cover art for a well-known artist in the hardstyle music scene.

Please tell us something about yourself that we may not know that influences your work.

I would say my biggest influence is what I see daily. My Instagram feed, all the wonderful artists I’m following, and Behance curated galleries with top notch designs.

What are your plans for the future and direction of your work? How do you see yourself growing as an artist?

Right after I finished high school, I started working as a prepress technician and a graphic designer at a promotional towel company here in Slovenia, where I gathered valuable insight into branding, promoting, marketing and gained a lot of skills in graphic design and design software. My main focus for the future is to become one of the most successful freelance graphic designers in the field and to create visual digital art for fellow music artists and to print on demand for a more general audience.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

Grind, grind, grind, learn something new every day and don't give up. Ever.

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